These child stars showed off their singing chops. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the moments we discovered that actors we’ve been watching since they were practically knee-high could actually sing.
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00:00You're it, let it all come in, it's all or nothing, I'm sure of it
00:06Welcome to MsMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the moments we've discovered that
00:11actors we've been watching since they were practically knee-high could actually sing.
00:15How can we free rock stars, say that the world can be ours?
00:24Number 10. Taylor Momsen
00:26How the Grinch Stole Christmas Today when you hear the name
00:30Taylor Momsen, you might think of Gossip Girl. Or perhaps you've rocked out to the band The Pretty
00:35Reckless, where she's the lead singer. They've released multiple albums and EPs.
00:47Did you know we first heard her sing in her debut movie role as Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole
00:52Christmas? In a sweet and touching scene, young Cindy Lou wonders why she's not feeling
00:57the festive spirit like everyone else. She sings Where Are You Christmas,
01:15a song you may not know was co-written by Mariah Carey. While it doesn't fully showcase
01:20Momsen's vocal talents, it's pretty darn adorable.
01:37Number 9. Gaten Matarazzo
01:39Dear Evan Hansen, this actor is probably best known for playing Dustin Henderson in Netflix's
01:45Stranger Things. You might remember his duet with Susie, played by Gabriela Pizzolo,
01:50in the season 3 episode The Battle of Starcourt. But did you know that before he ever entered the
02:03Upside Down, he was already a Broadway star? He debuted in Priscilla Queen of the Desert in 2011
02:09and later appeared in Les Miserables and Into the Woods. For many of us,
02:17it was his return to Broadway in Dear Evan Hansen that made us realize, wow, this kid can sing.
02:33He has since starred in Parade and Sweeney Todd, and we can't wait to hear more from him.
02:38Sincerely, Us
02:49Number 8. Sarah Hyland, Modern Family
02:53If you've watched the 1999 TV movie adaptation of Annie,
02:57that might be the first time you heard this child actress sing.
03:08She's had a pretty impressive career since then, and has even covered some popular tracks.
03:26Many of us were reintroduced to her as the teenaged Hayley Dunphy in Modern Family.
03:31Hayley might not have been the smartest or most responsible Dunphy child,
03:36but boy can she sing. We hear her impressive talents in the Season 5 episode The Late Show,
03:42where a chaotic night for the adults turns into a joyous sing-along for the kids. Honestly,
03:47for a fun bit chucked into a sitcom episode, it's far better than it has any right to be.
03:53Number 7. Miranda Cosgrove, iCarly
04:07We first heard Miranda Cosgrove sing in School of Rock, and well, it was memorable for sure.
04:14But that's not the moment we're talking about today. Many of us followed her career from Drake
04:27and Josh to iCarly, where we realized her bad singing in the movie was just an act.
04:32In actuality, Cosgrove has a fantastic voice.
04:44She released Leave It All to Me as a single, marking her music debut.
04:56Her first album, Sparks Fly, dropped in 2010, followed by the EP High Maintenance,
05:02featuring Dancing Crazy, a song co-penned by Avril Lavigne. Though her music career didn't
05:07take off, the iCarly reboot gave us another nostalgic spin on the iconic theme track.
05:14Number 6. Mayim Bialik, The Arsenio Hall Show
05:27True or false, Mayim Bialik can be heard singing in the 1988 dramedy, Beaches.
05:33False. Although Bialik had the perfect look to play a young Bette Midler,
05:47she didn't quite have the right sound. However, she can definitely belt with the best of them.
05:53So, when TV host Arsenio Hall asked to hear her sing, she obliged, and wow can she carry a tune.
06:03Today, audiences know Bialik best as Blossom or Amy from The Big Bang Theory,
06:14where we occasionally hear her sing as well. For those curious to listen to her sing today,
06:19her YouTube channel tends to be the place to experience it in all its glory.
06:24Number 5. Daniel Radcliffe, 65th Tony Awards
06:34Growing up, we knew him as the boy who lived, the chosen one, and even Scarhead.
06:43But in 2011, he took on a new role, the boy who could really sing.
