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These days, it seems like being a great actor and musician go hand in hand. Many of our favorite film and tv stars have roots in music and have toured and released studio albums, much to their fans’ surprise. Stars like Will Smith and Jennifer Lopez are just two names that come to mind. Let’s look at ten more actors who are also great musicians.
10. Michael 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 king of awkward comedy has made a name for himself in the world of indie rock music. In addition to performing on the soundtracks for Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, and Juno, Michael Cera also makes music on his own. Back in his Arrested Development days, Cera secretly released an indie-folk album titled True That and has since released a single featuring 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 has brought us classics like Billy Madison and Big Daddy also likes to rock out in his spare time. In addition to writing and producing most of his films, Adam Sandler also sings and plays the guitar. Back in 1993, when Sandler was starting to make a name for himself as a comedian, he signed a recording deal with a major label. Since then, Sandler has produced several comedy albums which 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 isn’t making us laugh in movies like Kung Fu Panda and Tropic Thunder, he makes up one-half of the rock comedy duo Tenacious D. Tenacious D is a band Black formed with his friend Kyle Gass. Since its formation in 1994, Tenacious D has developed quite a following. They’ve 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 film Tenacious D In The Pick of Destiny.
Tenacious D took their rockstar dreams mainstream in the early 2000s when they signed to a major record label. Since then, the dynamic twosome has produced six studio albums over seventeen years.
7. Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Deschanel is a great actor and musician. Here is Stay Awhile, a single from her band She & Him.
It seems like Zooey Deschanel has always had an affinity for music. In addition to starring in New Girl, Our Idiot Brother, and The Happening, the actress sings, plays the ukulele, and the piano in the indie-pop duo She & Him. For a while, Zooey made music in her spare time and kept it to herself out of fear that it would attract publicity. She finally got the courage to share it with her, The Go-Getter costar, M. Ward, and shortly after, the two started a band.
She & Him have released six studio albums since their formation in 2006. They have also appeared in 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, a single from her self-titled debut album.
Zendaya is another example of an actor with roots in music. Spider-Man: No Way Home’s leading lady started off as a background dancer before getting her big start on the Disney Channel. During her stint as a Disney star, Zendaya starred in several projects in which she was a singer, dancer, and actress, including Shake It Up, Zapped, and K.C. Undercover, all of 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 has recently gone viral.
5. Zoe Kravitz
Zoe Kravitz is a great actor and musician. Here is Teardrop, a single from her band Lolawolf
Zoe Kravitz didn’t get into music to make it big in the industry. The Batman actress considers music to be a hobby and performs on stage just for the love of it. Zoe Kravitz enjoys collaborating with artists and has expressed herself in various genres, from political cabarets to hip-hop and r&b.
In 2009, while the actress was still coming up in the film industry, she fronted Elevator Fight. This six-member rock band toured with music legends like Common and The Roots. Shortly after, Kravitz created the twosome Lolawolf–a band that acted as an emotional release for Zoe when she was having difficulty filming The Road Within. Since then, Kravitz has released two studio albums, collaborated with various artists, and appeared on the soundtrack for Dope and Pretty Little Lies, two projects in which she also had starring roles.
4. Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy is a great actor and musician. Here is Party All the Time, a single 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 Dreamgirls, seeming to forget that Eddie Murphy had a pop career throughout the 80s. Eddie Murphy dabbled in pop music when he was still hot on the heels of his blockbuster movie career.
Just one year after Murphy starred in the comedic classic Beverly Hills Cop, he dropped How Could It Be, which featured his megahit Party All the Time famously written and produced by the iconic Rick James. Since then, Murphy has released two more albums and even landed a feature from pop legend Michael Jackson.
3. Jada Pinkett Smith
Jada Pinkett Smith is a great actor and musician. Here is Bleed All Over Me, a single from her band Wicked Evolution (formerly Wicked Wisdom).
Sure, you may know Jada Pinkett Smith from her roles in movies like Set It Off and The Matrix films, but did you know that she’s also the lead singer and songwriter in a metal band? Yes, this band is called Wicked Evolution, and they’ve been around since 2002. At one point, Jada took a break from acting to focus on her music career, and the payoff was Smith living out her rockstar dreams under the stage name Jada Koren.
Originally named Wicked Wisdom, the band mostly played venues in Los Angeles and has toured with legendary rock acts, including Papa Roach and Sevendust. Their heavy metal sound caught the attention of Sharon Osbourne, who personally invited them to perform at 2005’s Ozzfest after only seeing them perform once.
2. Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx is a great actor and musician. Here is Blame It, a single from his album Intuition
Jamie Foxx’s musical talent is undeniable. Since his R&B debut in 1994, Foxx has released five studio albums. The Any Given Sunday actor got into music when he was just a child. This talent earned him admission to the U.S. International University in San Diego on a full scholarship! Finding success with comedy and acting never slowed Jamie’s love of music; he’s managed to incorporate music into both his stand-up (Foxx often sang and played the piano during his sets) and in his movie roles (Annie, Rio, Dreamgirls, Ray, and Disney’s Soul).
In addition to being an Oscar-winning actor, Foxx is also a Grammy award-winning singer making him only the 4th actor in history to do so.
1. Donald Glover
Donald Glover is a great actor and musician. Here is The Worst Guys, a single from his album Because The Internet
At this point, what can’t Donald Glover do? In addition to being an accomplished comedian, writer, director, and producer on 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. Still, 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 E.P.s, most of which he produced himself under the name mc D.J. (which inspired the name of his record label Mc D.J. Recording). As rapper Childish Gambino, Glover has crafted triple-platinum hits and Grammy Award-winning chart-toppers like Redbone and This Is America; something hard enough to do as a musician, let alone juggling six other jobs.
What other actors are also great musicians? Let us know in the comments.
