Justin Vernon was a near-immediate critical sensation upon his late-’00s emergence with his first album as Bon Iver, the alt-folk opus For Emma, Forever Ago. With his unique falsetto, emotional delivery and irresistible backstory — retreating to a cabin in the woods following a pair of personal and professional breakups to record in solitude — Bon Iver earned significant industry respect and a devoted cult following. But few would’ve guessed that, following an extremely valuable A-lister’s co-sign, he would make the jump to stardom in his own right, with a best-selling album, multiple Grammy wins and even a Justin Timberlake impression of him on Saturday Night Live.

This month on the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, our Vintage Pop Stardom spin-off series Vintage Almost-Pop Stardom is welcomin

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