When Chappell Roan initially released her now iconic "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess" album in 2023 it didn't make much noise but the success came after the success of the next single "Good Luck, Babe" and "Hot to Go" leading to it peaking at number 2 in October 2024, an entire year after it's release along with a lot of its other tracks gaining success. What are some other albums that were sleepers?
by onlyeveryotherday
22 Comments
Teddy Swims – I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy. Lose Control took a long time to gain momentum and then hung around forever.
Currents by Tame Impala
I remember downloading a leaked link to Camp by Childish Gambino and trying to explain who he was and what Community was now both are classics. I did fall for his Danny Glover son schtick too.
Nsync took a minute to take off. I remember we won their CD for free as a promotion when buying shoes. They didn’t really take off until a few months later
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I think the first single on this album was a fast New Jack Swing song called Gotta Love, which didn’t chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The next two singles, Forever My Lady & Stay, helped boost it as they charted around the top 40, but then Come & Talk To Me was the major top 10 hit that made this a multi-platinum album.
As a second example, I think Leon Thomas’s Mutt gradually got heavy buzz into the summer of 2025 after it dropped in Fall 2024 (August to be exact), and the self-titled song became a top 10 hit around that time. I remember bumping that album heavy since initial release, but I’m surprised that single got major airplay as recently as a couple of months ago.
Dare I say Emails I Can’t Send by Sabrina Carpenter. I feel like when it came out no one was talking about it but then nonsense and feather blew up
No Doubt *Tragic Kingdom*
Emotion by Carly Rae Jepsen.
Bat Out of Hell by MeatLoaf took about a year before it started gaining popularity. It ended up selling almost half a million copies by the end of the year
Plastic Hearts by Miley Cyrus. Was hated and ignored by many, until a certain clip was shared. You know, the one where she sings 🎶 “I know that you’re wrong for me, gonna wish we never met on the day I leave.” 🎶
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The album blew up for a short time. Along with Miley covering great rock songs, with many praising her for her covers. It was a much needed win in her career. Before this she had released two disastrous albums – as in they barely made a mark, except one song on each album (Malibu for Younger Now and Slide Away for She Is Coming) and their marketing sucked ass. Miley later said she dislikes Plastic Hearts as her label and producers had completely changed her vision. Many of her fans consider it one of her best.
Plastic Hearts’ belated success resulted in the marketing master piece that is Flowers for Endless Summer Vacation.
Unfortunately Something Beautiful was a disaster, but I honestly think Miley is to blame for that. During her promotional tour she trashed everything and everyone for the album not being successful, she made snide remarks about her collaborators on Plastic Hearts because she “didn’t want them, no one knows who the fuck they are”, she released a song with Naomi Campbell even though her ties with Epstein were already well documented, ignored fans during meet and greets, said she’d never tour again (which is her right, but promotion wise it’s not a smart move), sold tickets to her film at TriBeCa Film Festival for hundreds of dollars which angered fans (they should have read the website, though), etc.
I love Miley but honest to God she cannot keep herself from making the same mistakes over and over again. 😬😬😬
Lizzo
Nine Inch Nails “Pretty Hate Machine was released in 1989, and a had decent first week debut – but the label hated the end result and told Trent that the album was “an abortion” and said he ruined his career before it even started.
Trent went on tour for several years for PHM to avoid the label heads, and eventually the album blew up from word of mouth during the tour.
Pretty Hate Machine eventually did hit “Gold” status, but not until spring of 1992 when “Head Like a Hole” was blowing up on MTV.
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Called a flop, her worst single ever, never had a number 1 hit until the Cruel Summer redemption of 2023.
*No Angel* by Dido. Released in summer 1999 to modest success. Went on to become one of the bestselling albums of 2001, in large part due to the single “Thank You” being sampled in Eminem’s rap hit “Stan.”
Body Talk x Robyn
Blackout by Britney Spears. At the time Gimme More and Piece of Me were hits but the album itself wasn’t given credit for its unique sound until much later.
Decide by Djo
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Out By The Night by Kings of Leon took over a year. I remember hearing Sex on Fire on the radio like two years after first listen/not loving the album and being super confused.
Dua Lipa – Be the One. 10 years ago it was just one of the dozen singles she released while waiting to get a green light from Warner to make an album. Fast forward to last year it’s a huge hit with her fan base thanks to the live shows. Also the live version is much better than the original track and it fits much better with her voice.
Edit: I didn’t read the OP properly and posted a song. I’m standing by this comment.
As an album, That’s Showbiz Baby by JADE. So many timeless bops. It’ll always be well regarded.
So Good by Zara Larsson. Filled with mega hits that are ticking to go viral again like Lush Life, many of which the younger generation has never heard of, especially in America. Interestingly, this week it re-entered the Billboard 200 Albums chart instead of Midnight Sun.
Anything by Carly Rae Jepson, particularly Emotion part B