Professional Fangirl- Katelyn Benschoter

As someone who grew up watching Disney Channel shows like Girl Meets World and Bizaardvark, it has been fascinating to turn on the radio and hear girls who starred in those shows dominate the pop charts. This, of course, is not a new thing, as singers such as Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and Miley Cyrus all got their start on Disney Channel. But it is interesting that as time moves on, the trend continues. Even as someone who actively watched all of the Disney Channel shows, I sometimes forget just how many of the current pop girls dominating the charts were once actresses on my favorite shows. One of the biggest pop stars right now, Sabrina Carpenter got her start to fame all the way back on Disney Channel. She has now become the epitome of a pop star and headlined Coachella this past weekend. So, just what is the pipeline from Disney Channel actress to pop sensation?

Disney Channel has a reputation for being sweet, PG, and something catered towards children. Therefore, there is a certain aesthetic that comes with being on Disney Channel. In the early 2000s, stars like Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez seemed to both find musical success utilizing their Disney Channel fame and staying true to who Disney wanted them to be. They both maintained a very sweet “girl next door” aesthetic that appealed to their fans from Disney Channel. And this found them success for a while, but it does not stick forever. The sweet innocent girl aesthetic became unrealistic and simply not true anymore. Not that these women were necessarily the polar opposite of that, but they were becoming adults. It was strange for them to be acting like the high schoolers they were playing on television. It was simply inauthentic. But at the same time, that is what people seemed to expect from them. The actresses who got their start on Disney Channel find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place. If they stick to their girl-next-door roots, it gets boring, but if they break out of that at all, it is received poorly. 

I think for many people, the first thing they envision when they think of a Disney star transitioning to a pop star, is Miley Cyrus. She was the epitome of the all-American good girl, playing a country girl with big dreams, and she maintained this aesthetic for a while. But in 2013, when Cyrus released “Wrecking Ball,” everything changed. She was suddenly deemed out of control and wild. And people were especially appalled that none other than the beloved Hannah Montana was doing this. Disney Channel stars have a very unique experience because they are given this incredible opportunity to be on a show that almost serves as a gateway into the music industry. Yet, the music industry is not always very accepting of these people, as previously stated. I think one of the most interesting trajectories to follow is Sabrina Carpenter’s. She may be one of the biggest stars now, but it took a long time to get here.

In 2014, a spinoff of the show Boy Meets World aired, called Girl Meets World, starring Rowan Blanchard and Sabrina Carpenter. This was a beloved show with a focus on the importance of friendship. It was then, in April of 2014, that Carpenter released her debut album Eyes Wide Open. This album is home to songs such as “Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying” and “The Middle of Starting Over.” Between this album and the present day, Carpenter has released seven studio albums, yet most listeners of Sabrina only know her for her recent albums, such as the 2024 album Short N’ Sweet and 2025’s Man’s Best Friend. But Carpenter has been trying to break out into the music scene for years. My hypothesis on why it has taken her as long as it has to become a full-fledged pop star is because of her Disney Channel roots. A lot of her earlier music very much aligns with the Disney Channel sound: sweet, soft, and very girl-next-door coded. Pop listeners are not looking for that anymore. It was when Carpenter began to break out to her own sound, and found a sound that was not as aligned with Disney Channel, that her career started to progress again. It really is interesting that the very thing that made these women famous is what seems to be holding them back later in their careers. It seems that Disney gives these women the boost to become famous, but then, in order to truly become famous, the world needs to no longer associate them with being a Disney actress. That seems to be the Disney to pop icon pipeline.

Carpenter may be the best representation of this pipeline, but there is one star who broke away from this model and jumped right into the music field much quicker. That would be none other than Olivia Rodrigo. Rodrigo was known for her work on the show Bizaardvark and High School Musical, The Musical, The Series. She was able to display her singing talents in both of those roles. When Rodrigo entered the music scene, she decided to not take any time to make Disney Channel music; she came onto the music scene unapologetically herself. She came out with a very angsty, Avril Lavigne sound that was very different from her characters on Disney Channel. And even after her debut single, people knew she was a star. In music, now more than ever, audiences are craving authenticity. Music just is better when it feels authentic to the person singing it. Especially in the world of AI and automation on the rise. Therefore, I think this was the key to Rodrigo’s instant success: her authenticity. 

The pipeline from Disney Channel actress to pop star is strong, which does make a lot of sense. The people who watch these actresses on TV grow up a few years later and are listening to pop music. It makes sense that the audiences would correlate. But it seems that the very thing that gave these actresses their star is the thing slowing down their music careers. Time has shown that there is no right way to break away from the Disney Channel persona, as people will always be there to judge. But Olivia Rodrigo has shown that the best way to break into the music industry is through authenticity, and I think that is something that can help us all.