Famous Singers Who Started Their Careers as Actors Before Finding Music Stardom

Some musicians start in clubs, studios, church choirs, talent shows, or bedroom recording setups. Others begin somewhere completely different: on television and film sets.

Several of today’s biggest singers, rappers, and pop stars were actors first. Some became child stars on Disney Channel or Nickelodeon. Some appeared in teen dramas. Others acted in movies before music became their main career.

That early screen experience often helped them build confidence, stage presence, fan bases, and media training before their first major album or tour.

Here are musicians who started their careers as actors.

1. Drake

Before Drake became one of the biggest rappers in the world, he was Aubrey Graham from Degrassi: The Next Generation.

He played Jimmy Brooks, a basketball player whose storyline became one of the most memorable in the Canadian teen drama. Years later, Drake shifted fully into music and became a global rap and pop force with albums like Take Care, Nothing Was the Same, Views, and Scorpion.

2. Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus became famous first as an actress through Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana.

The show gave her a built-in music platform because her character lived a double life as a pop star. That made Cyrus’ transition into real-world music feel natural. She later moved far beyond Disney with albums such as Bangerz, Plastic Hearts, and Endless Summer Vacation.

Her acting start remains one of the clearest examples of a TV role launching a major music career.

3. Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande became widely known through acting before becoming a global pop star.

She played Cat Valentine on Nickelodeon’s Victorious and later Sam & Cat. Her music career started building during that era, but her worldwide fame grew after albums like Yours Truly, My Everything, Dangerous Woman, Sweetener, and Thank U, Next.

Ariana is one of the strongest modern examples of a child/teen TV star who became a major musician.

4. Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez began as a child actress before becoming a successful singer.

She appeared on Barney & Friends and later became a Disney Channel star through Wizards of Waverly Place. After that, she moved into music with Selena Gomez & the Scene and later as a solo artist.

Her biggest songs include “Come & Get It,” “Good for You,” “Lose You to Love Me,” and “Single Soon.”

5. Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato started acting before becoming known mainly as a singer.

Lovato appeared on Barney & Friends as a child and later starred in Disney Channel’s Camp Rock and Sonny with a Chance. Camp Rock also gave Lovato a direct music platform, introducing their voice to a wider teen audience.

Lovato later built a successful music career with songs like “Skyscraper,” “Heart Attack,” “Cool for the Summer,” and “Sorry Not Sorry.”

6. Olivia Rodrigo

Olivia Rodrigo was an actress before she became one of pop’s biggest young stars.

She appeared on Disney Channel’s Bizaardvark and later starred in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Her music career exploded with “drivers license,” followed by the albums SOUR and GUTS.

Her rise is one of the best recent examples of a Disney acting background turning into serious music credibility.

7. Sabrina Carpenter

Sabrina Carpenter became known through acting before her music career reached a new level.

She appeared on Disney Channel’s Girl Meets World, then steadily built her music career through albums, touring, and viral pop hits. Songs like “Nonsense,” “Feather,” “Espresso,” and “Please Please Please” helped her move from former Disney actress to mainstream pop star.

Her career shows how the actor-to-musician path can take years before the music side fully breaks through.

8. Hilary Duff

Hilary Duff became famous first as the star of Disney Channel’s Lizzie McGuire.

The role made her one of the biggest teen stars of the early 2000s. She later moved into music with albums such as Metamorphosis, which became a major commercial success.

Duff continued balancing acting and music for years, but her first major public identity came from television.

9. Ashley Tisdale

Ashley Tisdale was already acting before her music career took off.

She became known through Disney Channel’s The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and then reached a much bigger audience as Sharpay Evans in High School Musical. That role was heavily tied to music, helping her launch solo albums such as Headstrong.

Tisdale is a good example of a Disney actress whose singing career grew from musical roles.

10. Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa Hudgens became widely known as an actress through High School Musical.

Playing Gabriella Montez gave her a direct connection to music, and she later released solo albums including V and Identified. Although she continued acting on screen and stage, her early music career came from a major acting role.

Her path shows how Disney musical projects created crossover stars who could act and sing.

11. Victoria Justice

Victoria Justice started as an actress before releasing music.

She appeared on Nickelodeon shows including Zoey 101 and later starred in Victorious, the same series that helped introduce Ariana Grande to a wider audience. Justice also recorded songs tied to her shows and later released solo music.

Her public career began through acting, even though music became a key part of her brand.

12. Zendaya

Zendaya began as a Disney Channel actress before releasing music.

She starred in Shake It Up and K.C. Undercover, then released music including “Replay.” While Zendaya is now more strongly associated with acting through Euphoria, Spider-Man, Dune, and Challengers, her early career included a real music chapter.

