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From screen stars to chart-toppers, these celebrities proved they're double threats! Join us as we count down the actors who successfully transitioned into music careers. Our list spans from rock rebels to pop sensations, jazz virtuosos to hip-hop icons - proving that some talents just can't be contained to one medium!
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00:00You're gonna grin and bear it, you're not from popularity.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the biggest success stories
00:10of popular actors later transitioning into the music industry.
00:20Number 20, Leighton Meester.
00:23You and Nate get back together?
00:24You mean since Gossip Girl published pictures of him and some skank?
00:27So that's a no.
00:27The role of Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl revealed that Leighton Meester has the stylish presence
00:33of a proper idol.
00:352009 then unveiled her singing chops with the awesome New Republic collab, Birthday,
00:41and a guest spot on the Cobra starship hit, Good Girls Go Bad.
00:52After rounding out the year with Somebody to Love featuring Robin Thicke,
00:56Meester gradually built her rebrand through singles and soundtracks.
01:08Finally, the 2014 launch of her label Hotly Wanting and the chart-topping indie album Heartstrings
01:14set the stage for a huge career.
01:24Instead, Meester quickly became disillusioned with pop music.
01:28She has since focused on acting and building a family with husband Adam Brody.
01:33The fans sustained the legend of her brief pop stardom.
01:36I am the captain of the ship and before you meet the only important passenger on board,
01:40I need to know you understand the rules.
01:41Aye, aye, captain.
01:42No, the ship stuff is only for me.
01:44Number 19.
01:45Sophie Thatcher
01:46I don't know, that South Park musical kind of makes fun of us.
01:50I listen to some of the songs and they're actually pretty funny.
01:54The tough yet ethereal charisma that made Sophie Thatcher a screen sensation still couldn't prepare
01:59you for her experimental songwriting.
02:01She comes from a musical family and has endeared fans with tastes that run the gamut from Elliot
02:07Smith to Peter Ivers.
02:09After years of experimenting with instruments and band camp in her teens,
02:13Thatcher dropped the EP Pivot and Scrape in 2024.
02:25The almost incomparable odyssey of lo-fi, avant-garde pop, and rock
02:30won universal acclaim.
02:32An eerie cover of Bob Dylan's Knockin' on Heaven's Door for the Heretic soundtrack
02:36was an even bigger hit on streaming.
02:46While her music career is still in the early stages,
02:49there seem to be no limits to Thatcher's creativity and resonance as an artist.
02:54Number 18, Bruce Willis
03:05Action fans now take for granted that Bruce Willis started in dramedy.
03:18Never mind his musical venture following his breakout on ABC's Moonlighting.
03:22The Macho Man showed his vulnerable side with the novel R&B album
03:27The Return of Bruno, released in 1987 through Motown Records.
03:38A companion mockumentary on HBO presented the stage persona Bruno Rattolini
03:44as an industry legend coming out of retirement.
03:46But the album was a legitimate hit, cracking the Billboard Top 20
03:50after a cover of Respect Yourself with June Poynter
03:53landed at number 4 as a single.
04:03With Die Hard marking a movie star rebrand,
04:06Willis stepped away from music after the 80s.
04:09Of course, the occasional live performance reminded us
04:11of how versatile this artist's legacy is.
04:22Number 17, Juliette Lewis
04:24The dark depths of 90s alternative
04:34was practically embodied in Juliette Lewis' revered film career.
04:38And yet, she didn't really get into music professionally
04:41until the formation of Juliette and the Licks in the mid-2000s.
04:45Their style may have been too anachronistic for the mainstream,
04:48but their credible edge behind a 90s icon's powerful voice
04:52and stage energy inspired a dedicated cult following.
04:55The Licks disbanded in 2009 following two well-received albums,
05:08reuniting six years later as a live act.
05:11All the while,
05:12Lewis settled her status as an indie darling
05:14with solo albums and tours.
05:16Whatever's next for her music career,
05:18it's sure to grab the audience's attention.
05:20Number 16, Steve Martin
05:30Vaudeville influences distinguished Steve Martin
05:33as a comedy act going into the 1970s.
05:36The thing is, his skills on the banjo are no joke.
05:39Martin's satirical virtuoso bluegrass
05:51developed from the Smothers Brothers comedy hour
05:54into a staple of his stand-up routines.
05:56He got more serious about music after becoming a movie star,
06:00albeit with hilarious novelty songs
06:02like the hit nitty-gritty dirt band mashup King Tut.
