Biggest pop stars of the 80s: Where are they now?

Can you imagine a more iconic debut single than “Never Gonna Give You Up”? Rick Astley’s catchy debut single catapulted him to fame in 1987, and the star followed it up with a slew of equally dance-floor-worthy tracks like “Together Forever” and “Whenever You Need Somebody”. With his deep, soulful voice and clean-cut charm, he quickly became one of the most defining faces of late '80s pop. 

After largely stepping out of the spotlight in the '90s to focus on his family, he made a return to music in the millennium – only to get a hilarious second life thanks to the viral “Rickrolling” prank, baiting unsuspecting viewers with a surprise blast of his signature tune. Today, Rick’s proved he’s really never gonna give us up – releasing his most recent album, Are We There Yet?, in 2023, and gearing up to embark on a UK and Ireland tour in 2026.

Originally the frontwoman of The Go-Go’s in the early 80s, which brought us hits like “We Got the Beat” and “Our Lips Are Sealed”, Belinda Carlisle transitioned seamlessly to solo superstardom and continued her pop reign. She’s undoubtedly best known for her 1987 smash hit “Heaven is a Place on Earth”, a timeless anthem that still makes regular appearances on our playlists today. 

Since the 2000s, Belinda has described herself as being in “semi retirement” – though it might not look like it. She recently told Good Morning Britain she sets her alarm for 2:45am – often my bedtime, I confess – and regularly starts her day with a 45-minute meditation. This might explain why she looks practically ageless and is still wowing audiences today, having recently wrapped up the UK leg of her Heavenly Hits Tour for this year - with more dates coming in 2026. 

Morten Harket is the impossibly high-voiced frontman and certified heartthrob who took synth-pop band A-ha from Norwegian newcomers to global pop fixtures. Their seismic 1985 hit “Take On Me” – and that iconic sketch-to-reality video – is still a beloved classic (and a favourite in ads everywhere). The band followed that up with their debut album Hunting High and Low, which earned them a nomination for Best New Artist at the 1986 Grammys – the first Norwegian band in history to receive the recognition.

The group originally split up in 1994 and Morten has since built a solid solo resume with a more contemporary-sounding discography. A-ha have also continued to reunite and release new music sporadically, with their most recent album being True North in 2022. Morten recently revealed his Parkinson’s diagnosis on the band’s website, an illness that will affect his voice.  Still, the superstar shared that he’s currently writing songs he has a “great belief in”, adding that he can “feel the lyrics, especially, have something of a different aspect of me in them”.

Stepping onto the scene with the feathered blonde mullet of 80s dreams, Kim Wilde kicked off a career of edgy pop-rock bangers with the unforgettable anthem “Kids in America”. Her cover of the Supremes’ number-one hit “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” kept things in the chart-topping family, peaking at number one on the charts in both the US and Australia, and number two in the UK. 

Her moody, synth-charged hit “Cambodia” also proved Kim could do brooding and mysterious just as well as high-energy anthems. 

After a break from music in the mid 90s to focus on family – and a surprise second act as a landscape gardener – Kim returned to the stage in the 2000s and has continued to dazzle us with her punk pop presence. She dropped her 15th studio album Closer in 2025, which she’s currently following up with a Europe wide tour (sorry to all those Kids in America). When she’s not wowing audiences with her vibrant voice and enviable collection of leather jackets, she’s also a regular at the infamous Chelsea Flower Show.

The queen of unapologetic weird-girl energy, Cyndi Lauper shook up the 80s music scene with her 1983 debut album, aptly titled She’s So Unusual. The album graced us with no shortage of era-defining hits, from the ever-iconic “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” to hits like “Time After Time” and “She Bop”. 

A true pop rebel, Cyndi’s blend of punk quirk with powerhouse vocals – she has a four-octave vocal range – set her apart from the other acts of the time, not to mention her range of vivid hair colours and equally eye-catching outfits.

Beyond pop stardom, Cyndi Lauper wrote the music for Broadway’s Kinky Boots, and has since earned an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Tony (yes, she’s one “O” away from EGOT status). Her most recent studio album, Detour, came out in 2016, and she wrapped up her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour in 2025 –  though Cyndi has been clear she’s not hanging up her mic for good. Her latest stage project is an adaptation of the 1989 romcom Working Girl, is set to have its world premiere later this month in San Diego.

