It's no secret that starring on the Disney Channel as a young actor certainly gives young stars an opportunity to pursue a career in both acting and music at a very early age. Plenty of former Disney Channel stars decide to dabble into music and while some have little success — others become international pop stars.
Today, we're taking a look at those former Disney Channel stars who have released music and we're ranking them according to their success. From Hillary Duff to Miley Cyrus — keep on scrolling to see just who made the cut!
10 Bella Thorne
Kicking the list off is Bella Thorne who rose to fame as CeCe Jones on the Disney Channel show Shake It Up in 2010. As expected, over the years Bella has dabbled into music however fans are still waiting for the star to release her debut studio album What Do You See Now?. So far, the public got to know Bella and her music style through her EPs Made in Japan from 2012 and Jersey from 2014.
9 Zendaya
Next on the list is Bella's Shake It Up co-star Zendaya who rose to fame as s Rocky Blue in 2010. Just like Bella, Zendaya also dabbled into music however she has decided to take a break from it. In 2013 Zendaya released her self-titled debut studio album which included her best-known hit "Replay". Considering that Zendaya hasn't released anything since and that she is focusing on her acting career she made it only to spot number nine.
8 Aly & AJ
Spot number eight goes to musical duo and sisters Aly & AJ who rose to fame in 2006 through the Disney Channel Original Movie Cow Belles.
Since their debut, Aly & AJ have released three studio albums — Into the Rush, Acoustic Hearts of Winter, and Insomniatic; two EPs — Ten Years and Sanctuary; and one compilation titled We Don't Stop. This year the duo is set to release their fourth studio album titled A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up on Your Feet Gets You Out and Then Into the Sun.
7 Vanessa Hudgens
Next on the list is former Disney Channel star Vanessa Hudgens who rose to fame for her portrayal of Gabriella Montez in the popular High School Musical franchise which premiered in 2006. It was back in the 2000s that Vanessa also decided to give a music career a shot — which is why she released her debut studio album V in 2006 and her second studio album Identified in 2008. While the actress had some success with songs like "Come Back to Me" and follow-up "Say OK", it seems as if she gave up on music ever since.
6 Ashley Tisdale
Speaking of High School Musical stars — next on the list is actress Ashley Tisdale who portrayed Sharpay Evans in the popular franchise. Just like Vanessa, Ashley also decided to pursue a career in music, and in 2007 she released her debut studio album Headstrong. Since then, the star released two more albums — Guilty Pleasure in 2009 and Symptoms in 2019. While Ashley did have a few hits like "Be Good to Me" and "He Said She Said", her music career only puts her on spot number six on today's list.
5 Hilary Duff
Spot number six on today's list goes to former Disney Channel star Hillary duff who rose to fame as the titular character in the popular show Lizzie McGuire back in 2001. Over the past two decades, Hillary has been balancing music and acting and she has released five studio albums. Hilary's debut studio album Santa Claus Lane was released in 2002 followed by Metamorphosis in 2003, Hilary Duff in 2004, Dignity in 2007, and Breathe In. Breathe Out. in 2015.
4 Demi Lovato
We're slowly getting to the part of Disney Channel stars who have impressive music careers — and kicking that part off is Demi Lovato who rose to fame as Mitchie Torres in Camp Rock back in 2008. While Demi started out as an actress, today the former Disney Channel star is mostly known as a musician.
Since her breakthrough, Demi released six studio albums — Don't Forget in 2008, Here We Go Again in 2009, Unbroken in 2011, Demi in 2013, Confident in 2015, and Tell Me You Love Me in 2017. This year, Demi is scheduled to release her seventh studio album titled Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over.
3 Selena Gomez
Opening up the top three on today's list is Selena Gomez who rose to fame in 2007 as Alex Russo on Disney Channel's popular show Wizards of Waverly Place. Just like Demi Salinas also nowadays more known as a musician than an actress and since her breakthrough, she has released three studio albums with her former band Selena Gomez & the Scene, as well as the solo studio albums — Stars Dance in 2013, Revival in 2015, and Rare in 2020.
2 The Jonas Brothers
The runner-ups on today's list are the Jonas Brothers who starred in the Disney Channel movie Camp Rock alongside Demi Lovato. Since their breakthrough, the Jonas Brothers have released studio albums five studio albums — It's About Time in 2006, Jonas Brothers in 2007, A Little Bit Longer in 2008, Lines, Vines and Trying Times in 2009, and Happiness Begins in 2019. Besides this, Nick had quite a bit of success as a solo artist while Joe Jonas released an album as part of DNCE.
1 Miley Cyrus
Wrapping the list up at spot number one is Miley Cyrus who is by far one of the most successful former Disney Channel stars when it comes to music. Miley rose to fame in 2006 as the titluar character of the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana and while she pursued acting for some time — today, Miley is mostly known for her music. Over the years the musician released seven successful studio albums — Meet Miley Cyrus in 2007, Breakout in 2008, Can't Be Tamed in 2010, Bangerz in 2013, Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz in 2015, Younger Now in 2017, and Plastic Hearts in 2020.