Clay Enos/Warner Bros. Entertainment
Bradley Cooper’s musical chops are the talk of the town after his performance as grizzled rock star Jackson Maine in “A Star Is Born.” He’s not the first actor to achieve mainstream musical success.
From Jeremy Renner’s EDM collaboration to Jason Segel’s Oscar-winning song, here are 17 actors that have added successful musician to their resume.
When the song “Shallow” from “A Star Is Born” was first dropped in September 2018, everyone was pleasantly surprised by Bradley Cooper’s singing. But when the entire movie was released the next month, audiences were blown away – Cooper truly holds his own against the classically trained mega-pop star Lady Gaga. It shows that he spent months learning the craft.
Cooper’s multiple nominations for “A Star Is Born,” while very deserved, aren’t a total anomaly. There are plenty of actors who have ventured into the music industry. While not all of them are total hits, a fair few could probably make the switch completely and have a healthy singing career.[/nextpage][nextpage]
Jennifer Lawrence had a top 20 hit with “Hanging Tree” from “The Hunger Games.”
Though Lawrence claims to hate singing, she clearly has a knack for it. The eerie ballad “The Hanging Tree” played an important part in “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1,” and audiences loved it.
The song was released as a single, and reached 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, and 10 on the Top 40 – and was eventually certified platinum. Critics also praised the song, as well as Lawrence’s performance. The Washington Post wrote that she “sounds good on the track with her raspy voice matching the dark narrative and Appalachian style of the music.”[/nextpage][nextpage]
Idris Elba has a thriving DJ career, and is even performing at Coachella in 2019.
Elba, also known by his DJ name DJ Big Driis, has always been involved in the music scene, though in a low-key manner. He started experimenting with music back in the ’80s before focusing on acting in the ’90s and beyond.
He was featured on the 2016 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis album “This Unruly Mess I’ve Made,” rapping on the song “Dance Off,” which he also co-wrote.
Even though he hasn’t been hiding his music career, people were still surprised to find him on the 2019 Coachella lineup.
Per the Hollywood Reporter, he’s performed at Glastonbury, had a set at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding reception, and has released multiple EPs since 2006, when his first one came out.[/nextpage][nextpage]
Anne Hathaway has appeared on five movie soundtracks, including the Grammy-nominated soundtrack for “Les Misérables.”
Hathaway has appeared on the soundtracks of “Les Misérables,” “Ella Enchanted,” “Hoodwinked,” “Rio,” and “Rio 2.”
The albums for “Rio” and its sequel hit numbers 11 and four on the Billboard Soundtracks chart. The soundtrack for “Les Mis” hit the top spot on both the Billboard 200, and the Billboard Soundtracks charts.
Hathaway’s showstopping performance as Fantine won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, and her big song “I Dreamed a Dream” peaked at 69 on the US charts.[/nextpage][nextpage]
Gwyneth Paltrow has multiple hits from her time on “Glee.”
Paltrow’s version of “Forget You,” her debut musical performance on “Glee,” remains the second best-selling song in “Glee” history, with over 780,000 downloads. It also peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Paltrow also appeared on “Glee’s” version of “Landslide,” which Vulture ranked 35th on its list of the 50 best “Glee” performances of all time.
Additionally, it inspired thousands of youths across the country to check out the original version by Fleetwood Mac, and the 2002 cover version by the Dixie Chicks. Both versions re-entered the charts after the episode aired in 2011, 36 years after the original was released.
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