Grammy nominees or awards winners who were one-hit wonders

The term "one-hit wonder" carries a negative connotation. The term carries with it an assumption that after this one hit that caught the attention of masses, an artist disappears and ceases to be an artist, just doesn't make any more music. That's usually not the case.
It just so happens that the music those artists made after their one-hit wonder didn't have the same magic, whatever mystery ingredients it needed, to again capture the attention of millions. That's not the artists' fault. They're lucky to have had that one hit in the first place. It's incredibly difficult.
Not to mention that most of these artists listed below are also Grammy Award winners or nominees.
And so, this list is not to be disrespectful to any "one-hit wonder" but rather meant to highlight them and remember songs that once brought most (if not all) of us joy at some point. If not joy, it was at least stuck in our heads or on our radios a million times.
Here are twenty of the most famous one-hit wonders to date.

Baha Men Embed from Getty Images
Not only will we never know who let the dogs out, we never heard again in a major way from Baha Men. "Who Let The Dogs Out" was the band's hit single in 2000. It's been 16 years, and they have not released that came anything close to that in popularity.  The Baha Men won a Best Dance Recording Grammy Award in 2000 for "Who Let The Dogs Out".
The Baha Men have continued to make music, though. They released an album in 2015, and in the same year, they performed on The Today Show and at a Dallas Cowboys-New York Giants game.
Sir Mix-a-Lot Embed from Getty Images
Oh my God, Becky, look at her butt.
Sir Mix-a-Lot made his one hit count. He released "Baby Got Back" in 1992. The record sold 2.4 million singles in its first year, only second behind Whitney Houston's (not a one-hit wonder) "I Will Always Love You".
Sir Mix-a-Lot won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance ("Baby Got Back").
He or his music has appeared in many movies or television series, forever a cultural touchstone for any and all things booty-related.
Sir Mix-a-Lot's net worth is $20 million. He is 53 years old.
Bobby McFerrin Embed from Getty Images
I don't have unlimited hours to dedicate to researching how many times the phrase "Don't worry, be happy" has been uttered around the world since Bobby McFerrin's hit single "Don't Worry Be Happy" was released in 1988.
McFerrin is a 10-time Grammy Award winner, five of those coming before "Don't Worry Be Happy" existed, which usually isn't something you'd expect from a "one-hit wonder," but nothing McFerrin created after "Don't Worry Be Happy" will ever surmount it.
Not for nothing, McFerrin doesn't seem bitter at all. His bio on his official website states "Listening to Bobby McFerrin sing may be hazardous to your preconceptions. Side effects may include unparalleled joy, a new perspective on creativity, rejection of the predictable, and a sudden, irreversible urge to lead a more spontaneous existence."
McFerrin is 66 years old and a native New Yorker. He is still making music.
Paula Cole
Dawson's Creek, and by assocation, countless millennials who grew up the show, are indebted to Paula Cole for her hit "I Don't Want to Wait". Cole won Best New Artist at the 1997 Grammy Awards. Her only single to reach the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 is "Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?"
"I Don't Want to Wait" became the theme song for Dawson's Creek during its run from 1998-2003.
Cole continued to make music and collaborate with top-tier artists in the music world. She is still active in her music career. She is 48 years old.
Marc Cohn Embed from Getty Images

Marc Cohn is a Grammy Award winner for Best New Artist in 1991. His one-hit was “Walking in Memphis” and the record was released in 1991. The single has been covered by many artists much more mainstream than Cohn himself.

