CHAPTER 6
THE MANY SHAPES OF LUCK

CARLY HENNESSY HAD “charisma, drive, and pipes,” the three things that executives in the recording industry look for in their quest to find the next Britney Spears. A native of Ireland, Hennessy caught the eye of the brass at MCA Records after she cut an album of Christmas carols and toured Europe in the cast of Les Misérables. In the summer of 1999, the MCA executives treated Hennessy to dinner at Spago in Beverly Hills and laid out the plan to make her a pop star. She was just sixteen years old. Over the next couple of years, the studio spent $2.2 million recording her and promoting her work, a substantial commitment for a budding star.

Hennessy recognized her good fortune. “Some people struggle,” she said, ...

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