10 Famous Musicians Who Are Also Successful in College Career

We often see our favorite musicians on stage, displaying high doses of talent to the audience. We know they’ve dedicated most of their lives to perfecting themselves and being better at each show, but… have they always been dedicated only to music? Many of them went to university and, in some cases, even practiced the profession in parallel with their musical career.

O awesome.club created a list of the most famous musicians who are also graduated and have shown that not everything is absolute in life. If you have more than one passion, don’t hesitate to fight for them all!

Bruce Dickinson, leader of the legendary heavy metal band Iron Maiden, had a very active academic life, graduating at a young age with a BA in History from Queen Mary University of London.

But aside from music and history, his other passion has always been aviation, motivated by his uncle, a member of the British Air Force. Although he had been interested in being a pilot since he was a child, it wasn’t until 1981 (the year he started with Iron Maiden) that he seriously considered the subject. Nicko McBrain, the band’s drummer, who was taking a pilot course, was the one who influenced him to do the same. So Bruce enrolled in a school in Florida, and got his commercial pilot’s license.

From there, the Iron Maiden leader participated, between 2006 and 2008, in missions to rescue British soldiers from Afghanistan and Lebanon and tourists in Egypt after the collapse of the airline XL Airways. He is also the band’s pilot when on their world tours.

Listen to this Iron Maiden song while reading the post!

Guitarist and founding member of Queen Brian May has had a very successful music career and is one of the most loved and respected musicians in the world, considered by critics to be one of the greatest guitarists in history. He composed a large number of hits as a member of Queen and also during his solo career.

But before forming Queen in 1970, May had already graduated in physics and astronomy from Imperial College London. During the band’s early years, he worked on his Doctoral thesis in Astrophysics entitled “Study on the movement of zodiacal dust particles🇧🇷 With the band’s overwhelming success, May had to abandon her scientific work until 2007, the year she presented her full thesis and defended her doctorate.

He is currently honorary dean of Liverpool’s John Moores University and one of NASA’s most important promoters.

Listen to this song by Queen while reading the post!

Offspring is one of the most popular bands in punk rock today. Its singer and founding member, Dexter Holland, knew how to bring success to the group with his charisma and energy on stage, but he also played a very active role in the academic field and in health research.

Holland received a degree in Biology from the University of Southern California and then a Masters in Molecular Biology. He started his PhD in Biology in 2013 but dropped out due to band commitments. But that was no excuse for Holland, who resumed his research and defended his thesis in 2017, with a research on the origin of the HIV virus and, thus, being able to stop it.

As if that weren’t enough, Dexter is also an air transport pilot, flight instructor and owner of a small company that makes hot sauce.

Listen to this Offspring song while reading the post!

Art Garfunkel met Paul Simon in high school, but it wasn’t until several years later that they decided to form the folk duo that would be the most successful of the 60’s and 70’s: Simon & Garfunkel. They produced great sales successes and were part of the most important music lists of the time.

Art has always had a passion for music, but he was also a great student and earned a BA in Art History from Columbia University in New York and a Masters in Mathematics.

Listen to this song by Simon & Garfunkel while reading the post!

Gene Simmons is the bassist and founder of one of the most famous and successful rock bands of all time, Kiss, which hasn’t stopped releasing records on the market or selling out stadiums since 1973. Along with Paul Stanley, Simmons managed to get Kiss would not stop reaping fame, success and respect over the years.

Onstage, Simmons is menacing under the makeup of his alter ego called The Demon, but behind this sometimes frightening appearance we find someone who has a vocation to teach. Graduated with a Bachelor of Education from the State University of New York, he taught sixth grade children in the Harlem neighborhood.

Listen to this Kiss song while reading the post!

For Chris Martin, university and music have always been closely related. That’s because, in his university internship at University College London, he met the members who would later become part of Coldplay, one of the most influential pop rock bands of recent times – not just for their musical quality or the positivity of their lyrics, but also for its commitment to various social and humanitarian causes.

Although Martin and his companions played clubs while studying, they never put their studies aside, quite the opposite. Chris graduated with honors for being the best student in Greek and Latin.

Listen to this Coldplay song while reading the post!

Leader and founder of the legendary rock band Boston, formed in 1969, Tom Scholz is an extremely talented guitarist and arranger, composer of some of the most famous songs in American classic rock.

In addition to his talent as a musician, Scholz received several academic awards in high school for his excellent grades and scholarships to attend various institutes. On his college internship, he entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. He later worked at the Polaroid photography company as a product design engineer. With what he earned, he built a recording studio in his home. With an analytical mind, Tom declared that he has always been a builder and an inventor for as long as he can remember.

Listen to this song by the band Boston while reading the post!

Jorge Drexler is a Uruguayan singer and songwriter whose melodies and lyrics convey optimism and invite reflection. With endless radio hits, as well as live performances that attract all kinds of audiences in every country he performs, he has managed to make a musical career that continues to grow.

But, in addition to being a musician, Jorge is a doctor and practiced his profession before dedicating himself entirely to music. He entered the Faculty of Medicine in 1983 and, after graduating, ended up specializing
in otolaryngology.

Listen to this song by Jorge Drexler while reading the post!

Gloria Estefan has become, throughout her successful career, one of the greatest exponents of Latin pop, with hits that play on all radio stations. Wherever she performs, she is a guest of honor at various events.

Although she never practiced the profession, she says studying Psychology and Communication at the University of Miami helped her to speak in public and give interviews. She had such good grades during her university career that she was accepted at the prestigious Sorbonne University in Paris to study International Law. But around that time she met her husband and partner, Emilio Estefan, and decided to dedicate herself completely to music.

Listen to this song by Gloria Estefan while reading the post!

After participating in and winning American Idol in 2005, Carrie Underwood managed to grow in the country scene as a singer and songwriter. Number one on numerous multi-song lists, it has won gold and platinum awards and records for its sales.

But while starting with music and still not having the success she later achieved, Carrie studied journalism and communication at Northeastern State University in Oklahoma, where she graduated with honors.

Listen to this song by Carrie Underwood as you read the post!

Did you know the academic side of these musicians? Which surprised you the most? Tell us in the comments below!