These days, it seems like being a great actor and musician go hand in hand. Many of our favorite movie and TV stars have roots in music and have toured and released studio albums, much to the surprise of their fans. Stars like Will Smith and Jennifer Lopez are just two names that come to mind. Let’s look at ten other actors who are also great musicians.
10. Michel Cera
Michael Cera is a great actor and musician. Here is Clay Pigeons, a song from his debut album True That.
Michael Cera is a talented bassist, guitarist, singer and songwriter. The goofy comedy king has made a name for himself in the world of indie rock music. In addition to performing on the soundtracks of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Worldand Juno, Michael Cera also makes music on his own. Back in his Development stopped days, Cera secretly released an indie-folk album called True That and has since released a single with Sharon Van Etten.
9. Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler is a great actor and musician. Chanukah Song is a single from his comedy album What the Hell Happened to Me?
The comedian who brought us classics like Billy Madison and Grandpa also likes to let off steam in his spare time. In addition to writing and producing most of his films, Adam Sandler also sings and plays guitar. In 1993, as Sandler was beginning to make a name for himself as a comedian, he signed a recording contract with a major label. Since then, Sandler has produced several comedy albums that have reached platinum status and earned him a Grammy nomination.
8. Jack Black
Jack Black is a great actor and musician. Here is The Metal, a single from his band Tenacious D.
When Jack Black doesn’t make us laugh in movies like kung fu panda and Thunder in the tropics, he is one half of the rock comedy duo Tenacious D. Tenacious D is a band that Black formed with his friend Kyle Gass. Since its inception in 1994, Tenacious D has developed a number of followers. They toured with famous rock bands like Pearl Jam and The Foo Fighters and even scored their own show on HBO several years before starring in their cult classic. Tenacious D in Fate’s Choice.
Tenacious D made their rockstar dreams come true in the early 2000s when they signed with a major record label. Since then, the dynamic duo have produced six studio albums in seventeen years.
7. Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Deschanel is a great actor and musician. Here is Stay Awhile, a single from his band She & Him.
It seems Zooey Deschanel has always had an affinity for music. In addition to playing in new girl, Our stupid brotherand The event, the actress sings, plays the ukulele and the piano in the indie-pop duo She & Him. For a time, Zooey made music in her spare time and kept it to herself for fear it would attract publicity. She finally had the courage to share it with her, the go-getter costar, Mr. Ward, and soon after, the two started a band.
She & Him have released six studio albums since forming in 2006. They have also appeared at several music festivals (including SXSW and Coachella) and have even toured overseas throughout Europe.
6. Zendaya
Zendaya is a great actor and musician. Here is Replay, an excerpt from his eponymous debut album.
Zendaya is another example of an actor with roots in music. Spider-Man: No Coming Home The leading lady started out as a background dancer before making her Disney Channel debut. During her time as a Disney star, Zendaya starred in several projects in which she was a singer, dancer and actress, including shake it, zappedand KC undercoverof which she also appears on the soundtrack.
In 2013, Zendaya signed with a major label and released her self-titled album, which featured her hit single Replay, a song that recently went viral.
5. Zoe Kravitz
Zoe Kravitz is a great actress and musician. Here is Teardrop, a single from his band Lolawolf
Zoe Kravitz didn’t get into music to make it in the industry. The Batman The actress considers music a hobby and performs on stage just for fun. Zoe Kravitz enjoys collaborating with artists and has expressed herself in a variety of genres, from political cabaret to hip-hop and r&b.
In 2009, while the actress was still rising in the film industry, she led Elevator Fight. This six-member rock band has toured with music legends like Common and The Roots. Soon after, Kravitz created the duo Lolawolf, a group that acted as an emotional release for Zoe when she was struggling to film The Road Within. Since then, Kravitz has released two studio albums, collaborated with various artists, and appeared on the soundtrack of Drug and pretty little liestwo projects in which she also had lead roles.
4. Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy is a great actor and musician. Here is Party All the Time, an extract from his album How Could It Be.
The world was surprised when it was announced that Eddie Murphy would have a singing role in the hit musical dream girlsseeming to forget that Eddie Murphy had a pop career throughout the 80s. Eddie Murphy dabbled in pop music while still on the heels of his successful movie career.
Just a year after Murphy starred in the comedy classic Beverly Hills Cop, he released How Could It Be, which featured his mega hit Party All the Time, written and produced by the iconic Rick James. Since then, Murphy has released two more albums and even landed a feature film from pop legend Michael Jackson.
3. Jada Pinkett Smith
Jada Pinkett Smith is a great actress and musician. Here is Bleed All Over Me, a single from his band Wicked Evolution (formerly Wicked Wisdom).
Of course, you might know Jada Pinkett Smith for her roles in movies like Disable it and The matrix movies, but did you know that she is also the lead singer and songwriter of a metal band? Yes, that band is called Wicked Evolution, and they’ve been around since 2002. At some point, Jada took a break to focus on her music career, and the payoff was that Smith lived out her rock star dreams under the stage name Jada. Koren.
Originally named Wicked Wisdom, the band played mostly venues in Los Angeles and toured with legendary rock bands including Papa Roach and Sevendust. Their heavy metal sound caught the eye of Sharon Osbourne, who personally invited them to perform at Ozzfest in 2005 after seeing them perform only once.
2. Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx is a great actor and musician. Here is Blame It, an excerpt from his album Intuition
Jamie Foxx’s musical talent is undeniable. Since her R&B debut in 1994, Foxx has released five studio albums. the Any Sunday The actor got into music when he was just a kid. This talent earned him admission to the US International University in San Diego on a full scholarship! Finding success with comedy and theater never slowed Jamie’s love for music; he successfully incorporated music into both his stand-up comedy (Foxx often sang and played piano during his sets) and his film roles (Anne, Rio, dream girls, Rayand The Soul of Disney).
Along with being an Oscar-winning actor, Foxx is also a Grammy-winning singer, making him the 4th actor in history to do so.
1. Donald Glover
Donald Glover is a great actor and musician. Here is The Worst Guys, an excerpt from his album Because The Internet
At this point, what can’t Donald Glover do? Besides being an accomplished comedian, writer, director and producer of popular sitcoms like Community and Atlanta, actor Donald Glover is also a talented musician. We’ve seen him flex his music chops in movies like The Lion King and guava island. Yet Glover is actually an award-winning artist under the alias Childish Gambino outside of the TV and film industry.
Glover has released several studio albums, mixtapes and EPs, most of which he performed under the name mc DJ (which inspired the name of his label Mc DJ Recording). As a Childish Gambino rapper, Glover created triple-platinum hits and Grammy-winning charts like Redbone and This Is America; something hard enough to do as a musician, let alone juggle six other jobs.
Which other actors are also great musicians? Let us know in the comments.