Olivia Rodrigo broke the traditional Disney star making machine

Have you heard of “High School Musical”? Whether you are a teen, adult, child,or an adult with a child, you have heard of the hit Disney Channel Movie. But have you heard of “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series”? And did you know it starred the now seven-time Grammy nominee Olivia Rodrigo? Who also co-starred as Paige Olvera  in a separate Disney Channel series called “Bizaardvark”? This series was known for starring Jake Paul. While Jake Paul has been making a name for himself in the internet and sports world, the star has not been a breakout star from the Disney network. After Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and Miley Cyrus left the Disney Channel, has the network produced any breakout stars?

Does Disney need music for its stars to succeed?

I’ll be honest with you, I have not watched the music channel in years. But I am a pop culture fan. I keep up with anything that catches my attention. Because of that, I have watched “K.C. Undercover”.  The series follows K.C. Cooper, portrayed by Zendaya, who stars as a high school math genius, who finds out her parents are secretly undercover spies and gets recruited by them. This was monumental as five years earlier in 2010 she had stared in “Shake it Up”, a talent show that involved music and dancing.  “K.C. Undercover”, which premiered in 2015 involved neither of the two traits.  While “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” is still airing, it premiered in 2019 with no breakout success similar to the original film. Therefore, it brings us back to the original question. Does Disney need for its star to be musical gifted or for its stars or shows to have music for the actors to become Hollywood stars? Olivia Rodrigo breaks the formula.

Zendaya is a Primetime Emmy Award winner but the music Zendaya made was not met with success similar to Olivia or even Demi Lovato or Miley Cyrus. Zendaya has always centered her career around being an actress. She also said she would come back to the Disney channel contingent upon staring in a role with a character with no creative talent. Even with only one album under her belt, she still managed to get her Primetime Emmy Award and become a respected actress.

Therefore, Olivia Rodrigo is the breakout Disney star that broke the Disney mold. Not only is she the star that came after many years without a breakout Disney star, but she is the star that did not have a show crafted around her or a Disney Channel Orginal Movie made for her. She simply adapted and had the talent. That was what made her excel.

And the way she broke out was by using the recognition she got from Disney by getting her original music heard. But unlike Zendaya, Olivia’s original debut on the network did not scream music like Miley in “Hannah Montana”, or Demi Lovato in “Camp Rock”.

The stars that came before her were rotated in movies, music singles, and television shows. Olivia Rodrigo found her way to success by just being Olivia Rodrigo. That proved to be more than enough.