Last week, the great Jeff Goldblum surprised everyone with an accomplished, lively jazz set at Glastonbury. It got us thinking about some stars of the silver screen and their occasional foray into the musical arts.
Some transitions can be effortless, like Goldblum or Scarlet Johansson. Others can be epic, like the late Christopher Lee going metal. However, what we’re the most interested in are the misfires by a dishonourable few, and trust us, there are a few stinkers here.
Read our short list of the worst examples of actors turned to popstars below.
Bruce Willis
Shortly before his action hero heyday, Bruce Willis released ‘The Return of Bruno‘, featuring adult-contemporary pop with a very heavy helping of Huey Lewis. The album spawned a UK hit with Bruce’s cover of ‘Under the Boardwalk’ by The Drifters, but for the most part, the results will likely have you siding with Hans Gruber next time Die Hard comes on the telly.
Russell Crowe
Before the gladiator formerly known as Maximus obliterated our expectations (and eardrums) as Les Miserables’ primary antagonist, Russell Crowe made an odd leap into country-pop. While his singing is considerably more listenable than his latter-day stint as Javert, Russell’s attempt at country falls significantly flat. There’s also the fact that Russell Crowe is wearing a matador costume in the middle of a coliseum with stone-faced sincerity. “Are you not entertained?” No Russell, not this time.
Kim Kardashian
Okay, she’s not an actor, but we couldn’t resist chucking this gem in. Kim released the catastrophic single ‘Jam (Turn It Up)’ in 2011. Daily News called the track “a dead-brained piece of generic dance music, without a single distinguishing feature.” Ouch. But in hindsight, this song genuinely makes Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’ sound like Johann Sebastian Bach’s ‘Mass in Bm’.
Steven Seagal
Steven Seagal gets enough criticism from his primary profession. His acting in a long line of overblown action flicks often gets torn to shreds, though his work as a drug pedalling, samurai sword waving villain in ‘Machete’ is top tier entertainment, and you’re lying if you say it’s not. With his singing, however, Seagal’s mellow 2004 release is about as syrupy as it gets, like 25% Russel Crowe as a matador and 75% Savage Garden. I think the album cover says it all.
Corey Feldman
Talking of album covers, ‘Angelic 2 the Core’s’ perfectly sums up the chaotic, abrasive environment that Corey Feldman produces. ‘Angelic 2 the Core’ is almost indescribable, balancing wacky auto-tune, dated EDM, weird Charlie’s Angels references and Snoop Dogg into something truly original. It’s been hailed as one of the worst albums of all time and it probably is, but it definitely isn’t boring.
Who would you include in your list of worst actor to musician transformations? Let us know in the comment section.
Meanwhile. click here for more viral music content.
