Top 10 Musicians You Didn't Know Were Nepotism Babies

The model- and singer-turned-actress, who got her big break in television right off the bat with AppleTV’s “Bad Monkey”, is the daughter of actress Christa Miller and creator of “Scrubs” and “Ted Lasso” Bill Lawrence. Bill is also the developer of “Bad Monkey” as well as an executive producer. Charlotte auditioned for her role and her dad said it was “much better than it had to be for [him] to hire [his] kid”. Funnily enough, Charlotte says she never imagined herself as an actress and in fact, was vehemently opposed to following in her parents’ footsteps. Once she got in front of that camera, though, it was a different story entirely.

The “Blurred Lines” singer has surely made a name for himself, whether it be good or bad, but it was actually his name that might have helped him get ahead in his career. As you can probably tell from his surname, he is the son of late actor, songwriter and comedian, Alan Thicke. Robin even appeared alongside him on “Growing Pains”. His mother is “Days of Our Lives” actress Gloria Loring, who is also a singer and performed with her son. The elder Thicke even helped Robin with songwriting for his first demo tape, which kickstarted his music career.

This rock legend grew up surrounded by some of the greatest musicians of all time, thanks to his parents. His father, Sy Kravitz, who worked as a news producer for NBC, was friends with jazz icons like Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis and Duke Ellington. So, it wasn’t surprising that Ellington even performed “Happy Birthday” for Lenny when he turned five. Through his mother, actress Roxie Roker of “The Jeffersons” fame, he is related to TV personality Al Roker. Naturally, when Lenny realized his passion for music at a young age, he had all the support to pursue his dream. And, speaking of nepo babies, Lenny Kravitz’s daughter is none other than actress Zoë Kravitz.

Despite having parents in the entertainment industry, Lily Allen had a complicated childhood. She made her TV debut at the age of three in an episode of “The Comic Strip Presents…” that her father, actor Keith Allen, had written. Unfortunately, he would leave the family when she was just four years old. As her mom, producer Alison Owen began dating comedian Harry Enfield, the family lived with him for a while. At school, Lily was said to be a troubled child, often partaking in activities that would land her in trouble. It was only when music student Rachel Santesso overheard her singing and decided to nurture her talent that Allen found her purpose. Still, Lily has never denied her privilege as a nepo baby, although she has critiqued the concept and name as being misogynistic.

She may be on the forefront of the Gen-Z nepo baby league but she also unanimously gets a free pass from netizens for it. The consensus is that she would have been famous anyway for her music. Well, it certainly helped that her father is “Star Trek” producer J. J. Abrams and her mother, Katie McGrath, was an influential political figure and now a producer. While the “I Love You, I'm Sorry” singer claims she keeps her personal and professional lives separate, her privilege is not lost on her.

The family this Grammy winner was born into couldn’t have been more prestigious. His father, Julio Iglesias, is widely recognized as one of the most prominent Spanish musicians of all time. His mother, Isabel Preysler, a Filipina journalist, is the niece of actress Neile Adams. She has quite the standing in high society, especially as she is also the first cousin once removed of Steven R. McQueen. Enrique Iglesias initially hid his background, going by the last name Martínez to avoid bias. However, considering he got his father’s publicist to promote his demo, the nepotism allegations unfortunately cannot be deflected.

This TikTok-favorite rapper is proof that being a nepo baby isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. While she did inherit status and fame from her father, Benzino, she was more afraid of taking on his ill repute. The rapper, producer and ex-co-owner of The Source had a controversial career to say the least and Leray wasn’t keen on mirroring it. When he expressed his discontent over Eminem being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Leray was quick to distance herself from her father’s stance. The dad-daughter duo may have a complex relationship but his industry ties probably gave her a leg up in her career or, at least, greater visibility.

Taylor Swift’s ex-beau isn’t just famous for his dating life. The 1975 member also had a lot of help from his parents, actors Tim Healy and Denise Welch. From a very young age, he was joining them on set for shows like “Coronation Street” and “Waterloo Road” as a background actor. What left an impression on him, though, was his parents rubbing shoulders with musical greats. Thanks to his dad’s friendship with AC/DC’s Brian Johnson, Matty Healy became Johnson’s godson. His first guitar came from the rock band Dire Straits. Through his mother, who is known as a panelist on “Loose Women”, he had the luck of meeting Ringo Starr. If that’s not privilege, we don’t know what is!

You may know Marc Platt as one of the most powerful film, TV and theater producers in Hollywood with works like “Legally Blonde” and “La La Land” to his name. While his son, Ben Platt, is almost an EGOT in his own right – he’s yet to bag an Oscar – even he can’t dismiss the advantages of having a famous dad. He did try, when he flat-out refused to answer a question about his nepo baby title during an interview with Rolling Stone but he has since come around to accepting it. Ben considers his father’s influence to be the training wheels in his career but wants you to know that he’s the one ultimately riding the bike.

This multi-Grammy winner is as self-made as it gets, considering her parents’ occupations. Norah’s father, Indian musician Ravi Shankar, was estranged from her for most of her life. Meanwhile, her mother, Sue Jones, who previously produced concerts and was a dancer, had left entertainment behind. Norah Jones found her own knack for music when she started performing at church. Eventually, when she bagged a handful of Grammys in 2003, she didn’t thank Shankar in her acceptance speech to avoid making a fuss out of having a famous father. Regardless, they did repair their relationship before he passed away. Norah has also developed a close relationship with her half-sister Anoushka. Either way, Jones owes her meteoric rise to fame to her stellar talents … and maybe her genes.


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