Being compared to an already-famous band is usually a good thing, but that wasn’t the case for Muse. At least not when they first started out. Even after they started building a fan base in the UK in the late 90s, they couldn’t get signed to any big record labels. The executives said they sounded too much like the already popular Radiohead and that market was full. Any other band would have given up – but not Muse. They booked a trip to America, hoping to stir up some interest there. Little did they know that was the trip that would launch their careers.

Muse, Maverick, and Madonna

It was on that fateful trip to the states that Muse caught the attention of Madonna’s people from her personal label, Maverick Records. She signed them to her label that same year. The band worked hard, getting their first American studio album out less than a year later, on October 1999. The public loved the album, even comparing them to music greats like Queen, and yes – Radiohead. But it turns out there was room for both Muse and their competition in the market. That first album, Showbiz, took off with a slow and steady momentum and has now sold over 700,000 copies to date.

Muse in the New Millenium

One thing that fans love about Muse is how they’re not afraid to play with other styles and sounds, which they did in their second album. Origins of Symmetry featured high falsettos, callbacks to classical music, and even a church organ. It sold well but brought up an issue with their label, which they left the same year. It wasn’t until they recorded Absolution, in 2003, that Muse became a household name. They got airtime with their music videos on MTV, which was still playing videos then. Absolution eventually went gold in the US, and they’ve released four more successful albums to date.