06:53He showcased his musical talents as J. Pierpont Finch in the Broadway revival of How to Succeed
07:04in Business Without Really Trying. Perhaps you were lucky enough to catch his run,
07:08but most of us first heard him at the 65th Tony Awards,
07:12where he led the ensemble in a spirited performance of Brotherhood of Man.
07:24Who knew Harry Potter had such pipes? Does the Accio spell work on dropped jaws?
07:40In 2024, he won his first Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical
07:45as Charlie Kringis in Merrily We Roll Along.
07:48Number 4. Lindsay Lohan, Freaky Friday
07:52Lilo has been a fixture on our screens practically since she was a tot,
07:56but she made her big screen debut in the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap.
08:00Surprisingly, many of us didn't hear her sing until she played
08:03Anna Coleman in the 2003 remake of Freaky Friday.
08:07While Take Me Away is catchy, Lohan's vocal talent comes to the forefront
08:11during her mom's wedding scene at the end, where she sings lead on Ultimate.
08:18The song was also used for promotional purposes.
08:38Anyway, she continued to showcase her musical talents in films like Mean Girls
08:43and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.
08:45Beyond acting, Lilo ventured into music, releasing two albums and numerous singles.
08:59Number 3. Selena Gomez, Barney & Friends
09:03These days, Selena Gomez is known as a versatile artist.
09:06However, she started showing off her singing chops early on in Barney & Friends,
09:11where she starred alongside fellow future Disney star Demi Lovato.
09:15After outgrowing the show, Gomez became a part of the Disney Channel family
09:29with roles in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Hannah Montana.
09:33Soon after, she got her own show, Wizards of Waverly Place,
09:37where she played the feisty Alex Russo and even sang the show's theme song.
09:46While she never completely left acting behind, Gomez shifted her focus to music,
09:54dropping hits like Love You Like a Love Song, Same Old Love and Lose You to Love Me.
10:08Number 2. Zendaya, The Greatest Showman
10:11If you were a part of the Shake It Up Disney Channel generation,
10:14you probably knew Zendaya could sing.
10:24For the rest of us, she was the girl who definitely should've won Dancing with the Stars.
10:29Then in 2017, she blew us all away in the movie musical The Greatest Showman.
10:45Sure, we knew she could dance, but who knew she had such an incredible voice too?
10:50Zendaya shines in the love duet Rewrite the Stars alongside Zac Efron.
10:55She hits some impressive notes that showcase her vocal range and power.
11:07But what's even more incredible is that she did many of her own stunts too.
11:11Talk about The Greatest Showwoman.
11:22Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:26Michael Cera, Juno
11:28We first learned of this actor's musical prowess when he sang Anyone Else But You with his Juno
11:33co-star.
11:46Macaulay Culkin, The Pizza Underground
11:49When did you first find out the Home Alone actor was part of a pizza-themed parody band?
11:54How much pizza must she eat?
12:02Hailee Steinfeld, Pitch Perfect 2
12:05From one of the youngest Oscar nominees ever to a Pitch Perfect star.
12:20Neil Patrick Harris, Dr. Horrible's sing-along blog
12:23Before Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit and Hedwig and the Angry Inch,
12:27NPH impressed his singing chops as Dr. Horrible.
12:44Hilary Duff, The Lizzie McGuire Movie
12:46While not her first foray into music, it's perhaps the moment that many of us learned
12:51that her vocal talents are what dreams are made of.
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13:28Shirley Temple became a huge star in Hollywood during the Great Depression.
13:33People loved her for her charming singing and dancing and adorable personality.
13:37She was discovered by songwriter Jay Gourney when she was very young
13:41and got her big break in the 1934 movie musical Stand Up and Cheer.
13:48This launched her career as an all-singing, all-dancing sensation,
14:00quickly becoming Hollywood's darling.
14:08Temple continued to showcase her triple-threat talents in films like Baby Take a Bow and
14:13Bright Eyes. The latter was specifically crafted with her in mind. It also featured
14:17the song that defined Temple in popular memory. In 1935, she was honored with a special juvenile
14:32Oscar. Which child actor were you surprised to learn could sing? Share it with us in the comments.
14:38Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo
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