This article looks at four established musicians who left or paused work with their well-known bands in the early 1980s to release notable solo albums in 1982, illustrating a broader industry trend of artists striking out on their own as the music scene evolved. It highlights how each artist used the opportunity to experiment with new sounds while still drawing on the strengths that made them famous with their original acts.

The four featured are Donald Fagen, who parted ways with Steely Dan to make the thematically-driven The Nightfly; Phil Collins, who followed up Genesis work with the more crowd-pleasing Hello, I Must Be Going!; Robert Plant, who nearly quit music after John Bonham's death and Led Zeppelin's split before releasing the atmospheric yet rock-leaning Pictures At Eleven; and Lionel Richie, who left The Commodores' funk roots behind for his chart-topping, ballad-heavy self-titled solo debut, led by the No. 1 single "Truly".