If there’s one thing that American Idol has taught us, it’s that the music industry is one of the toughest entertainment fields for new artists to break into. Few will ever know the thrill of releasing a major album, touring around the world, and being adored by fans — and those who do will seldom have the time to enjoy it. After a successful debut, the pressure gets even stronger. Second albums are notorious for flopping, beginning the whole cycle all over again. A music career can be like continuously climbing a mountain for the rest of one’s career, without ever knowing when you may have peaked. The artists who are able to do this represent a group of incredibly talented and hardworking professionals.

We recently had a chance to talk with a few of these musical legends from different genres who have managed to keep making music and entertaining us year after year. These artists have shown incredible longevity in a cutthroat business where talent, determination, and true passion are the keys to holding the spotlight.

Today’s musicians face the daunting task of creating art that they know will be viciously criticized by some critics, but this doesn’t seem to bother Taylor Dayne one bit. On her latest album, Satisfied, she exudes confidence and sincerity. Whether she’s singing the lead track “Beautiful” with its upbeat tempo, her sultry rendition of “Kissing You” from the movie Romeo and Juliet, or the emotionally gut-wrenching “Crash”, this golden-throated singer has a unique style that’s hard to ignore.

With over twenty years of experience in the industry, we asked the “Love Will Lead You Back” singer if she had any regrets about her career thus far. “Well, I'd be lying if I said no. When you’re very young and filled with hope and aspirations — and with the music industry designed to dangle the carrot of stardom before your eyes — it’s hard to make clear choices and to not be swayed. If you’re not surrounded with a strong and honest team, it can hurt you down the road.”

Taylor Dayne touches upon a good point that seems to be reflected in the decisions that many musicians are making these days. More and more record labels are primarily concerned with making a certain profit, rather than developing their artists throughout a long career. Pink's, Can’t Take Me, is a good example. Pink now admits that she had relinquished creative control to her record label and that the album did not accurately portray who she was as an artist. Pink managed to get back that control on her second album, but not all artists have the business savvy and sheer chutzpah needed to snatch back the bait from a sea of shareholding sharks. Pink took a huge risk - one that could have ruined her career before we’d had a chance to hear what she was really about.

To avoid the tyranny of the big music labels, increasing numbers of artists are choosing independent labels or even starting their own. The old dream of being “made” into a star is fading, but today’s artists are learning to sacrifice that attractive pact with the devil in favor of longer-term success and happiness.

Swedish born singer Robyn eventually bought out her own contract in order to have more control over her music and image. Young and fearless, Robyn started her own Konichiwa Records label. We asked the blonde spitfire how the process of making an album was now different. “When I went back into the studio to record this time, it was without any management or label looking over my shoulder. I gathered a small group of people that I wanted to work with and just concentrated on making music that I liked myself. I had a lot of fun and that’s really what drove the whole process. Klas Åhlund was really important to the album and we created this world together where my personality as an artist was allowed to find its voice in an uncensored way.” Klas Åhlund also wrote the song “Piece of Me” for the Britney Spears album Blackout, for which Robyn contributed vocals.

Both Taylor and Robyn have released their new albums on indie labels because, as Robyn points out, “I don’t think there are a lot of major [companies] that know how to package an artist’s persona. A lot of artists all end up looking the same under their direction.” Taylor has proven that an artist doesn’t need a major label to succeed. Her first release in ten years debuted at number 179 on the Billboard charts and her lead single hit the top twenty on the dance club charts.

With a career that spans over four decades, Cher is another survivor who exemplifies staying power. The sixty-one-year-old singer has sold over 200 million albums as a solo artist and another 75 million with the late Sonny Bono, making her one of the best-selling artists of all time. On May 6, 2008, Cher starts a three-year engagement at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and her 26th studio album — the first in six years — is tentatively set for a November 2008 release.

