From the iconic Mickey Mouse Club to more modern sensations like High School Musical and Hannah Montana, Disney has been a launchpad for countless young talent, propelling them into the spotlight and shaping their identities in the public eye. Springing from their starting ground, many child stars find it difficult to remove themselves from their Disney persona as they move on and into adulthood. These three child stars are amazing examples of a positive and productive transition from child popularity to adult fame.
Dove Cameron:
Dove Cameron, a popular Disney Channel actress, is most notably known for her dual roles of the characters Liv and Maddie in the comedy series Liv and Maddie and for starring in the Disney Channel Descendants franchise as the main character Mal. In her early childhood, she attended Sakai Intermediate School until the age of 8, where she began acting in community theatre at Bainbridge Performing Arts (BPA). Cameron portrayed the role of Young Cosette in the BPA stage production of Les Misérables in 2007, and in 2008, she took the lead role of Mary in The Secret Garden with BPA again. 2012 marked her big breakthrough with Disney, and she was cast into what was originally a comedy series titled Bits and Pieces, where she would play the role of Alanna. But after the filming of the pilot, Disney retooled Bits and Pieces into what is now Liv and Maddie, catapulting Cameron into her stardom. The pilot episode landed 5.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched Disney series in 2.5 years since Shake It Up aired.
Acting was not the only thing Cameron was noticed for in her breakthrough roles at Disney. In August 27, 2013, she released a cover of On Top of the World by Imagine Dragons as a promotional single. This cover peaked on the Billboard Kid Digital Songs chart when she was seventeen, and it spent three weeks near the top. On October 15, 2013, Cameron released Better in Stereo as a single under Walt Disney Records. The song made its debut on the Billboard once more placing at number 21 before peaking at number one, making it Cameron’s first number one hit. In 2014, she hit number one on the Billboard again with a single named Count Me In. It was released on June 3, 2014.
However, as Cameron ventured further into the realm of music, she embarked on a journey of self-discovery and creative exploration. Alchemical: Volume 1 served as a departure from the bubblegum pop sound often associated with Disney stars and show-cased Cameron’s desire to express herself authentically and delve into more mature themes. As she shifted away from her popular Disney roles, she started touching on topics such as love, identity, and self-discovery in her music. Through this new era of music she was able to connect with a more grown-up audience and give them more relatable themes, as she shed the confines of her Disney persona and embraced the freedom to explore new artistic horizons.
Miley Cyrus:
Hannah Montana emerged as a cultural phenomenon, captivating audiences worldwide with its irresistible blend of comedy, music, and heartwarming stories. Airing on the Disney Channel from 2006 to 2011, the show followed the double life of Miley Stewart, played by the effervescent Miley Cyrus, singer and actress; as she navigated the challenges of adolescence while concealing her pop star alter ego, Hannah Montana, from her classmates and friends. Fueled by Cyrus’s magnetic charisma, catchy musical performances, and relatable coming-of-age narratives, Hannah Montana quickly became a beloved staple of childhood entertainment. This was Cyrus’s first acting role when she auditioned at 13. The success of the series led to Cyrus being labeled a “teen idol.”
As she matured she wanted to shed herself from Hannah Montana and foster a different image. One of her first departures was in a film named The Last Song in 2010. It had terrible reviews but was a box office hit. To further push this new image, she released her third studio album, Can’t Be Tamed, pushing her image further and further away from her Disney past. It was at that point that she went on a hiatus from music to focus on her acting career starring in a few films before garnering real media attention after she cut her well known brown hair, from the 2010s, to a short blonde pixie cut. This was another indication of the shift in how she wished the media and public to view her. She returned to focusing on her music career and brought themes that were new to her fans from the artist they had previously known. The release of Wrecking Ball in 2013 on the same day as the Video Music Awards (VMA) shook the industry and was received with some backlash deeming the music video inappropriate or “cringe worthy” but it was viewed over nineteen million times within the first 24 hours of release. The video and song itself drew criticism for seemingly objectifying herself. Either way, the single became Cyrus’s first to top the Hot 100 in the US, maintaining the number one spot for three weeks. Despite the backlash from fellow musicians for such a drastic comeback, Cyrus successfully shifted her image from her rosy past to a more mature persona.
