Looking Back: Past Billboard Music Nominees Before They Were Stars!

taylor swift young high school 2006 yearbook photo

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

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taylor swift young high school 2006 yearbook photo red carpet 2011

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Taylor Swift, High School Yearbook Candid, 2006

Before inspiring girls everywhere to convert their teenage love angst into dreamy and ridiculously catchy tunes, Taylor was another girl with big dreams in this photo from her Hendersonville High School yearbook. Now she’s all grown up and navigating flawlessly between the country and pop worlds of music. Her Billboard nominations have included Top Touring Artist and Top Country Artist.

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Pharrell Williams, Junior Year, 2013

Pharrell received a couple nominations this year for his infectious pop confection "Happy."

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Beyonce Knowles, High School Picture, 2012

Queen Beyonce has been nominated for a ton of Billboard awards. This year she's up for Top Billboard 200 Album amongst others.

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JustinTimberlake, 8th Grade Basketball, 2013

Timberlake's no stranger to the Billboard awards and he's racked up the nominations this year for The 20/20 Experience.

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Miley Cyrus, 3rd Grade, 2012

Cyrus has swept the 2014 nominations with her album Bangerz. Top Artist and and Top 100 Song are just a few of the awards she's been nominated for.

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Robin Thicke, 8th Grade, 2013

Thicke, unsurprisingly, got many nominations for his hit song "Blurred Lines."

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adele adkins young child singer photo red carpet 2012

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Young Adele Launches Her Early Music Career

Seriously, could this picture be any cuter? The messy hair? The boots? The tiny guitar? Well, this little moppet grew up to become one of the most stylish and sensational voices of her time. Already having won oodles of Grammys for her first two albums, Adele has been nominated for 18 Billboard awards, including Top Artist, Top Female Artist, and Top Billboard 200 Artist.

adam levine young high school yearbook 1994 photo

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adam levine young high school yearbook 1994 photo red carpet 2012

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Adam Levine, Freshman Yearbook Photo

Mr. “Moves Like Jagger” didn’t seem quite as suave in his freshman year photo at Brentwood School in Los Angeles, circa 1994. Speaking of “Moves Like Jagger,” Maroon 5’s hit tune was nominated for Top Billboard Hot 100 song.

katy perry young high school yearbook 2000 photo

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katy perry young high school yearbook 2000 photo red carpet 2011

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Katy Perry (Katheryn Hudson), Freshman Yearbook Photo, 2000

Take away the “Katy Perry” whip cream bra and bubblegum hair, and you get this delightful young former Christian singer Katheryn Hudson, seen here in her freshman year at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta, California. Perry has since become a sexy pop icon and has been previously nominated for Top Artist and Top Female Artist.

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rihanna young singing photo reb fleur red launch 2011

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Rihanna in an Early Singing Competition

Rihanna is taking over the world! Who knew this innocent-looking young singer would turn into an international pop sensation, sex symbol, and the chick who would blow away a bunch of nasty aliens in Battleship? Ri Ri has been nominated for several awards, including Top Artist and Top Female Artist.

chris brown young high school yearbook photo

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chris brown young high school yearbook photo FAME album red carpet 2011

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Chris Brown, Freshman Yearbook Photo, 2004

Though still in need of a bit of an image makeover, Chris was all smiles in his freshman yearbook photo from Essex High School in Tappahannock, Virginia. Brown has been previously nominated for Top Male Artist alongside Bruno Mars, Drake, Justin Bieber, and Lil Wayne.

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eminem young high school yearbook photo grammy awards red carpet 2011

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Eminem (a.k.a. Marshall Mathers), Freshman Yearbook Photo, 1989

Just look at that badass attitude Mathers exuded even back in this Lincoln High photo in Warren, Michigan. Though Eminem is already a ginormous rap star in his own right, he was previously nominated in the Top New Artist category due to his collaboration with Bad Meets Evil.

lil wayne young high school yearbook 1995 photo

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lil wayne young high school yearbook 1995 photo NBA finals 2011

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Lil Wayne (a.k.a. Wayne Carter), Junior High Yearbook Photo

Lil Wayne, seen here in his seventh grade yearbook photo from McMain Magnet in New Orleans, should really perk up! Now that’s he’s grown up, we bet he could tell his grumpy junior high self that one day, he’d garner a slew of Billboard Award noms, including Top Artist and Top Billboard 200 Album for Tha Carter IV.