Sir Elton John has survived and thrived in the music business for over four decades and is now considered one of the most accomplished musicians of the late twentieth century. Not only has he survived changing trends, but he’s done it while the media was scrutinizing his sexual orientation — at a time when it was not cool to be gay. Aside from writing his own music, the flamboyant singer has also written songs for Broadway shows such as Aida (for which he won a Grammy), The Lion King, and The Vampire Lestat. Elton has also used his influence to raise enormous amounts of money for charity. After witnessing the AIDS epidemic first hand, he established the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992. To date, his charity has raised more than $125 million dollars for prevention and treatment programs in fifty-five countries around the world. His annual Oscar party this year alone raised a record breaking $5.1 million.

With so many of today’s artists failing to have a successful second single — let alone a second album — we wanted to know if Taylor Dayne had any secrets to sustaining longevity in the music industry. Her answer came short and fast. “Hit songs, passion, creativity, business smarts, a great team, and perseverance.” Besides crafting studio albums, most performers live to connect with an audience. Robyn had this to say about touring the U.S. for her new album. “It feels amazing to release this album after being away for ten years — and to get the reaction I got to live shows in New York, San Francisco, and L.A. I couldn’t believe the crowd knew the words to all of my songs! It made me very happy.”

Most of the artists we’ve mentioned so far have never really stopped working. Sometimes, however, longevity can mean hitting rock bottom and then coming back out on top - Mariah Carey, for instance. After a four-year period in which Mariah released two albums that didn’t perform as well as expected, her record company bought out her $80 million dollar contract for a cool $28 million. After regrouping and signing a new deal for just one-quarter of her previous contract, Mariah made a major comeback with her album The Emancipation of Mimi. This album helped Mariah tie for the top spot on Billboard’s list of artists with the most number one singles. It then went on to become one of the best selling albums of 2005. Her next album, E=MC2, is set for release later this month.

One common thread that connects all of these artists is the fact that they all have a strong gay following. We were curious to find out how Robyn and Taylor felt about this. Robyn says that there’s a bittersweet quality to her music that gay people seem to connect with. Taylor Dayne told us, “The gay community is passionate and loyal — and loves a girl with a big voice and lots of conviction. Dressing the part doesn’t hurt either.” Amen to that, sister!

Staying Power

Being in music is a lot like being in politics. One day you’re hot and the next day people are mentioning “Fifteen minutes of fame” and your name in the same sentence. The artists below have all managed to hold onto their spotlight, even when it involved breaking away from former bands to go solo. Others are fairly new, but are creating music that has the potential to become the soundtrack for a new generation.

Justin Timberlake- Besides surviving life after a boy band, he’s also managed to take a highly publicized break-up with Britney Spears and to turn it into a hit song with “Cry Me a River”. He co-writes or writes most of his songs, proving that talent is an important component of longevity.

Gwen Stefani- Going solo is always a risky business, but the “Hollaback Girl” has proven that she’s got the skillz she needs to stand-alone.

Fergie- She may s-p-e-l-l in almost every one of her songs, but that just makes them all the more hard to forget. Charisma and a unique personality can go a long way towards a lasting career.

Alicia Keys- The R&B songstress hit the ground running with her debut album. If music were a sport, she would be an Olympic runner. She’s in first place, she knows how to pace herself, and she shows no signs of stopping.

Amy Winehouse- If you’ve got the spark of true genius, you can sometimes succeed even when your life is a mess. A voice and style like Amy’s only comes along once in a decade, so audiences are more than willing to be her enablers — turning her personal turmoil into PR opera.

Nelly Furtado- The Portuguese singer has been criticized for being musically unfocused, but her last album produced five chart-topping songs that became hits around the world.

Josh Groban- He had one of the highest selling albums in 2007. What’s amazing is that he managed to do it in only ten weeks — with a Christmas-themed album. This thoughtful, sexy baritone has definitely carved out his own place in mainstream music.

Rihanna- This Barbados native has only been on the scene for about three years, but she’s already had huge hits with catchy songs like “Pon de Replay”, “SOS”, “Unfaithful”, and “Umbrella”. We’ll definitely be seeing more of this twenty-year-old prodigy.

Norah Jones- Her first album crossed over and become a hit with almost every age group and cultural demographic, thanks to her unique voice and style.