Zendaya is a woman of aspirations. From her early career as a model and backup dancer to being the hotshot of Hollywood, Zendaya has come a long way. It is not surprising that the actress is a jack of all trades- dancing, singing, anchoring, and much more.
Zendaya made her foray into the independent world of music (apart from Disney) in 2011 with the singles Swag It Out and Watch Me (in collab with Bella Thorne). Her debut studio album was self-titled and released in 2013, becoming a success. Zendaya‘s lead single, Replay, reached the top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
With her collab with Zac Efron for The Greatest Showman soundtrack titled Rewrite the Stars, her establishment in the commercial music space became complete. However, Zendaya, after her debut album, has remained quite in the music industry, apart from her occasional dabbles for movies. And her latest surprise performance at Coachella 2023 has stunned everybody.
Zendaya has paused her music career because of her bad experiences regarding contracts. She also claims her dislike of being vulnerable is why her current focus is on acting and why she thinks she could never be a pop star.
1. Surprise Live Performance at Coachella 2023
After a long eight years, Zendaya was seen at the Coachella 2023 stage, giving a surprise performance. This marks her return to the stage where she last performed in her Los Angeles concert in 2015.
Coachella 2023 saw several popular celebrities, including BLACKPINK, Bad Bunny, Rosalia, and Diljit Dosanjh. But no other star was as unexpected as Zendaya at the music festival. Other than Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello’s reuniting, Coachella saw Zendaya putting her music career on ‘Replay’.
On April 22, the ‘Euphoria’ actress joined British musician Labrinth during his performance to perform their songs “I’m Tired’ and “All for Us” from the same HBO series (Euphoria).
“I cannot express my gratitude enough for this magical night,” she penned on her Instagram Stories later. “Thank you to my brother @labrinth for inviting me and giving me the most beautiful safe space to be on a stage again. And to the crowd tonight…wow my heart is so full, I can’t thank you enough for the love I received tonight, made all my nerves melt away. I’m so grateful.”
2. Bad Contract Experiences In the Past
Zendaya has always advised young performers to read their contracts thoroughly before signing up for anything. And it seems this advice is a lesson learned from her personal life, and these experiences have made her hesitant to return to the music industry.
We all expect her to focus on her acting career more; her hectic schedule is known to everybody. However, there is more to why Zendaya has not appeared in the studio music scene in a very long time.
Last year, in an interview on A Sip w/ Issa Rae, Zendaya revealed, “I stepped away from music on purpose because of bad contracts, to be honest with you. The music industry is very different — it’s very different from a movie and the theatrical world.”
However, that is not just the only reason. She shared that she values her privacy, and acting allows her to be a bit more anonymous than music.
3. Music Favours Less Anonymity and Less Privacy
When asked about her retreat from the music world, Zendaya said that she doesn’t know if she could ever be a pop star as that kind of stardom requires more vulnerability. She explained that, in acting, characters provide her a cover, while in music, it’s just going to be her only.
In the same interview with Issa Rae, Zendaya explains, “Acting allows for a character for people to fall in love with,” Zendaya explained. “But also like for my own anonymity and like a life of my own which music doesn’t really afford. Like I think when you’re a music artist, you just kind of have to be — it’s your face all the time. It’s you. Umm and so that’s another thing. That kind of scared me about music — is like not really being able to have as much of a life.”
In conversation with fellow actor Andrew Garfield, for Variety’s Actors on Actors, Zendaya also elaborated, “I don’t know if I could ever be a pop star. It’s because as an actor, there’s a level of anonymity that I get to have, which I really like. And I get to sort my stuff, whatever that is, through a character and nobody needs to know about it. Whereas in other forms and other mediums, it’s all you all the time.”
4. Zendaya loves Music; There’s Still Hope
The ‘Dune’ actress has always been open about her gratitude to her fans for their support, whether for her acting or music career. She has said that she really loves music, and thus we can always expect to see her in the music scene in some capacity.
After the release of her collab with Dominic Fike in Elliot’s Song from Euphoria Season 2, Zendaya took to Twitter to express her gratitude to fans for supporting her as a musician.
“I stepped away from music quite a while ago, for a number of reasons, but I still really love it,” she penned, “so the kindness and support I’ve received the past few days just for a little tiny toe-dip back into some music means the absolute world to me..thanks”
And following her stunning appearance at Coachella 2023, we can always expect to see her in the music scene as she clearly loves it.
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