For many, the music industry is a glittery idea that brings success, fortune, adoring fans and endless possibilities. However, for pop-star turned Oscar winner Brie Larson, it’s quite the opposite.

At the beginning of her acting career, 7-year-old Larson claimed to never feel quite right for the roles she was auditioning for. In The Hollywood Reporter’s latest roundtable, Larson says, “I wasn’t a cliche, and it always worked against me. I wasn’t pretty enough to play the popular girl, I wasn’t mousy enough to be the mousy girl, so I never fit in.”

The young actress was cast in a few minor roles in movies such as 13 Going on 30 and the TV show Raising Dad, but was never put in any lead roles. It’s no surprise this sense of unbelonging followed her as she made her way into the music scene.

After Larson began to post videos of her singing online, she began to get some attention. The budding pop-star was signed by Casablanca Records, and released her only album, Finally Out of P.E. The LP carried a bubble-gum pop-rock sound that was reminiscent of Avril Lavigne and The Veronicas. It’s safe to say the album was a flop, only selling about 3,500 copies. The only success of the album was single “She Said” that was a short-time anthem for angsty teenage girls.

It didn’t take Larson long to realize that the music industry wasn’t what she expected. In a 2010 Myspace post, she commented on the industry saying, “I wanted to write all my own songs, and they were afraid of that. I wanted to wear sneakers and play my guitar – they wanted heels and wind blown hair.”

Some speculate that this is the reason for Larson’s departure from the music scene, while others say it was to resume her acting career. It makes you wonder what other artists we missed out on because they didn’t fit the mold…

Larson’s final “public performance” was in the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Larson and the band Metric portrayed the fictional band Clash at Demonhead performing Metric’s song “Black Sheep.” Subsequently, Larson’s career began to pick up, and she was cast for roles in films such as 21 Jump Street and Trainwreck. It was for her latest film, Room, that Larson won her first Oscar award.

After struggling to find herself in the music industry, Larson finally found a comfortable place as an actress and Oscar winner. Even though her musical career is probably finished, it’s very likely that Brie Larson will stay in the movie spotlight for some time to come.