This is how these stars obtained their stage names…

1. Doja Cat

Doja Cat’s actual identify is Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini however when she determined to decide on a stage identify, she opted to choose two issues she actually liked — cats and weed.

“I used to be closely hooked on weed and weed tradition, so after I started rapping I considered the phrase ‘doja’ and the way it feels like a woman’s identify,” Doja advised Dazed, noting that she additionally liked cats “in each side.”

2. Lizzo

Lizzo was referred to as by her stage identify lengthy earlier than she turned well-known. The musician, whose actual identify is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, obtained the nickname Lizzo when she was nonetheless a young person.

“It is a teenage nickname. We did a factor, in Houston, you chop the second half of your identify and put an O. I used to be ‘Lisso’ with two s’s, then everybody stated it with somewhat swang to it so I modified the s’s to z’s and the remaining is historical past,” she defined on an episode of Carpool Karaoke.

3. Submit Malone

Submit Malone was born Austin Richard Submit however when he was a young person, he determined he wanted an artist identify to launch the music he was making. To assist select his new moniker, he turned to a random identify generator on-line.

“I used to be like 14, and I had began stepping into producing and rapping and singing over my very own stuff. And I wanted a reputation, , for my s—- mixtape,” he shared on The Tonight Present. “So I ran [my real name] by means of a random rap identify generator … now I am caught with it.”

4. Brie Larson

Brie Larson was born Brianne Sidonie Desaulniers however when she began performing, she realized her final identify was exhausting to pronounce. She went with the final identify Larson — partially as a result of it was a household identify and partially as a result of her American Lady doll Kirsten had the identical final identify!

“Properly, my actual identify is difficult to pronounce, and it simply obtained extraordinarily irritating to appropriate folks on a regular basis. Plus, I by no means glided by Brianne. It is a identify you get referred to as whenever you’re in hassle! Larson is a household identify from my great-grandmother,” she advised Glamour.

5. Cardi B

Cardi B was born Belcalis Almanzar however earned her nickname due to her sister. Cardi defined that since her sister is called Hennessy, folks began calling her Bacardi. Finally, the identify advanced into Cardi B.

“My sister’s identify is Hennessy, so everyone was once like ‘Bacardi’ to me. Then I shortened it to Cardi B. The ‘B’ stands for no matter, relying on the day…lovely or bully. Nobody calls me Belcalis aside from my household, my mom and my daddy,” she shared on The Wendy Williams Present.

6. Alicia Keys

When Alicia Keys was first beginning out, she determined she wanted to modify up her start identify, Alicia Augello Cook dinner. She says she flipped by means of the dictionary searching for alternate final names and initially picked ‘Wild’ however her mother did not just like the sound of it.

“It is a joke. I obtained so determined I went by means of the dictionary for one thing that catches my eye. I get to the W’s and I decide Wild. ‘Alicia Wild, how does that sound, Ma?’ She stated, ‘It sounds such as you’re a stripper.’ However I preferred Keys. It is just like the piano keys. And it might probably open so many doorways,” she advised Newsweek.

7. Lorde

When Lorde was born, she was given the identify Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor however as she started to pursue music, she opted for a stage identify. Early in her profession, she defined that the identify Lorde got here from her curiosity in royalty.

“Ever since I used to be somewhat child, I’ve been actually into royals and aristocracy, so to make Lord extra female, I simply put an e on the tip! Some folks assume it is spiritual, however it’s not,” she advised Interview journal.

8. Calvin Harris

Calvin Harris would possibly sound like a standard identify however the DJ was truly born Adam Richard Wiles. Earlier than he launched his first single, he determined to modify up his identify so as to create extra ambiguity about himself.

“My first single was extra of a soul monitor, and I assumed Calvin Harris sounded a bit extra racially ambiguous,” he reportedly advised the Shortlist in 2009. “I assumed folks won’t know if I used to be Black or not. After that, I used to be caught with it.”

9. John Legend

John Legend was born with the identify John Stephens however was given his stage identify by the chums he grew up with. By the point he was pursuing music professionally, he says extra folks knew him by the nickname — however he was fearful he wouldn’t be capable of reside as much as such an enormous identify.

“John Legend is a nickname that some mates began calling me, and it sort of grew into my stage identify. ‘Legend’ is one thing that I by no means would have chosen for myself initially. It grew to the purpose the place extra folks in my circle would know me by that identify than by my actual identify. I needed to decide,” John advised MTV Information.

He continued, “I used to be similar to, ‘You recognize what? Let’s simply go for it. Individuals are going to concentrate and I’ll both reside as much as my identify or I am not.’ My guess was on me attempting to reside as much as the identify.”

10. Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars obtained his nickname when he was only a child. Whereas he was born Peter Gene Hernandez, his dad began calling him Bruno when he was nonetheless a toddler. The identify caught after which as an grownup, he added Mars to his moniker.

“My dad nicknamed me Bruno since I used to be 2 years previous … I used to be going to go by ‘Bruno,’ one identify. Mars simply sort of got here joking round as a result of that sounds larger than life. That was it, easy as that,” Bruno advised Latina in 2017.

11. Iggy Azalea

Iggy Azalea was born Amethyst Amelia Kelly and her stage identify took place accidentally. She says she had a canine named Iggy and would put on a necklace together with his identify on it — which ended up complicated folks.

“I obtained a name-plate necklace made in his honor. Everyone began to assume that my identify was Iggy so it sort of turned my nickname and I took it on board and began rapping with it,” Iggy shared in 2014.

Though she virtually caught with simply “Iggy,” her grandfather urged she add a surname. “That may be a avenue identify that my mother and household reside on … and it sounds very female and I assumed it might stability out Iggy being so masculine.”

12. Halsey

Again when Halsey was simply beginning out, she believed her desires had been “far fetched” and so as to achieve success, being herself would not be sufficient. She determined to “turn into someone fully totally different,” creating the identify Halsey out of anagram for her actual identify Ashley.

“On the time, I felt that Ashley did not should be well-known and profitable as a result of she wasn’t that particular, but when I made Halsey, perhaps she may very well be,” she advised Cosmopolitan. “[Changing my name] gave me the chance to create a brand new persona that wasn’t certain by the expectations I had for myself or the constraints that others positioned on me due to my upbringing or my socioeconomic scenario.”

She continued, “I created an individual, and he or she might do all the things. There was no means that Ashley was going to turn into a king, however I made a brand new identify for myself and took her to paranormal, supernatural heights.”