The youngest member of the legendary Jackson family, Janet rightfully carved out her own place in pop history. Her career took off with the 1986 album Control, packed with infectious hits like “What Have You Done For Me Lately” and “Nasty”. She later released Rhythm Nation 1814 in 1989, a genre-blending powerhouse that mixed pop hooks with messages about race and inequality. Its title track became a defining anthem of the era, with Janet declaring, “People of the world today, are we looking for a better way?”

After decades of relentless touring and recording – and the highly publicised fallout from the 2004 Super Bowl halftime incident – Janet stepped back from the spotlight to focus on her health and family. Though thankfully, we weren’t without her music for long. The star has since returned with a string of tours, most recently her Together Again tour in 2023, and she also just wrapped up a residency in Las Vegas. Like the title of her 2015 album, Janet has proved she’s Unbreakable. 

After her label was unsure how to market her self-titled debut album, they sent Tiffany on a tour at shopping malls across the U.S. – the most 80s move ever, and one that worked tremendously. Her album shot to No.1 on the Billboard 200, fueled by her synthy cover of “I Think We’re Alone Now” and its charmingly lo-fi music video shot during the tour. The album also featured tracks like “Could’ve Been”, which became her second consecutive number-one hit – at just 16-years-old.

Since her 80s heyday, the star has released 11 studio albums, though the astronomical success of her debut was never quite replicated as ‘90s music tastes shifted towards grunge and rock over dance-pop. Her 2022 album Shadows marked a return to moodier pop-rock, and her music tastes aren’t the only thing that’s changed. During the pandemic, she began cooking up new ways to connect with fans, leading to the creation of her food club, Let’s Food with Tiffany. 

Dolly Parton wasn’t the only singer working 9 to 5 – Scottish popstar Sheena Easton burst onto the scene with a top-ten track of the same name in 1981, a bubbly hit that propelled her to stardom on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1981, she made James Bond history with the theme song “For Your Eyes Only”, and remains the only solo artist to ever appear singing in a Bond title sequence. The track helped her score the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1982. Sheena gained further recognition for her edgy collaborations with Prince, including the steamy “Sugar Walls” and the smash hit “U Got the Look”.

Although her last studio album, Fabulous, was released in 2000, Sheena has maintained a steady presence in pop culture. She toured with The Spy Who Loved Me symphony concert in 2015, featuring classic Bond-inspired music, and later made her West End debut in 42nd Street, later handing over the role to Lulu. The star has since expressed sympathy for the pop stars of today, telling Classic Pop magazine: “You’re expected to come out of the box with a hit and keep going – and there’s so much self-promotion you have to do.”

After first headlining the blue-eyed soul group Q-Tips, Paul Young made a splash with his 1983 cover of Marvin Gaye’s “Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home)”, the third and most successful single from his debut solo album No Parlez. He followed it up with a string of classic hits, including the romantic anthem “Everytime You Go Away” and the irresistibly danceable “Come Back and Stay”. A true mark of ‘80s legend status, he also lent his voice to the Band Aid charity single, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

Paul stepped away from the more commercial side of music after the 80s, forming a Tex-Mex band, Los Pacaminos, purely for fun. If you’re lacking a bit of Texan flair in your life, the group are currently still touring to this day – Paul is also gearing up for his 2026 Songs and Stories tour, promising an intimate evening with the beloved 80s star full of chart-topping hits and stories from the road. 

Teen pop idol Debbie Gibson became the youngest artist ever to write, produce, and perform a song, storming the charts with “Foolish Beat” at just 17-years-old. The ultimate face of bubblegum pop, her multi-platinum album Out of the Blue (1987) was a particular hit amongst teens, and the star became known for her enigmatic stage presence – and her signature black fedora-style hat.

Today, Debbie is still going strong in the music scene – while nothing’s quite reached the chart-topping heights of her heyday, her 2020 track “Girls Night Out” became her highest-charting hit since the 80s. 

She’s currently hitting the road with her “Newstalgia Tour”, performing her biggest hits across the US, and fusing her more modern sound with the iconic tracks that made her a household name