Music’s 10 Weirdest Alter Egos
There’s a long tradition of artists going incognito — from huge rock stars to hip-hop wildcards
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This week there’s been escalating controversy over TikTok singer Mr. Fantasy and the Riverdale actor KJ Apa, who may or may not be using Mr. Fantasy as his musical alter ego. “Enough is enough,” Apa declared this week, in a social-media video attacking Mr. Fantasy for identity theft. He claimed the singer has “completely and utterly stolen my image.” Riiiight. But it’s a reminder of how much musicians love creating alter egos.
There’s a long tradition of artists getting inspired by going incognito behind a new identity – especially when they lose perspective and go overboard. There’s grey area over what counts as an alter ego vs. what’s just a stage name, a side project, a costume, or a cute nickname. (Or in Madonna’s case, an English accent.) But here’s an unranked list of ten of the all-time weirdest — and best — music alter egos. As Ziggy Stardust would say, you can play the wild mutation as a rock & roll star.
