Entertainment

24 Artists From The Early 2000s That You Totally Forgot About

If you're a sucker for nostalgia, then there are probably few things you love more than getting nostalgic for your tween years, right? Sure, they were stricken with braces and puberty and crushes, but what about the music that got you through it? I'm sure the Now That's What I Call Music collections and your fond memories of your favorite and least favorite boy bands endure, but what about those artists from the 2000s that you forgot?

Of course, there are the artists that we all know and love — Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Britney Spears, and more. But then there are the one or two hit wonders who slipped through the cracks of time and seemingly drifted into the abyss of time. These artists still live on, though — in throwback Spotify playlists you listen to and say, "Hey, I remember this song! Whatever happened to them?" It happens more often than you might think, but it's never too late to refresh your memory with the music of times gone by.

Let's walk through the abyss of time or "memory lane," if you will, and a take look back at 17 artists from the 2000s that you probably erased from memory — until now.

This slideshow was originally published on Sept. 3, 2014. It was updated on June 6, 2019. Additional reporting by Mallory Carra.

by Mallory Schlossberg
Updated: 
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Hoku

Remember “Another Dumb Blonde?” What about “Perfect Day” from Legally Blonde ? Those anthemic songs from the daughter of legendary Hawaiian singer Don Ho endure, but sadly, we haven’t heard from Hoku in a long time. In 2018, though, Hoku released her first Christian album, Called By Name. As of 2019, Hoku and her husband Jeremy Clements serve as the Arts and Worship Architects of Branches Church in Dana Point, California in Orange County.

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Korn

Or, the rap rock that dominated TRL with hits like "Freak On A Leash," "Here To Stay," and "Got The Life." On June 5, 2019, the band's guitarist Brian "Head" Welch made headlines for jamming with Mike Huckabee on the former Arkansas governor's talk show.

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Len

You probably remember “Steal My Sunshine,” even if you forgot who sang that catchy song. It seemed to be just about everywhere during the early 2000s. After a hiatus in the mid-2000s, the Canadian band released an album in 2012 called, It's Easy If You Try.

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Tweet

Do you remember “Oops, Oh My?” Maybe her song about looking at your reflection in the mirror left an impression on you back in the day. The artist's name now, thought, will probably leave you thinking of the social media platform Twitter and all the tweets everyone is making right now.

Amazon

Christina Milian

Somebody hit the lights! So we can rock it day and night. Of course you remember those lyrics to “From AM to PM,” but after that and “Dip It Low,” Christina Milian has even reemerged with an EP called 4U in 2015 and acting in the TV series The Oath.

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Willa Ford

She wanted to be bad, amongst other things. Years later, though, she wanted to leave the music industry to become a full-time interior designer who will appear on Scott Disick's new reality show. “I really took a step back because I felt like I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to be doing at the time,” Ford told Billboard in 2017. “I know that sounds crazy, but it was the perfect storm, and I walked away. It’s really hard when you walk away to go back to it.”

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J-Kwon

“Errbody in the club gettin’ tipsy!” … and then everyone forgot about this song. Remember it now? There's someone who always will remember the song: Kanye West. In a 2013 interview with the New York Times, West called the song one of his favorite of all time. The rapper said of the song, "People would think that’s like a lower-quality, less intellectual form of hip-hop, but that’s always my No. 1."

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Dream

Just living the teen girl group dream in 2001. And remember: He loves me , he loves u not! The group reunited in 2015 and released a holiday single, "O Holy Night" in time for Christmas. "The girls and I have unfinished business and want to put a little something together for our fans," band member Ashley Poole told E! News in 2015. " It's our way of saying Merry Christmas! WE'RE BACK!"

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Eden's Crush

Long before Nicole Scherzinger was a Pussycat Doll, she was a member of this group (courtesy of Pop Stars), that gave us the break up anthem, “Get Over Yourself.” Scherzinger went on to make some hits as part of the Pussycat Dolls and she's now a panelist on The Masked Singer.

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Crazy Town

You heard “Butterfly” too many times in 2001 — and then did you ever hear from these guys again? So much for that butterfly compliment. In 2017, the band changed its name to Crazy Town X after Bret "Epic" Mazur departed the group and announced via Facebook that he will no longer tour with the band. So Crazy Town, as we once knew it, has become something new.

