Not a soul in the world could start pursuing a career in entertainment today and succeed tomorrow, but when you do succeed, the possibilities are endless. These fifteen celebrities weren’t in music very long before reaching for additional success in film and either obtaining it or failing miserably. In some cases, current and past performers have had more success on the big screen than on radio. Here are 15 examples of celebrities who found fame in music but spread their wings to film and more.

1. Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga has been entertaining radio listeners and supporting the LGBT community for years. She’s so busy each year that you may not have noticed her in two feature films before her Golden Globe-winning appearance in American Horror Story: Hotel. In 2013’s Machete Kills, Gaga plays El Camaleon, a shapeshifting prostitute / hitman, for all of five minutes. A year after, she made an even shorter appearance as a waitress in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.

2. Britney Spears

Britney Spears often appears as herself on film and TV, most notably in Austin Powers in Goldmember when the pop star became a deadly “Fembot.” The real video gem of her career, however, was in 2002’s Crossroads, a film by Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy) that followed Lucy (Spears), Kit, and Mimi on a cross-country road trip. Crossroads was a box office hit but also a fine example of terrible acting. Years later, Crossroads still beats Mariah Carey’s Glitter.

3. Mariah Carey

In 2001, Mariah Carey starred as the lead in Glitter, a film she helped conceptualize about a club dancer with dreams of becoming a serious singer. Glitter sparkled out basically overnight and could have ruined Mariah’s career had she been more like her character and not already a serious voice in music.

4. Justin Timberlake

With nearly two dozen film credits, Timberlake has made a successful career as a medium-swapping entertainer. Noteworthy appearances include The Love Guru, The Social Network, Bad Teacher, Friends With Benefits, and In Time. His most recent appearance is in Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping.

5. Rihanna

Rihanna first appeared in Bring It On: All Or Nothing as herself before taking a formal role six years later in 2012’s Battleship. The film marked her big-screen debut, but her role only included one-liners, with one exception. Rihanna returned to cinemas last year as the voice of the lead female in DreamWorks’ Home. The singer is confirmed for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets next year, but her role has not been specified.

6. Beyonce

Beyoncé’s acting debut in MTV’s Carmen: A Hip Hopera came only three years after her first album with Destiny’s Child, and in the fifteen years since she has made a name for herself as a talented entertainer in any medium. Her role in Austin Powers in Goldmember truly launched her acting career in 2002, despite being followed by lackluster performances in The Fighting Temptations (2003) and The Pink Panther (2006). The LEMONADE singer shines brightest in Dreamgirls and Obsessed, films which required genuine, serious acting to tell compelling stories.

7. Nick Jonas

True ‘90s kids will never forget the Jonas Brothers or Disney Channel’s Camp Rock films, but Nick Jonas is separating himself from his public life with Joe and Kevin through solo albums, TV appearances (Kingdom, Scream Queens), and now serious roles in feature films. In January, his film debut Goat premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was immediately picked up by Paramount Pictures for a possible theatrical release. On June 10, his big-screen acting debut — Careful What You Wish For —  was released to select theaters. Jonas plays a young man who becomes involved in an affair with a married woman.

8. Jessica Simpson

She’s rumored to be returning to music, but Jessica Simpson has had some luck as an actor. Her first theatrical appearance, in The Dukes of Hazzard, helped her claim a People’s Choice Award and a Teen Choice Award. The following year, Employee of the Month became the most requested film on AOL. Two cheaper films followed but were so bad that Conan O’Brien joked they could not be released in any country that speaks English as the primary language. Maybe she’s smart to stick to music.

9. Mandy Moore

Just like Justin Timberlake, Mandy Moore has spent much more time on movies than music. Her 2001 breakout role as Lana Thomas in The Princess Diaries performed better with audiences than both Mariah Carey and Britney Spears’ acting debuts. She captivated audiences again in 2002 with the tear-jerking A Walk To Remember, which earned Moore six award nominations. She won four of the six nominations, including a MTV Movie Award and a Teen Choice Award. She is currently working on her 18th live-action film.

10. Jennifer Lopez

Unlike almost everyone else on our list, Jennifer Lopez’s career began with a lead role in a film: the award-winning Selena biopic. Selena was released to theaters in 1997, and two years later “Jenny from the block” released her first album. In the past two decades, J.Lo has dropped eight solo albums and appeared in more than 30 feature films.

11. Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera has spent the past few years as a judge on NBC’s The Voice, but the judge has always been a vocalist at heart. Her debut album in 1999 captured listeners with songs like “Genie In a Bottle” and “What a Girl Wants.” While her fame and success have followed a steady downward slope since then, her work as the lead character in 2010’s Burlesque reminded the world of her vocal power and introduced her as a serious actress. Aguilera is currently working on a new album for a late 2016 release.

12. Taylor Swift

Country-turned-pop princess Taylor Swift also claimed her first acting role in 2010 in Valentine’s Day. She played opposite real-life then-boyfriend Taylor Lautner. Swift returned to theaters in 2014 with The Giver starring Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes, and more. Neither of the roles were significant for her career but still nice previews of Swift’s acting work to come.

13. Madonna

Trivia time! Few of today’s pop music fans know this, but Madonna was an actress before she was a singer. She actually filmed her first feature in 1979, four years before her self-titled debut album. Her first major theatrical appearance was as the co-lead in 1985’s Desperately Seeking Susan alongside Rosanna Arquette. Fans consider the film her best theatrical performance, followed by her work in A League of Their Own and Evita.

14. Cher

After five studio albums, Cher landed her first theatrical lead in 1969’s Chastity. The film was written and produced by Cher’s then-husband Sonny Bono and was intended to establish the songstress as a serious actor but failed with audiences. Following films did succeed in branding Cher as an actress, and she won both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for 1987’s Moonstruck. Today’s youth are most likely to appreciate her acting solely based on 2010’s Burlesque, her first musical film.

15. Whitney Houston

Before her untimely death in 2012, Whitney Houston brought the world seven incredible albums and five acting roles in feature films. Her acting launch in 1992’s The Bodyguard received mixed reviews from critics but was the third-highest selling movie of the year. The film also helped Houston sell 12 million copies of her cover of “I Will Always Love You.” Houston’s last film, Sparkle, came to theaters just months after she passed.

Once an entertainer, always an entertainer! You might not realize this, but being a pop star requires a bit of acting, so it’s no surprise so many singers have transitioned to film. Don’t limit yourself to one aisle of the industry if your talent is unlimited. Just be cautious of the projects you take on, or you risk a disaster of Glitter proportions.