She fits this list because acting came first, even if her long-term career moved back toward film and TV.

13. Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez started as a dancer and actress before becoming a major recording artist.

She appeared as a Fly Girl on In Living Color and later became a serious film star with roles in Selena, Out of Sight, and The Wedding Planner. Her debut album On the 6 came after she had already built a public name through performance and acting.

Lopez is one of the most successful examples of a screen performer crossing into music and becoming a major pop star.

14. Britney Spears

Britney Spears was a young performer on The Mickey Mouse Club before becoming a pop icon.

That show put her in front of cameras alongside other future stars, including Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Ryan Gosling. Her music career later exploded with “…Baby One More Time,” making her one of the defining pop stars of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

15. Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake also appeared on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club before becoming a music star.

After that, he rose to fame with NSYNC and later built a huge solo career with albums like Justified, FutureSex/LoveSounds, and The 20/20 Experience. His early TV experience helped prepare him for the camera-heavy world of pop stardom.

16. Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera appeared on The Mickey Mouse Club before becoming one of the biggest voices in pop.

Her early screen work gave her a public performance background before her debut single “Genie in a Bottle” made her famous worldwide. She later became known for powerhouse vocals, reinvention, and albums like Stripped and Back to Basics.

Her career is another example of a young TV performer becoming a major musician.

17. Fergie

Before becoming famous with The Black Eyed Peas, Fergie had an acting and TV background.

As a child, she appeared on Kids Incorporated, a music-focused children’s TV series. She later joined the girl group Wild Orchid before becoming a global pop name with The Black Eyed Peas and her solo album The Dutchess.

Her early TV work helped shape the performer she later became.

18. Keke Palmer

Keke Palmer was an actress before becoming known for music as well.

She broke through with Akeelah and the Bee and starred in Nickelodeon’s True Jackson, VP. Palmer also released music and has kept singing as part of her wider entertainment career.

She is not only a musician, but her acting career clearly came before her recording career.

19. Jamie Lynn Spears

Jamie Lynn Spears became famous as an actress before releasing country music.

She starred on Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101, then later shifted toward music with songs including “How Could I Want More.” Her career shows how several teen TV stars later tried to build adult music identities.

20. Bridgit Mendler

Bridgit Mendler started as an actress before her music career gained attention.

She appeared in Disney Channel projects, especially Good Luck Charlie and Lemonade Mouth. Her single “Ready or Not” later became her best-known music release.

Mendler eventually moved into academic and professional work outside the usual celebrity path, making her story different from many Disney alumni.

21. China Anne McClain

China Anne McClain started acting as a child before becoming known for music.

She appeared in Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and later starred in Disney Channel’s A.N.T. Farm. She also performed music with her sisters and recorded songs connected to Disney projects.

Her acting background gave her a young fan base before her music reached wider audiences.

22. Coco Jones

Coco Jones became known through acting before her music career reached a larger audience.

She starred in Disney Channel’s Let It Shine, a music-driven movie that introduced her voice to many viewers. Years later, she gained major R&B attention with songs like “ICU.”

Her career is a strong example of a former Disney actor later being taken seriously as a singer.

23. Ross Lynch

Ross Lynch was an actor before becoming widely known in music.

He starred in Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally, a show built around music, and also performed with R5 before later forming The Driver Era with his brother Rocky Lynch.

His career blended acting and music from the start, but television gave him his first major audience.

24. Dove Cameron

Dove Cameron became known as a Disney Channel actress before her music career grew.

She starred in Liv and Maddie and the Descendants films, both of which connected acting and music. Later, she found major music success with “Boyfriend.”

Her career shows how Disney’s musical storytelling often created a bridge from acting to pop.

25. Sofia Carson

Sofia Carson became famous through acting before building her music career.

She gained attention through Disney’s Descendants franchise, then released music and continued working in film and television. Like Dove Cameron, her music career grew from a screen role that already involved singing.

26. Hayley Kiyoko

Hayley Kiyoko acted before becoming known as a singer-songwriter.

She appeared in Disney Channel’s Lemonade Mouth and other TV projects before her music career took off. Songs like “Girls Like Girls” helped her build a dedicated fan base and a strong identity in pop.

27. Troye Sivan

Troye Sivan acted before becoming a major pop artist.

He appeared as young Wolverine in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and starred in the Spud films before building a successful music career. His albums and singles later made him one of the most recognizable queer pop artists of his generation.

28. JoJo

JoJo acted as a child and teen while building her music career, though her music became famous very early.

She appeared in films such as Aquamarine and RV, but she became widely known as a singer with “Leave (Get Out)” as a teenager.