The best secrets in music aren't about who is behind the mask—they're about who is using a different name to break every rule they set for themselves.
How else can you explain why the world's biggest pop star would reinvent herself as Jo Calderone—a chain-smoking, male mechanic from Sicily—to star in her own music video and perform at the MTV VMAs? This bizarre 2011 gender-swap proved that even global superstars yearn to shed their image.
From pop titans trying out metal to country legends embracing alt-rock, music history is littered with alter-egos, from Aladdin Sane to The Cranes, being the name The Cure would use at times to perform secret shows.
We lift the veil on 15 artists who performed, recorded, and sometimes offended, all while hiding behind a different name - and in some cases, leading to rumours who they “really” were...
1. Dream Widow
This is a fun, recent example that many readers will recognize. The artist behind the death metal band Dream Widow is the legendary Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters. Grohl, who played all instruments on the 2022 self-titled EP, created the band as the fictional focus of the Foo Fighters’ horror comedy film, Studio 666. The EP allowed Grohl to finally record the metal album he’d always wanted to make, proving that even rock's nicest guy has a brutal side. | Roswell Records
2. Mariachi El Bronx
This is one of the most visible and beloved alias projects of the 21st century. Mariachi El Bronx is the high-concept alter-ego of the aggressive Los Angeles punk band, The Bronx. On their mariachi albums, the band completely ditches distortion and aggression for traditional horns, Spanish guitars, and suits. They released four albums under this name and toured globally, often performing as both bands in the same night—a true commitment to the split personality. | Charley Gallay/Getty Images
3. The Nightwatchman
The moment Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine stepped out with just an acoustic guitar and a harmonica, the shift was profound. The Nightwatchman is Morello's acoustic folk/protest singer persona, allowing him to focus entirely on stripped-down, politically charged songwriting and storytelling. The project provided a crucial outlet for his activism outside of Rage's revolutionary heavy rock sound. | AL CIZEK/AFP via Getty Images
4. Buster Poindexter
This 1980s transformation was a massive commercial success that completely overshadowed the artist's punk rock roots. The flamboyant, tuxedo-clad lounge singer Buster Poindexter is, in fact, David Johansen, the gritty lead singer of the pioneering punk band The New York Dolls. As Poindexter, he had his biggest hit, the inescapable single 'Hot Hot Hot.' | Neilson Barnard/Getty Images