06:05Now when he was a young man,
06:08he never thought he'd see
06:09people standing live
06:11to see the boy King
06:13King Tut
06:14How'd you get so funky?
06:18Funky
06:18He also displayed theatrical vocals
06:21in the musical films
06:22Pennies from Heaven
06:23and Little Shop of Horrors.
06:25I'm your dancer
06:27and I enjoy the career that I've picked
06:31Over the years,
06:33Martin has adopted more reverence
06:35in Bluegrass Revival
06:37by collaborating with the likes of Edie Brickell.
06:40His old-fashioned artistry
06:41has given us plenty of laughs,
06:43but it's become equally moving in its legitimacy.
06:46Ain't no woman ever shut me down
06:48Ever seen a truck like this
06:50How about a little kiss
06:52You pretty little one
06:54Number 15, Hillary Duff
06:56Hey, we really shook things up, didn't we?
07:00From now on, people are gonna treat us differently.
07:02One of the defining teen idols of the 2000s
07:05wasn't actually an overnight success.
07:08Hilary Duff spent years
07:09doing uncredited parts as a child actress
07:12before landing the lead in Casper Meets Wendy.
07:15She was still three years away
07:16from the Disney Channel's Lizzie McGuire
07:18and another year from showing fans
07:20the extent of her talent.
07:22The singer's breakout album, Metamorphosis,
07:24ranked number two on the Billboard 2000.
07:26As did her namesake follow-up.
07:37Her immense success inspired Disney
07:39to invest more in teen actor-singers.
07:41But as Duff matured,
07:51so too did her roles,
07:53music and entrepreneurship.
07:55Her status has steadily softened,
07:57but Duff remains respected
07:58for the hard work it took
07:59to become a screen star,
08:01then a pop star.
08:02Think you're all about me,
08:04but I'm all about you.
08:06Turn the lights down,
08:07let me show you it's true.
08:09Number 14, Jeff Goldblum.
08:12Since the 1970s,
08:14Jeff Goldblum has enchanted audiences
08:16with his dapper charms
08:17and crooning voice.
08:19It shouldn't surprise anyone
08:20that he has a background in jazz.
08:22However, he rarely displayed his skills
08:36on piano and vocals
08:38after his acting career took off
08:40from working gigs in his teens.
08:42Goldblum quietly performed
08:44the Mildred Schnitzer Orchestra
08:46as a touring act in the 90s,
08:48whose first album wasn't until 2018.
08:52The Capitol Studio Sessions
09:00topped Billboard's jazz chart.
09:02Since then, Goldblum has enjoyed
09:04great commercial and critical success
09:06by pushing music more to the front
09:08of his long-distinguished career.
09:10The truth is that he's had a lifetime
09:12of cultivating the talent and coolness
09:14to be a jazz star.
09:15Every time we say goodbye.
09:22Number 13, Zooey Deschanel.
09:25What'd you get under your coat?
09:30It's unfair that we can't listen to our music.
09:33It's because it is about drugs
09:34and promiscuous sex.
09:35Simon and Garfunkel is poetry.
09:37Yes, it's poetry.
09:38It is a poetry of drugs
09:39and promiscuous sex.
09:41Though she comes from a showbiz family,
09:43Zooey Deschanel's artistry
09:44wasn't just confined to the screen.
09:47The actress first endeared music fans
09:49as Anita Miller in the cult classic
09:51Almost Famous.
09:52As she continued to build
09:53a warm presence in film and television,
09:56Deschanel further delighted fans
09:57with jazz and folk-influenced indie pop.
10:01It all began with collaborating
10:02with Samantha Shelton
10:03on the cabaret project
10:04If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies.
10:07But only after hearing Deschanel singing
10:09in Elf was M. Ward
10:10moved to form the Grammy-nominated duo
10:13She and Him.
10:14We're all right.
10:15We're all right.
10:16It's okay.
10:17It's okay.
10:19We all get the slips sometimes,
10:21every day.
10:22Before long,
10:23Deschanel's music and acting career
10:25were intertwined.
10:27She's a prime example
10:28of an indie darling
10:28going mainstream
10:29in more than one medium.
10:38Number 12.
10:39Bridgette Bardot
10:49One of the great beauty icons
10:51of her day
10:51was much more than that
10:53and an esteemed actress.
10:55Bridgette Bardot
10:55was such a superstar
10:56by the time her 1963 debut album
10:59was released
11:00that it was simply titled
11:01Bridgette Bardot Sings.
