Top 10 Teen Drama Stars Who Are Surprisingly Good Singers

Steve Harrington is full of surprises. Initially coming off as an antagonist teenager with luxurious hair, Steve eventually emerges as an unlikely hero and babysitter. Joe Keery also has a few surprises up his sleeve, namely his music background. While we heard Steve dabble in “Old Time Rock & Roll,” Keery’s musical range stretches far beyond that sample. Two years before “Stranger Things” debuted, Keery joined the psychedelic rock band Post Animal. Serving as a guitarist, drummer, and vocalist, Keery remained with the Chicago-based band until 2019. That same year, he went solo with his single “Roddy” and album “Twenty Twenty,” released under the name Djo. Keery’s music is best described as “Cool Cool Cool,” which was fittingly an early stage name of his.

We all know that Zendaya can sing, but Alexa Demie has been holding out on us on “Euphoria.” Playing Maddy Perez, Demie has demonstrated her physicality as a cheerleader and somebody you wouldn’t want to pick a fight with. Several years before “Euphoria,” Demie was rocking alongside Azealia Banks in the “ATM Jam” music video. While popping up in other music videos like JMSN’s “Slide,” she also took center stage with her debut single, “Girl Like Me.” Demie originally intended to prioritize singing, but acting became her main focus upon receiving the “Euphoria” script. Although Maddy would be her breakthrough role, Demie remains active in the music scene. She’s gotten behind the camera, directing two JMSN music videos, in addition to releasing “Leopard Limo (Archive LL11).”

Music always played a significant role on “One Tree Hill,” but several cast members snuck up on us with their musical chops. Jana Kramer wouldn’t launch her music career until 2012, but she already got her feet wet with Alex Dupre singing “Won’t Give Up” and “Whiskey.” Bethany Joy Lenz, best known for playing Haley James Scott, has perhaps enjoyed the most musical success. Before “OTH,” she honed her skills as a guitarist, pianist, singer, and songwriter. In “OTH” Season 2, Lenz and Tyler Hilton performed “When the Stars Go Blue,” leading to them teaming up with The Wreckers in real life. Outside of the series, Lenz has released singles, albums, and even wrote/produced a musical adaptation of “The Notebook.”

Brian Austin Green solidified his status as a teen idol as David Silver on the long-running “Beverly Hills, 90210.” After seeing David bust a move at the spring dance in Season 1, it was evident that music was inside Green. However, it wasn’t until Season 3 that Green really got to showcase his musical prowess, singing songs like “Switch It Up,” “Precious,” and “Be My Love.” David’s musical aspirations would drive multiple storylines with “Keep It Together” being something of a breakthrough. By that point in the series, Green had already released his sole studio album, “One Stop Carnival.” While that pop-rap album wasn’t especially well-received, Green would get back into music as the Giraffe and a panelist on “The Masked Singer.”

Nowadays, Kristen Bell’s angelic voice is no secret thanks to musical juggernauts like “Frozen.” Maybe you even caught some of her live-action films like “Burlesque” and “Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical.” When she broke out as a leading lady in “Veronica Mars,” though, most viewers weren’t aware of Bell’s musical background. Growing up, Bell starred in school productions of “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Lady, Be Good,” and “The Wizard Oz,” playing Dorothy in the latter. She’d go on to study musical theater at New York University before making her Broadway debut in “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” As Veronica, Bell demonstrated her singing savviness with songs like “One Way or Another” and “Bad Day.” However, it’s a crime that Veronica didn’t get to sing more.

Back in 2003 when “American Idol” was at the peak of its popularity, Fox tried out a spinoff called “American Juniors.” Shifting the focus to young kids, the show spawned a five-person group that only released one album. Most people forgot Lucy Hale was a member of this short-lived group by the time “Pretty Little Liars” came along. So, it was a pleasant surprise discovering Aria Montgomery’s vocal range in Season 1. Hale signed with Hollywood Records a couple of years later, releasing her debut solo album, “Road Between.” Hale’s voice got to shine like never before in “A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song.” She may be best-known for acting, but Hale has called music her “first love.”

Before playing country singer Will Lexington on “Nashville,” Chris Carmack was “welcoming” Ryan Atwood to the O.C. However, it was Ryan’s father figure, Sandy Cohen, who surprised us the most with his musical expertise. Amid the show’s run, actor Peter Gallagher released the album “7 Days in Memphis.” Among the album’s songs was his cover of “Don’t Give Up On Me,” which would be worked into a Season 2 episode. Sandy dedicates the song to his wife Kirsten. On that note, actress Kelly Rowan would appear in the music video for Gallagher’s “Still I Long For Your Kiss.” Since “The O.C.” ended, Gallagher has revisited music in “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” where singing provides an unlikely link between a daughter and her dying father.

Known for playing Cindy Lou Who and of course Jenny Humphrey on “Gossip Girl,” Taylor Momsen decided to leave acting to prioritize music. Meanwhile, fellow “Gossip Girl” star Leighton Meester has balanced acting and music throughout her career. Singing wasn’t a huge part of Blair Waldorf’s life, but Meester would get to exhibit her musical skills through several other projects. Upon releasing the song “Birthday” with Awesome New Republic, Meester signed with Universal Republic. In addition to putting out singles like “Somebody to Love” and “Your Love’s a Drug,” Meester got to combine singing and acting through her role in the Gwyneth Paltrow film “Country Strong.” Meester’s most recent musical venture was her 2014 debut album “Heartstrings,” which she independently released.

Few teen drama stars have come further than Michelle Williams. Since rising to fame as Jen Lindley, Williams has demonstrated remarkable range through multiple Oscar-nominated performances. This includes her turn as Marilyn Monroe. “My Week with Marilyn” not only saw Williams get Monroe’s look and voice down, but she also sang several songs. It was only a matter of time until Williams participated in a full-fledged movie musical with “The Greatest Showman.” In a case of life mirroring art, Williams played Sally Bowles in a 2014 revival of “Cabaret.” Five years later, she won an Emmy for playing Broadway legend Gwen Verdon, who was married to “Cabaret” director Bob Fosse. Now if only we could get Williams to guest star on “Girls5eva” with Busy Philipps.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Jason Segel, “Freaks and Geeks” (1999-2000)
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Vanessa Morgan, “Riverdale” (2017-)
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Tristan Wilds, “90210” (2008-13)
The Dixon Wilson Actor Has Been Releasing Music as Mack Wilds Since 2013

Austin Butler’s spot-on portrayal of Elvis Presley is bound to go down as the role that propelled him to A-lister status. Long before singing “Hound Dog,” Butler already had several shows and movies under his belt. Butler was an established child star, appearing on “Hannah Montana,” “Zoey 101,” and “iCarly.” Ironically, his character wasn’t the best singer on the latter show. On the teen drama front, his most prominent part was as Sebastian Kydd on “The Carrie Diaries.” In this “Sex and the City” prequel, Butler played the new kid who enters an on-and-off relationship with a young Carrie Bradshaw. While things don’t work out between Carrie and Sebastian, Butler is doing just fine flying solo. Talk about a King in the making.