18 Singers Who Started Acting

1.

We all know and love Charli xcx for her iconic album brat, and many of us have been stans since her debut album came out in 2013. But she’s recently shifted her focus to acting. Of course, she guest-starred in Overcompensating (which was nothing short of iconic), and she’s also in two upcoming movies: Erupcja and Sacrifice, both of which have their world premieres at TIFF. In the latter, she stars alongside Chris Evans and Salma Hayek.

2.

J Balvin is one of the most popular Latin artists in the world, and for good reason…it’s basically impossible not to bust a move when “Mi Gente” comes on. Well, he’s making his first-ever live-action feature in Little Lorraine, alongside Sean Astin and Stephen Amell. The crime-drama movie is based on a true story, and it premieres on Sept. 5.

3.

A$AP Rocky is no stranger to the big screen, having acted in several popular movies over the last decade — like Dope (2015) and Monster (2018). But he’s arguably best-known for his music, and has been rapping professionally since 2007 (that, and being Rihanna’s baby daddy). He’ll be in the upcoming drama If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, which stars Rose Byrne.

4.

If you were alive in 2013, you knew Pharrell Williams. His song “Happy” was actually EVERYWHERE, as was “Just a Cloud Away.” But he’s also done a bunch of voice acting for movies like The Grinch (2018) and Sing 2 (2021). Plus, last year, he starred as himself in the movie Piece by Piece, which chronicles his life…through LEGO. It came out last year, and has won several awards since then.

5.

If you know me, you knew this was coming. Taylor Swift. The best singer-songwriter of all time — THE music industry — ever since her debut album came out in 2006. Well, our girl Tay has also done a ton of acting…and I’m talking about more than just her music videos. Notably, she was in CSI (2009), Valentine’s Day (2010), The Lorax (2012), The Giver (2014), Cats (2019), and Amsterdam (2022).

6.

How could I make this list without mentioning the queen herself, Lady Gaga? Of course, Gaga has been a titan of the music industry since her first album The Fame changed all our lives back in 2008. But it wasn’t until 2018 until she had her breakout role in A Star Is Born alongside Bradley Cooper. The movie won an Oscar for Best Original Song, and Gaga was nominated for Best Actress. I could cry.

7.

You could’ve predicted this from the names on this list, but I’m a massive Harry Styles fan. We all know he rose to fame in One Direction (greatest boyband of all time) in the 2010s, and we’re all aware he won Album of the Year at the Grammys in 2023 (which he absolutely deserved, and I’ll die on that hill). But Harry is also an amazing actor. His first major role was in Dunkirk (2017), but we can’t forget about My Policeman (2022) or my personal fave, Don’t Worry Darling (2022).

8.

After rising to fame through her music in the ’70s, Dolly Parton started acting in 1980 through her role in 9 to 5 — and, yes, she also wrote the song “9 To 5” for that movie. This role sold her as not just a music icon, but also an awesome actress. She went on to star in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), Steel Magnolias (1989), and much later, as Miley Cyrus’s godmother in Hannah Montana. Girl’s got RANGE.

9.

If you don’t worship Lenny Kravitz, your mom definitely does. He’s a ’90s music legend, and it’s practically impossible to not love his songs. After two full decades of focusing primarily on music, he made his breakout role in Precious (2009). Then he became extremely well-known to a totally new demographic through his role as Cinna in The Hunger Games movies. To say this transformation was shocking is an understatement.

10.

Although Justin Timberlake did start on The All New Mickey Mouse Club when he was a kid, he was really only known for music until he starred in The Social Network in 2010. Before that, everyone knew him as the NSYNC star and boyband legend, not for being a professional actor. But he went on to focus a lot more on acting, and has a prettyyy impressive resume — namely, Friends with Benefits (2011), Bad Teacher (2011), and more recently, Palmer (2021).

11.

Rihanna totally owned the ’00s and ’10s as a singer. Her 2007 album Good Girl Gone Bad will forever be a gem, a staple, and a masterpiece…as will her latest album, ANTI, which came out in 2016 (yes, that’s her latest album. Girl, come back to music!!!). After gaining success in the music industry, she started acting, and has continued ever since. Most recently, she voices Smurfette in the 2025 Smurfs movie — her biggest role yet, one might say.

12.

I bet you didn’t know Mariah Carey is also an actress. But, yes, she is! Although it seems like music has been her main focus ever since her rise to fame in the ’90s, she’s also had her fair share of acting roles. In 2000, she starred in the musical-romance Glitter, and was later in Precious (2009). Mariah is a voice actress, too, having starred in The LEGO Batman Movie, which came out in 2017. How’s that for a piece of trivia?

13.

Janelle Monáe is arguably just as well-known for acting as she is for her music, but she actually didn’t venture into Hollywood until after her third album, The Electric Lady, came out in 2013. Her first major role was in Moonlight (2016), which ended up winning Best Picture at the Oscars (yeah, *that* Oscars). She was also in Hidden Figures that same year, and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery in 2022.

14.

Arguably my favourite artist right now is Role Model, AKA Tucker Pillsbury (who I had a little bit of beef with, but we thankfully solved it). You probably know him from hits like “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” and “blind,” but his entire collection of music is *chef’s kiss*. You better keep your eyes out for him, because he’s starring in the 2027 romcom Good Sex alongside Natalie Portman and Mark Ruffalo, among other A-list actors. And something tells me it’s gonna be epic.

15.

Ice Cube rose to fame in a rap trio called C.I.A. in the ’80s before being part of N.W.A. He released his debut album, AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, in 1990. But he’s since become even more well-known for acting! He started off in the ’90s with films like Boyz n the Hood and Friday, and his latest film is the 2025 thriller War of the Worlds. But TBH, it’s his iconic role in 21 Jump Street (2012) that I quote on the daily. If you’ve seen the movie, you know exactly what part I’m talking about.

16.

This next artist needs no introduction, but I’ll give it anyway. After her first album came out in 1985, Whitney Houston quickly became a legend. Like, if you don’t know at least three of her songs, whew, that’s kinda embarrassing. Anyway, you might not know that Whitney ventured into acting in the ’90s as the lead in romance movies like The Bodyguard (1992) and Waiting to Exhale (1995). And if you’re a REAL one, you know she played the Fairy Godmother in the 1997 adaptation of Cinderella.

17.

Jon Bon Jovi had been singing for a longgg time before he started acting — even before the band Bon Jovi got together in the ’80s and released timeless hits like “Livin’ On a Prayer” and “You Give Love a Bad Name.” So really, his venture into acting was a long time coming. His first big role was in Moonlight and Valentino (1995) alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Gwyneth Paltrow, but you might also remember him in U-571 (2000) and Pay It Forward (2000). It looks like he’s shifted his focus back to music, but boy, did he kill it during his acting days.

18.

You might know Teyana Taylor as an R&B artist (whose killer fourth album, Escape Room, just came out) — or you may recognize her name from her many acting credits. Her first single “Google Me” came out in 2009, so she’s been in the industry for awhile, but she’s recently been involved in several big productions. Teyana starred in Straw earlier this year, and she’s also in One Battle After Another with none other than Leonardo DiCaprio, which comes out on Sept. 26.