When I was little I always though that being famous was a merit thing. If a musician was known it was because he or she was excepcional in his/her art: an incredible singer, a highly skilled guitarist, an amazing drummer.
But then I got older and saw a lot of gigs, and a lot of disciplined and truly amazing musicians that nobody heard about… And most were struggling financially, having a side job just to get by. How come? What is missing from them that the “icons” have?
At some point it because a binary thing.
You don’t need to just be good at something.
You need to be good at something AND do something else. AND be likeable. AND be pretty. AND have good contacts. AND …
And if any of those other things aren’t the case, you don’t become the super star.
Sometimes, it’s being at the right place at the right time. Some things can be solved with money, or being the friend or child of a celebrity, and others can’t.
If you have the right connections you don’t even have to be good looking or talented!