Well-Known Pop Artists Who Are Nepo Babies

Cheyenne Johnson
9 minutes ago
4 min read

It's no secret that there is a plethora of celebrities who are considered nepo babies, a category of people who are the children of affluent figures who have established careers in similar industries. Many believe that nepo babies have only risen to where they are because of who their parents are, but it's important to remember that many of these individuals are incredibly talented despite their industry connections. Here's a list to explore of some of the most "Well-Known Pop Artists Who Are Nepo Babies."

Miley Cyrus

A household name since she was a child, Miley Cyrus is someone everyone knows, either from her days playing Hannah Montana or from her highly successful pop career. She's the daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus, an influential country artist from the '90s. Miley's solo career launched in 2007 with her number-one pop-rock albums Meet Miley Cyrus (2007) and Breakout (2008). She has since built an impressive catalog spanning almost a decade, including a number of successful hits like "Party in the U.S.A.," "We Can't Stop," "Wrecking Ball," "Flowers," and "Used To Be Young." Having achieved a plethora of accomplishments, Miley Cyrus has received a variety of accolades like three Grammy Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, eight Guinness World Records, one Brit Award, and three MTV Video Music Awards.

Willow

An American singer, actress, and dancer, Willow is the daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. The young artist launched her music industry career in 2010, debuting with the single "Whip My Hair," peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. She originally signed with Jay-Z's record label, Roc Nation, as he served as her mentor, becoming the label's youngest artist. She has since gone on to release several successful albums, spawning singles like "Wait a Minute!," "Transparent Soul," and "Meet Me at Our Spot." Willow has hit the charts on more than one occasion, climbing charts like Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Hot 200.

Gracie Abrams

A young singer, songwriter, and actress, Gracie Abrams is someone most people have heard of, especially if they have social media and have heard her trending songs on there. The daughter of director J.J. Abrams, Gracie made her pop industry debut in 2019 after signing with Interscope Records, later releasing her debut EP, Minor in 2020. Since then, she has been amassing an incredible following, boasting over 37 million monthly listeners on Spotify. She has a number of accomplishments under her belt, including supporting acts like Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift on tour, charting on the Billboard 200, and winning the American Music Award for New Artist of the Year in 2025.

Matty Healy (The 1975)

Known for being the frontman of pop-rock band The 1975, Matty Healy is an accomplished English singer-songwriter and record producer recognized for his musical eclecticism, provocative stage persona, and lyricism. He's the son of two actors, Denise Welch and Tim Healy, making him an addition to our list of nepo baby pop artists. He formed The 1975 in 2002 with his schoolmates at Wilmslow High School and later signed with the independent record label Dirty Hit. The band has gone on to enjoy much success since then, reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart with each of their albums. Alongside his work with The 1975, Matty Healy is a vocal advocate for climate change mitigation and LGBTQ rights and has been described by Rolling Stone as a "spokesperson for the millennial generation."

Elijah Hewson (Inhaler)

An Irish rock musician, Elijah Hewson is the frontman of the successful indie/pop-rock band Inhaler. Hewson is the son of U2's frontman, Bono, and Dublin activist Ali Hewson. He formed Inhaler in 2012 with drummer Ryan McMahon and bassist Robert Keating, later joined by guitarist Josh Jenkinson. Though they were formed in 2012, they did not release their debut album until 2021. They have since amassed quite the following since their formation and debut, enjoying three successful studio albums and earning spots on the Irish and UK Albums Charts.

Robin Thicke

Another prolific nepo baby for our list, Robin Thicke is the son of singer/actress Gloria Loring and actor/songwriter Alan Thicke. Robin is best known for his work in the 2000s and 2010s, rising to fame as a singer, songwriter, and record producer. His most successful single to date has been "Blurred Lines (ft. T.I. and Pharrell Williams)," which peaked on top of the Billboard Hot 100, received diamond certification from the RIAA, and has remained one of the best-selling singles of all time. Outside of his music career, Robin has been on the Fox musical competition show The Masked Singer as a panelist.

Taylor Swift

Though there is some debate over whether or not Taylor Swift is a nepo baby, the pop artist's upbringing is at least nepo baby adjacent. Her parents aren't entertainers, but they aren't strangers to the music industry as her father is a former stockbroker with a history of advising music industry folks and her mother was a marketing executive. The connections might not be as straightforward as some artists on this list, but Swift is still a notable inclusion. Whether she would've launched into the worldwide fame or not without her advantages in life is uncertain, but she has certainly become a household name and is undeniably talented despite the amount of haters she has amassed. She has become quite the influential pop figure, celebrating a plethora of accomplishments including being the highest-grossing live music artist, the wealthiest female musician, and one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

Enrique Iglesias

Though he has faded from the limelight a bit in recent years, Enrique Iglesias is still a household name and was especially prominent in the 2010s. He is the son of Julio Iglesias, a prolific Spanish singer songwriter active since 1966. Following in his father's footsteps, Enrique is one of the best-selling Latin music artists with five Billboard Hot 100 singles, over 100 million records sold worldwide, and a history of success with both his Spanish and English-language albums. If that's not impressive enough, Enrique holds the record for the most number 1 songs on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and the Latin Pop Airplay chart. He has received many honors, including being named the Top Latin Artist of All Time at the Latin Billboard Awards.

Are any of your favorite artists nepo babies? Are there any on this list that we missed? Let us know on our socials!

Written By Cheyenne Johnson