Though it certainly helps, being a musician is more than just having a pretty face. Many actors have tried their hand at making music and some have even made it into a serious career such as Drake, Jared Leto, Miley Cyrus, and more. But as with many career crossovers results may vary. Though the folks on this list are successful actors and actresses, we can’t really say the same about their music careers. What’s your verdict?
1. Kim Kardashian
As if the Ray Jay tape wasn’t enough to catapult her to fame, Kim Kardashian needed to release music as well. Her single, “Jam (Turn It Up)” was released in 2011 and sounds like a generic club banger of the era. It’s also no surprise that the focus of the video is well…Kim’s body and behind. In an interview with the HuffPost, Kardashian regretted her musical escapade, saying “What gave me the right to think I could be a singer? Like, I don’t have a good voice.”
2. Paris Hilton
Many people have polarizing opinions on Paris Hilton’s ditzy, diva act but we have to admit that her 2006 song “Stars Are Blind” is a solid pop number. Unlike, Kim K., The Simple Life star can actually hold a note while some verses even suggests Kylie Minogue. Did this ensure her singing career? No, but it hasn’t stopped Hilton’s status as a socialite icon.
3. Tyra Banks
She’s a former super model, actress, dance instructor, TV host, and now singer? When her song “Shake Your Body” dropped in 2004, pop culture queen Tyra Banks was busy trying to do it all. When the single was released it was considered a flop, but now almost 20 years after its release it honestly sounds at home with other 2K era R&B hits. But unlike the rest of her titles, “Tyra Banks the pop star” never quite took off. Also fun fact, but Tyra has four albums under name. We can’t fault her for trying!
4. David Hasselhoff
We can guarantee that David Hasselhoff’s music sounds 100% like you would imagine; red blooded rock choruses, 80s synths, leather jackets, and fast women. Though this song was released in 2015 for the film Kung Fury, it rips like an outtake of the Top Gun soundtrack from 1986. The former Bay Watch star never made it as a singer here in the States but in Germany, the man is a star with 18 studio albums under his belt! For the unaware, Hasselhoff became an icon in Berlin for performing his hit song “Looking for Freedom” as the walls came down.
5. Drake Bell
You may remember him as Totally Kyle from Nickelodeon’s The Amanda Show, but in Mexico he’s Drake Campos the pop star. On his 2020 single, “Diosa” Bell croons over a Latin-flavored beat and Spanish guitars. It’s a far cry from his onscreen performances back in the U.S., but in Mexico he’s a hit. Bell also has charges for child endangerment and is currently serving two years probation so maybe that’s why he made the career change. ¿Quién sabe?
6. Russel Crowe
Before we knew him as Russel Crowe the actor he was Russ le Roq, the New Zealand country act. Yep. The music was happy, lovey-dovey countryish soft-rock ballads that were acceptable but not exactly chart toppers. Crowe gave up the music and turned to acting but maybe the singing stint came in handy; he certainly carried a tune singing the lead role in 2012’s Les Miserables.
7. Lindsay Lohan
Its no secret that Lindsay Lohan has had a tumultuous career. Between the acting, paparazzi, and struggles with addiction, Lohan tried her hand at music with her hit album Speak. Though her record performed well on the Billboard Hot 100, critics gave it mixed reviews. Looking back, Speak has quite the resemblance to teen pop balladry of Brittney Spears and Avril Lavigne. Her second and last record, A Little More Personal (Raw) failed to meet the success of her debut and charted mildly.
8. Scarlett Johannson
Scarlett Johannson has proven that she can sing in movies before, so fans had high hopes for her 2008 debut, Anywhere I Lay My Head. The Tom Waits-heavy record had some nice indie and folk-inspired leanings. Critics called her performance average while her album charted modestly, but that didn’t stop her from releasing another record and a string of EPs. Though Johannson still dabbles with music to this day it’s apparent that she will continue to stick to acting for a living.
9. Tom Hardy
Long before he was Bane in The Dark Knight Rises or another masked tough guy in Mad Max: Fury Road, Tom Hardy tried his hand at rapping back in 1999. Yep, its all real! The actor confirmed that the tape, Tommy Too Tall, is in fact his and you can listen to it on Bandcamp. But we have to be honest, Tommy has some bars on this track, “No Love No Life.” In it, the young Hardy raps over a grimy boom bap beat and riffs on the ailments of a broken society. Though his hip-hop career never took off, Hardy did have some serious songwriting chops (unlike most of the folks on this list).
10. Heidi Montag
You guys remember Heidi Montag? Yeah me neither. Once the queen of reality TV, Montag tried her hand at just about anything to stay in the limelight; her aptly named album, Superficial was just one of those attempts. The lead single of the same name, bops like other pop music of the era but failed to stand out from the crowd. The album flopped and Montag failed to earn back any of the money she put into recording it. The damage was to the tune of about $2 million. Ouch.
11. Vin Diesel
The tough guy from all those Fast and Furious movies has a soft side after all when it comes to music. Though his dance-y, tropical house-flavored song “Feel Like I Do” won’t be playing at any clubs soon, it does have a feel-good vibe to it. If it’s one thing, the guy sounds like he’s at least having a lot of fun in the studio. In interviews, the actor said he was encouraged by his late friend Paul Walker to make music.