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Lonestar

This group brought country songs to mainstream radio that were filled with love and promise, like “I’m Already There,” and the hit song “Amazed.” They were like a living wedding soundtrack. Lonestar has continued to make country tracks, though, releasing their most recent album, Never Enders, in 2016.

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Debelah Morgan

If you didn’t dance to “Dance With Me” while you were alone in your room and fighting your way through puberty, then we did not have the same childhood. In 2010, Morgan released a live album with her Las Vegas church, where she is a worship leader. She also collaborated with Shanice and All-4-One on the 2015 single, "Go To Bed."

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Samantha Mumba

She was big in the early ’00s with her hit song “Gotta Tell You” and "Baby Come On Over (This Is Our Night)." Remember that sultry low voice? Or did it get lost in between the other reigning pop queens of the time, Britney and Christina? As of 2019, though, her Instagram bio states, "New music coming soon."

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Eve 6

Eve 6 sang ”Here’s To The Night,” the song that was the graduation tune for a couple of years. Summer campers still probably gather ‘round the campfires to recount the nights they felt alive because feeling alive can totally include learning how to swim. Their other hits included, "Inside Out," and "Victoria.

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Eiffel 65

They were blue, da ba di da ba die. You know, from their hit 1999 song "Blue." Wonder how that blue house with a blue window is working out for them now? The group released a new single, "Panico," via YouTube in 2016. If they'll drop another album as a group still remains to be seen.

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All Saints

OK, fine, maybe this group topped the charts more in the late ’90s than in the early ’00s, but still — these British ladies were like a jeans and a T-shirt, low-key version of The Spice Girls, only … not at all. But you remember “Never Ever,” right? Sometimes vocabulary runs through my head! The alphabet runs right from A to zed! Never ever have I ever felt older than when I was sitting here, recounting these lyrics.

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BBMak

Occasionally I’ll hear the English pop group’s single “Back Here” on the radio and wish I was back in the early 00s. I’m sure that BBMak feels similarly. As of 2019, the band has reunited and they are now touring again for the first time in almost two decades. "We’re excited to get back on stage and play, as we have a special set of shows planned, which will include brand new BBMak music," the band said in a January 2019 statement to Rolling Stone. "Our fans have really stood with us and we can’t wait for them to hear it!”

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Nine Days

Remember that song “Absolutely (Story Of A Girl)"? About the girl who cried a river and drowned the entire world with her tears? Well, that was this band and they released the song in 2000. In 2016, founding band member John Hampson said in a Today show interview that the song was inspired by his now-wife.

Hoobastank

If “The Reason” wasn’t your favorite song to sing in the car for the entirety of 2004, you may have done the early '00s wrong. But perhaps rocking out to the band's 2001 hit "Crawling In The Dark" was more your speed. Their latest album, Push Pull, was released in 2018, along with the lead single, "More Beautiful."

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3LW

Two thirds of the girl group (famous for songs like “No More (Baby I’ma Do Right)”) went on to become Cheetah Girls. The group is no longer, but Naturi Naughton has gone on to have much success as an actor, starring in the Starz series Power as Tasha. Adrienne Bailon Houghton is now one of the hosts of the daytime talk show, The Real.

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Blu Cantrell

Fun fact: The “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)” singer want on Celebrity Circus in 2008. (Other fun fact: NBC once had a show called Celebrity Circus.) But she is looking for a comeback — in 2016, Cantrell told Fuse that she's working on a new album. " I think it comes down with working with the producers and doing the tracks. Whatever catches my ear, I’ll go with that," she told the publication about the album.

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Play

The Swedish pop group hit the scene with their 2001 song “Us Against The World.” The song was featured on Disney Channel's iconic series Lizzie McGuire and in the movie Holiday in the Sun, starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Unfortunately, Play seemed to split as a group for good in 2011.

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Jennifer Paige

Paige’s song “Crush” hit the airwaves in 1998, but the artist stuck around for the early '00s with her second album Positively Somewhere. She’s since flown under the radar, but Glee did cover “Crush” during the first season of the Fox drama. Then again, what songs didn’t Glee cover and bring back for us to feel the nostalgia once more?

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