After the success of Wrecking Ball, Cyrus made another comeback in 2023, nearly10 years later, with her new single, Flowers. Flowers debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, Global 200, and Global Excl. US charts. It spent 13 weeks each atop the global charts. The song became the longest-running and the third longest-running leader on the charts, respectively. Topping the Hot 100 for eight non-consecutive weeks, it became Cyrus’s second and longest running single in the US. It not only topped the charts in the US, but also in 37 other countries.
Sabrina Carpenter:
First gaining widespread recognition for her acting skills as her Disney Channel personality in Girl Meets World, Sabrina Carpenter is a popular singer and actress of the 2010s. Singing has always been a part of Carpenter’s life starting with her YouTube Channel posts around the age of 10 showcasing her rendition of songs from artists like Christina Aguilera and Adele. She also had support from her parents with her father building her a recording studio to help with her musical passion. She first made her acting debut on an episode of the popular crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims as a guest role in 2011. On top of her previous acting gig, she appeared in Horns in 2013. That same year Carpenter also recorded Smile for the compilation album Disney Fairies: Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust, inspired by the Disney Fairies film series and the song charted on Radio Disney. Later in January of 2013, she was casted as Maya Hart in Girl Meets World, a spin off of popular show Boy Meets World. Around this same time she signed a 5 album deal with Disney-owned and then-labeled, Hollywood Records. In March 2014, she released her first single co-written by Meghan Trainor called Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying, receiving positive reviews and sparking the beginning of a successful music career.
In 2018 she began branching away from her Disney label and being featured in Alien by Jonas Blue which reached number one on the US Dance Club Songs chart. On November 9, 2018 she released her third studio album, Singular: Act I pushing herself out of her comfort zone. The album received positive feedback and Carpenter later announced that the album would be split in two acts with the second act set to be released early in 2019. She was seen promoting her album on The Tonight Show and on Live with Kelly and Ryan. The album garnered two singles, Almost Love and Sue Me, which both reached number one on the US Dance Club Songs chart. On July 19, 2019 her awaited album Singular: Act II was released. To promote the album, she performed on Good Morning America‘s Summer Concert Series and released a promotional single titled I’m Fakin ahead of the album’s release. The album received positive reviews as per her usual with viewers who enjoy listening to a new taste of Sabrina Carpenter with the album expressing more personal topics compared to her prior work like themes of anxiety and self-reflection.
In January 2021, it was announced that Carpenter had signed with Universal Music Group’s Island Records, completely removing herself from the Disney personalities. Under this new label her first single was Skin released on January 22, 2021 becoming her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 as number 48. On July 15, 2022, Carpenter released her fifth studio album, Emails I Can’t Send, which debuted and peaked at number 23 on the Billboard 200 with 18,000 album equivalent units sold, making it her highest entry on the chart to date. Peaking at number 56 on the Hot 100, Nonsense was certified Platinum by the RIAA. It was later announced in August that the Emails I Can’t Send Tour was set to begin in September that year. A deluxe version of the album was released in March of 2023 with a bonus track of Feather also being included. It went on to peak at number one on the US Pop Songs chart and number 26 on the Hot 100, becoming her highest charting songs on both the charts. She later announced that she would be an opening act for the Eras Tour by Taylor Swift for a number of its shows throughout 2023 and 2024 stating that opening for Swift was a “childhood dream come true”, and stating that her experience with the crowd on the tour was “unlike any other crowd I’ve ever played to before”.
The journey of child stars navigating their way through their paparazzi-filled lives is a rollercoaster that viewers experience from the sidelines, as they watch their nostalgic childhood show actors grow up alongside them. While some had a smooth transition, others experienced a bumpy ride, yet each actor grew up to produce songs that became 2000s classics and still reside in listeners’ playlists to this day.