11:03Sure enough,
11:04her pop music
11:04was a sensation in France,
11:06contributing to the popularization
11:08of the Yeye movement.
11:09Her regular collaborations
11:11with Serge Gainsbourg
11:12yielded the international classic
11:15Bonnie and Clyde in 1968.
11:18Every time
11:18a policeman
11:19makes a gun
11:20a gun
11:21a garage
11:23or a bank
11:24makes a gun
11:25a gun
11:26then in 1973
11:28Bardot shockingly
11:30retired from music
11:31along with acting
11:32to focus on animal rights
11:33and political activism.
11:35She leaves behind
11:36a towering legacy
11:37on the screen
11:38with French pop fans
11:39also recognizing her
11:41as a legend.
11:41number 11
11:49Kevin Bacon
11:50It was enough of a surprise
11:57when Kevin Bacon's
11:58dance moves in Footloose
11:59broke him
11:59as a leading man.
12:0111 years later,
12:02the world found out
12:03he could do more
12:03than move to the music.
12:05He and music scholar
12:06brother Michael
12:07formed the Bacon Brothers
12:08as a country rock act
12:10with a Philly soul twist.
12:12Slowly but surely,
12:13they've built a cult following
12:14alongside Kevin's
12:15mainstream success
12:16on the screen.
12:17I read all about
12:1910,000 hours
12:21fingers to the bone
12:24and break my back
12:25Finally,
12:26they cracked the top 20
12:27on the Billboard Americana chart
12:29with their 2014 album
12:3036 Cents.
12:39The Bacon Brothers
12:41are now well-respected
12:42in their genre,
12:43whatever they may mean
12:44by the term
12:45Foro Soko.
12:46Kevin just wants you
12:47to know that he's not
12:48the only superstar
12:49in the family.
12:49We almost forget
13:15the initial career path
13:16of one of the biggest
13:17pop stars of the 2020s.
13:19Sabrina Carpenter
13:20first became a teen idol
13:21through Disney shows
13:22like Sophia the First
13:23and Girl Meets World.
13:25She's also done
13:26Edgier Fair
13:27with her first lead film role
13:29being the acclaimed
13:30indie drama
13:31The Short History
13:32of the Long Road.
13:33And then came
13:34Nonsense
13:35in the best way.
13:36After signing
13:43with Hollywood Records
13:44in 2014,
13:46Carpenter won
13:46a Radio Disney Music Award
13:48for the EP
13:49Can't Blame a Girl
13:50for Trying.
13:51She has since
13:51climbed the charts
13:52with each album,
13:54culminating in 2024's
13:55Grammy-winning mega hit
13:57Short and Sweet.
13:58Carpenter's uniquely
13:59self-aware pop persona
14:00has effectively
14:01eclipsed her more
14:02serious performances,
14:03but there's no doubting
14:05her range.
14:10Number 9
14:12Richard Harris
14:13Before highlighting
14:22the world of musical theater,
14:24Richard Harris
14:25was a renowned
14:26stage dramatist
14:26who successfully
14:28transitioned to film.
14:29He eventually
14:30reversed course
14:31by adapting
14:32his Golden Globe
14:33winning portrayal
14:33of King Arthur
14:34in Camelot
14:35for Broadway
14:36in the 80s.
14:37The film had already
14:38established Harris
14:39as a confident
14:39classical vocalist
14:41for 60s and 70s pop.
14:43His and legendary
14:44songwriter
14:45Jimmy Webb's
14:45biggest hit,
14:46MacArthur Park,
14:47won a Grammy
14:48and was covered
14:49by several music icons.
14:50Otherwise,
14:59Harris's music career
15:00was modest
15:01as he lacked
15:02formal training
15:03and approached
15:03singing as another
15:04form of acting.
15:06Nonetheless,
15:06his passion for it
15:07left an impact
15:08worthy of his stature
15:09as an elevated artist
15:10embraced by the
15:11mainstream.
15:12We almost sang
15:15our song in tune
15:19Didn't we, girl?
15:24Number 8
15:24Seth MacFarlane
15:26You'll find that music
15:27will go a long way
15:31Trained by the couple
15:34who taught Frank Sinatra,
15:36Seth MacFarlane
15:37immediately established
15:38his vocal range
15:39as the co-creator
15:40and star of several
15:41animated sitcoms.
15:42Theatrical musical numbers
15:43became a staple
15:44of the comedian
15:45and voice actors' projects
15:47before the 2011 album
15:49Music is Better Than Words
15:50topped the iTunes jazz charts.