Susan Boyle

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The Britain's Got Talent audition heard 'round the world. Susan Boyle's audition has over 200 million views on YouTube. Her run on the show and eventual second place finish in the show was viral around the world, and earned her two Grammy nominations: once in 2011 for Best Pop Vocal Album, and the second for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in 2012.
But nothing really came of it. At least nothing comparable to what Boyle would have hoped or what the attention her time on the show garnered her should have translated into.
Her life instantly began shifting into turmoil. Even now, she shares her personal struggles with the public.
Young MC
The man who first told us all to “Bust A Move”. The single was released in 1989 and earned Young MC a nomination for Best Rap Performance at the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards, where it beat legendary tracks such as De La Soul's "Me, Myself, and I" and Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It."
Young MC’s real name is Marvin Young. He was also involved in commercial campaigns for Pepsi and Taco Bell. He has an extensive resume, but he can never escape the shadow of “Bust A Move”.
Vanilla Ice
Vanilla Ice is still a pop culture icon. He is now 49 years old and a far cry from the rapper we saw performing “Ice Ice Baby” in 1991, but he’s still here.
Vanilla Ice was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Rap Solo Performance in 1991.
He tours. He has been all over reality television. But it all started because of one song: “Ice Ice Baby”, which peaked at No. 1 on Billboard Top 100.
Eiffel 65
Eiffel 65’s “I’m Blue” was like a pixelated version of the EDM we know today. Don’t believe me? Look no further than its music video that looks like Nintendo 64 compared to what happens today, which isn’t necessarily the fault of Eiffel 65—moreso just a victim of the time period.
Which was the year 2000, when the single came out. Eiffel 65 was an Italian group made up of three men named Jeffrey Jey, Maurizio Lobina and Gabry Ponte. I’m not quite sure why this song hit No. 6 on the Billboard charts, other than its earworm beat, because it is a song about a blue animated character.
But so be it. Not Eiffel 65’s fault the world loved it. It received a nomination for Best Dance Recording in 2001.
Hootie & The Blowfish
Rachel, Phoebe and Joey are still upset that Ross, Chandler and Monica went backstage with Hootie & The Blowfish without them. Lead man Darius Rucker has had a substantial solo career post-Blowfish, but it seems history remembers Hootie & The Blowfish most for “Only Wanna Be With You”.
That, and Friends.
Oh, and their Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals ("Let Her Cry").
The band did have other singles (“Let Her Cry” and “Hold My Hand”) that did well, but “Only Wanna Be With You” is the one that has stood out over time.
Interestingly, an MTV story from 1998 stated this about one-hit wonders: “John Ganoe, vice president of member services for the RIAA, acknowledged that there's an industry-wide concern over fickle consumers and the explosion of one-hit wonders. However, the concern is often misdirected, he added, and critics need to consider the big picture when evaluating industry trends. He pointed to Hootie and the Blowfish, who enjoyed phenomenal success with their first album, Cracked Rear View, and did not equal that success with their second, as an example of how statistics can be misinterpreted when it comes to artists.”
Milli Vanilli
Definitely the most tragic name on this list, Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan were a smash hit for their 1988 single "Girl You Know It's True," from the album of the same name, which netted them the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1990.
However, their meteoric rise to the top of the pop world took a sharp turn into ignominy after allegations of lip-syncing uncovered the fact that Morvan and Pilatus didn't actually contribute vocals whatsoever. A slew of lawsuits effectively destroyed the band's reputation and earnings potential, resulting in refunds to album buyers and concert attendees.
The two would attempt a comeback, which included the original studio singers, but it was to no avail. Pilatus would fall into a destructive cycle of drug abuse and criminal behavior, ultimately culminating in his death in 1998 of a drug overdose. Morvan continued a solo career as a session musician and public speaker, and has appeared on occasion to discuss the group's story.
Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch Thank you, Mark Wahlberg, for giving us “Good Vibrations” before becoming a major movie star. Marky Mark was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1993 for Best Rap Solo Performance ("You Gotta Believe"). He did not win.
Don’t worry everybody, Marky Mark is doing fine.

Daniel Powter Daniel Powter will forever be linked to bad days in America. His single “Bad Day” was released in 2005 and is his only charting song in America to date.
Worth noting: Powter’s “Bad Day” was the montage song for eliminated contestants on American Idol for at least one season in 2006 (Season 5).
Powter was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2007 for Male Pop Vocal Performance ("Bad Day"). He was up against John Mayer ("Waiting on the World to Change"), John Legend ("Save Room"), Paul McCartney ("Jenny Wren") and James Blunt ("You're Beautiful").
Kings of Leon A much less obvious choice, but Kings of Leon’s single “Use Somebody” blew up in 2009. It peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The song earned Kings of Leon three Grammy Awards in 2009—Best Rock Song, Record of the Year, Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals.
But then the band hit trouble. In the following years, Kings of Leon had rifts within their band and alcohol. This Rolling Stone piece gives a look into “The Night That Tore the Kings of Leon Apart”.
A Taste of Honey A Taste of Honey was a duo of Janice-Marie Johnson and Perry Kibble. They formed in 1971. Their one hit is “Boogie Oogie Oogie”, and in 2011, they performed together for the first time in 20 years on PBS.
They, of course, performed “Boogie Oogie Oogie”. The song peaked at No. 1 in 1978. A Taste of Honey won a Best New Artist Grammy Award in February 1979.
Duffy An obscure name in the United States, the Welsh singer earned comparisons to then-contemporary Amy Winehouse, and won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album in 2009 for her album Rockferry.
A regular chart-topper in the UK throughout the late aughts, but her 2010 followup to Rockferry failed critically and commercially, prompting a hiatus from her recording career.