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nicki minaj young glamour shot photo red carpet 2011

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Nicki Minaj, High School Yearbook Photo

Sporting a bit of a sly smile and tiny Snooki pouf, Nicki looks almost conservative in her high school yearbook photo. These days she’s tearing it up on the charts and has been nominated for Top Female Artist.

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lady gaga young child photo red carpet emmy 2011

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Young Stefani Germanotta (a.k.a. Lady Gaga) in Her First Communion Gown

Ah, simpler times, when little Stefani didn’t need to glue alien embellishments to her skin or be transported to award shows via egg. Now, Lady Gaga continues her monster reign over the pop charts with over 10 Billboard nominations, including Top Artist and Top Billboard 200 Album.

bruno mars young high school yearbook 2003 photo

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bruno mars young high school yearbook 2003 photo red carpet 2011

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Bruno Mars (Peter Hernandez), Senior Yearbook Photo, 2003

Luckily for Bruno, his talents could even outshine his glorious afro from his senior yearbook photo at the President Theodore Roosevelt High School in Honolulu. Bruno has been previously nominated for Top Male Artist alongside Chris Brown, Drake, Justin Bieber, and Lil Wayne.

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big sean young baby photo red carpet 2011

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Big Sean, Childhood Photo

In what might be the cutest kid photo ever snapped, Big Sean seems so… little. And happy. And why not? In 2012, he’d be nominated for Best New Artist!

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drake high school young yearbook photo red carpet 2012

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Drake’s (Amazing) Yearbook Photo

This photo of Drake from high school just makes us smile. Come on. It’s just so nerd-tastic, considering who he is today. And he is a guy who has been nominated for multiple awards, including Top Billboard 200 Album and Top Male Artist.

mark foster the people young high school yearbook photo

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mark foster the people young high school yearbook photo red carpet 2012

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Mark Foster, High School Yearbook Photo

So many “pumped-up kicks” jokes, so little time. But let’s face it: Mark Foster looks anything but menacing in his high school yearbook photo. Foster the People’s catchy, melodic music sticks in your head and climbs the charts! And the cherry on top: The band has been nominated for Best New Artist.

justin bieber young high school yearbook photo

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justin bieber young high school yearbook photo 2008 red carpet 2012

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Justin Bieber, Elementary School Yearbook Photo, 2008

Don’t let that feathery 'do from Justin’s eighth grade yearbook fool you, girls, that’s the Justin Bieber you know and love! This protégé of Usher and former YouTube sensation is now just purely… The Biebs. And, he’s been nominated for more Billboard awards than we can count.

michael buble young high school yearbook photo

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michael buble young high school yearbook photo red carpet 2011

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Michael Bublé, Yearbook Photo

Pictured here in his Cariboo Hill Secodary School yearbook photo—sporting shoulder pads that could secure him a place on any '90s cop drama—Michael Bublé probably never thought that one day he’d be nominated for Top Billboard 200 Album… especially not against the likes of Adele, Lady Gaga, Drake, and Lil Wayne.

scott mcreery young high school yearbook photo 2007

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scott mcreery young high school yearbook photo 2007 red carpet 2012

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Scotty McCreery, Middle School Yearbook Photo, 2007

2011 American Idol winner Scotty McCreery, pictured here in seventh grade at West Lake Middle School in Apex, North Carolina, has already made his mark on the country music scene. And now he’s been nominated for Billboard’s Best New Artist award. Golly.

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Wiz Khalifa Hanging Out as a Teen

Did Wiz have a full body transplant? He’s unrecognizable in his teen years photo! But the Billboards sure recognized him… as a Best New Artist nominee.