15:53Music is better than words.
15:59MacFarlane and longtime
16:00arranger producer
16:01Joel McNeely
16:02have collaborated
16:03with the likes
16:04of Nora Jones,
16:05Sara Bareilles
16:06and Liz Gillies.
16:08But do you recall
16:10and with their musical breakout
16:19have come several
16:20Grammy nominations,
16:21holiday and award shows
16:22and public preservation
16:24of classic jazz.
16:26The golden-voiced
16:27MacFarlane's comedy
16:28may not be for the whole family,
16:29but he has become
16:30a true traditional pop star
16:32for the modern age.
16:33Nothing but blue skies
16:36do I see
16:42Number 7.
16:49Jamie Foxx
16:50Well I guess
16:51if you say so
16:53I'll have to pack my things
16:55and go
16:55That's right,
16:56get the road, Jack!
16:58It was a historic career shift
17:00when comedic actor Jamie Foxx
17:02won an Academy Award
17:03for playing the father
17:04of R&B in Ray.
17:06But his first serious foray
17:07into the genre
17:08was 10 years prior
17:09with the modestly successful album
17:11Peep This.
17:13He was next heard
17:13as a featured vocalist
17:15with Kanye West
17:16on Twista's chart-topping
17:17Grammy-nominated 2003 track
17:20Slow Jams.
17:21West and Foxx
17:30then won the Grammy
17:31with Gold Digger.
17:32Get down girl
17:33gonna head get down
17:34Get down girl
17:36gonna head get down
17:37The clearly versatile actor
17:39has since returned
17:40to a solo music career
17:41with a few platinum records
17:43and another Grammy
17:44to his name.
17:45Foxx asserts that music
17:46was his first connection
17:47to the arts
17:48before it solidified him
17:49as a rare caliber
17:50of renaissance man.
17:52Where I'm supposed
17:54to be in love today
17:57By now
17:58Number 6
18:00Taylor Momsen
18:02Where are you Christmas?
18:07Why can't I find you?
18:11It was so cute
18:12when Cindy Lou Who sang
18:13Where Are You Christmas
18:14in the live action
18:15How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
18:17Well, her music since then
18:18has been anything but cute.
18:20Before age 20
18:21Taylor Momsen
18:22retired from acting
18:24with the end of Gossip Girl
18:25to concentrate
18:26on The Pretty Reckless.
18:32The hard rock band
18:33undeniably capitalized
18:34on its front woman's reputation
18:36as a wholesome child actress
18:37but with her powerhouse vocals
18:39and stage presence
18:40The Pretty Reckless
18:41have consistently
18:42blown up rock charts.
18:43They've also collaborated
18:53with Warren Haynes
18:54Tom Morello
18:55and Soundgarden
18:56while Momsen herself
18:57was featured on
18:58Evanescence's
18:59Use My Voice
19:00with Lizzie Hale
19:01and Sharon Den Adele.
19:03She's definitely grown up
19:04and into a bigger star
19:05than ever.
19:06Do you remember
19:09the girl you used to know
19:13Number 5
19:15Jack Black
19:16I've been feeling
19:18trying
19:20and bleeding
19:21Undoubtedly a lifelong showman
19:24Jack Black
19:25has always stood out
19:26with his explosive
19:26comedic energy.
19:28Then he took it
19:28to the studio
19:29and the stage
19:30with Kyle Gass.
19:31The comedy metal duo
19:32Tenacious D
19:33released their debut album
19:35in 2001
19:35to massive commercial
19:37and critical success.
19:39And we played
19:39the first thing
19:40that came to our heads
19:41just so happened to be
19:43the best song
19:45in the world.
19:46A loyal following
19:47quickly gathered
19:48as Black brought music
19:49more into his movies
19:50culminating in 2006's
19:53Tenacious D
19:53in The Pick of Destiny.
19:55We challenge you
19:57to a rocker.
20:02Not only a rock star
20:03in his own right
20:04Black is a respected
20:05scholar of heavy music
20:06who's jammed with
20:08some of the biggest
20:08names in the game
20:09and with accolades
20:10and blockbuster tours
20:12Black is as fearsome
20:13a rocker
20:13as he is a lovable
20:15movie star.
20:23Number 4
20:24Jared Leto
20:26After his breakout
20:37on the ABC teen drama
20:39My So-Called Life
20:40Jared Leto
20:41developed esteem
20:42as a quietly intense
20:43method actor.
20:44He effectively
20:45turned up the volume
20:46as the front man
20:47of 30 Seconds to Mars.
20:48Break me down
20:52Formed with his drummer
20:56brother Shannon
20:57in 1998
20:58the band has explored
21:00everything from
21:01complex alternative
21:02rock to art pop.
21:05This evolution
21:11has been met
21:11with a vast fan base
21:13dozens of awards
21:14and a famous legal
21:15battle with EMI Records.
21:17Leto's rock career
21:18became so all-consuming
21:20that he would regularly
21:21step away from acting.
21:23He's had a prolific
21:24if controversial
21:25comeback
21:26since his Oscar-winning
21:27performance
21:27in Dallas Buyers Club
21:29but 30 Seconds to Mars
21:30still has fuel to spare.
21:39Number 3
21:40Ariana Grande
21:42There wasn't much
21:43spotlight on 15-year-old
21:44Ariana Grande
21:45when she displayed
21:46the range of her talent
21:47in the 2008
21:48Broadway production
21:49of 13.
21:50I remember the day
21:51that I went
21:52for my first audition
21:54Aaron was just
21:55coming out of his
21:55and he had been told
21:56he got a call back.
21:57She got her big break
21:58as the quirky
21:59Sam Valentine
21:59on Nickelodeon's
22:01Victorious.
22:02It was around
22:02the 2013 premiere
22:04of the spinoff
22:04Sam and Cat
22:05that she returned
22:06to her first love
22:07music.
22:08The album
22:09Yours Truly
22:10debuted at number 1
22:11on the Billboard 200
22:12astonishing audiences
22:13with Grande's
22:14immense vocal range.
22:16As the following albums
22:24and tours
22:25saw greater success
22:26acting became
22:27less of a priority.
22:28Grande is now
22:29one of the leading
22:30pop icons
22:31of her generation
22:31though she returned
22:33to the screen
22:33in the 2020s
22:35with no loss
22:35in the chops
22:36that made her.
22:37Number 2
22:47Drake
22:47Jimmy Brooks
22:57on Degrassi
22:58The Next Generation
22:59isn't exactly
23:00starting from the bottom
23:01but look where
23:02Aubrey Graham went
23:03after releasing
23:03a series of hip-hop
23:04mixtapes
23:05under his middle name
23:06Drake
23:06at the height
23:07of his small-screen fame.
23:16Ever since he signed
23:17with Young Money Entertainment
23:18in 2009
23:19he has achieved
23:20the record
23:21of most solo albums
23:22to debut
23:23at the top
23:23of the Billboard 200.
23:25Drake has thus
23:26become one of the
23:26premier stars
23:27in hip-hop
23:28as well as
23:29a global pop culture icon.
23:36He still appears
23:39on the screen
23:39occasionally
23:40but has not really
23:41acted since 2014.
23:43Drake has simply
23:43become too
23:44recognizable in music
23:45to play anyone
23:46other than
23:47Aubrey Graham
23:48at this point.
23:56Before we continue
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24:12Number 1
24:13Jennifer Lopez
24:14First of all
24:14we have a new
24:15fly girl
24:15coming all the way
24:16from Bronx, New York
24:17Ms. Jennifer Lopez.
24:21From humble beginnings
24:23in the Bronx
24:23Jennifer Lopez
24:24fought to stand out
24:25as a backup dancer
24:26and chorus singer.
24:28After some small
24:29acting roles
24:30she became a sensation
24:31as the star
24:32of the Latin pop legend
24:33Selena Quintanilla Perez's
24:351997 biopic.
24:37Lopez then took
24:38the mic for herself
24:39nearly two years later.
24:41The triple platinum
24:42album On The Six
24:43gave way to
24:44relentless smash hits
24:45that defined
24:462000 pop.
24:55Contrary to some
24:56misconceptions
24:57the affectionately
24:58nicknamed JLo
24:59never formally quit acting.
25:01Her music
25:02and cultural stardom
25:03just overwhelmed
25:04her still lucrative
25:05screen career
25:06so much
25:07that fans forget
25:08what came first.
25:09All they know
25:10is that you don't
25:10get to be JLo
25:11without a smart
25:12career trajectory
25:13and plenty
25:14of crossover talent.
25:15who are your favorite
25:27actors turned musicians?
25:29Sing your praises
25:30in the comments.
25:30dialogue
25:31I'll see you next time.
25:32Thanks.
25:34I'll see you next time.
25:34listeners
25:36IR System
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