The Incredible Rise of Zendaya

Give me a break! That scary one-eyed pigeon was on the fire escape again! Let's go! Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at the rise of Zendaya. I'm just a regular kid. Whatever happened to thriving off controversy? Come on, don't go soft on me, Fitz. From Disney star to household name, she's one of the most talked about and respected actors of her generation. So without further ado, let's go back to where it all began. Zendaya Marie Stormer Coleman was born in Oakland, California on September 1, 1996. Her first name is a variation on Tendai or Tendaisha, a term that in the Shona language means to give thanks. Her father, Kazembe Ajamu, is African American, while her mother's roots can be traced back to Scotland and Germany. Both are educators, a fact that Zendaya is very proud of, calling them, quote, two of the most selfless people in the world. Zendaya also has five half-siblings, all of whom are older. As such, despite being the only child her parents had together, her family is actually quite large. In addition to teaching, Zendaya's mother also worked as the house manager at the California Shakespeare Theater. Here, Zendaya joined the student conservatory program and soon began appearing in school productions. A multi-talented kid, Zendaya joined a dance group when she was just eight years old. Though she might not have known it at the time, dancing would play a role in helping her to get a foot in the door of the entertainment industry. Before truly breaking into the business, however, she racked up an impressive acting resume during her time at the Oakland School for the Arts. After doing some modeling and acting in a Nickelodeon toy commercial, Zendaya used her fancy footwork to land a spot as a backup dancer in a Sears commercial, being led by an established teen star, Selena Gomez. Add to that her featured performer role in the Kids Bop music video for Hot N Cold, and Zendaya was building quite the resume. Armed with this experience, Zendaya took a shot at the big league in 2009 when she auditioned for Shake It Up, a then-upcoming Disney Channel series. She was ultimately cast as Rocky Blue, and just like that, her life was changed forever. The Shake It Up premiere was one of Disney's biggest to date. Zendaya went from a relative unknown to a child celebrity and tween idol. Dance-driven and the channel's first female-led buddy series, Shake It Up gave Zendaya ample opportunity to showcase her talents. She was nominated for both a Young Artist Award and an NAACP Image Award. In keeping with the Disney Channel star playbook, Zendaya soon began venturing into music. In 2011, she dropped her first single, Swag It Out, before signing to the Disney label Hollywood Records the next year. Instantly recognizable for child and tween audiences, Zendaya's Shake It Up look inspired a line of... And Zendaya earned herself a producer credit at the age of just 16 years old. The show ran for three seasons, ending in 2018. I love you so much. I love you more. Challenging studio executives is a bold move, but Zendaya has never been one to play by the rules, and that's a big part of her appeal. Throughout her career, Zendaya hasn't been shy about firing back at her critics. She stands up for what she believes in, and is especially outspoken about cyberbullying. I feel like that's what a girl should do when you see someone else being like, I guess, bullied or whatever for no reason, and you feel strongly about it, then you handle it, you know what I mean? And you do it in a way that doesn't hurt anybody's feelings, you know, doesn't make anybody upset. As Tyra Banks once said, And she's blowing everyone away with that. What other celebrity uses their 18th birthday to raise money to feed schoolchildren? We want to provide food, safe water, and hope to kids at three schools in Haiti, Tanzania, and the Philippines. At 19, the hairstyle Zendaya wore to the 2015 Oscars inspired Juliana Rancic of E!'s Fashion Police to make some very offensive remarks. She's such a tiny frame that this hair, to me, overwhelms her. Like, I feel like she smells like patchouli oil. Or weed. Rather than wilt under the criticism, the young star called out Rancic's comments in a way that was mature, eloquent, and tied the bullying into larger issues of representation and racism in the media. Honestly, I didn't know what people were going to say to it. I just wanted that young kid out there who maybe is getting teased about whatever to know that they have a voice and they can stand up for themselves, and it's not okay to just say whatever. Countless stars rallied behind her, and Rancic issued an apology. I want to say to Zendaya and anyone else out there that I have hurt that I am so, so sincerely sorry. It's this sort of thoughtfulness, paired with her refusal to back down in the face of discrimination or injustice, that makes Zendaya such a uniquely inspiring young star. I just like to see positive things and positive reinforcement. So, you know, like I wanted this to be a positive experience, people to learn from it, people to grow from it, and that's all that I hope is their show is able to learn and grow and hopefully positive, be more positive. We don't doubt that Zendaya has the usual team working in her corner, but it's clear that she's at the helm of her own career. Her integrity is unquestionable. She actually fired one publicist for racially insensitive remarks. A perfect example of the agency she exerts over her career is her choosing to put music on the back burner. Disney stars often wind up prioritizing music over acting as they age out of the Disney Channel, but when her music career stopped making her happy, she stopped doing it. Based on her acting resume, it's clear that Zendaya can make it just fine without having to churn out hit singles. Spider-Man Homecoming actually marked her big screen debut. We know, hard to believe considering she was already such a big star in 2017. Her performance earned her praise as a quote, Probably stop staring before it gets creepy though. Too late, you guys are losers. But then why do you sit with us? Because I don't have any friends. That same year, she appeared in The Greatest Showman. It drew a mixed response from critics, but her performance proved a highlight, especially her duet with Zac Efron. Dating back to her days on the Disney Channel, Zendaya's fashion sense has always made her stand out. In her late teens and early 20s however, she's blossomed into a full-blown fashion icon. Whether she's posing on the red carpet or walking her adorable dog, Zendaya never fails to inspire with her outfit choices, glamorous and casual alike. Vogue labeled her 2015's Academy Awards breakout style star. As Constance Grady wrote for Vox in 2019, Zendaya uses quote, As much as we loved Zendaya in the Spider-Man films and The Greatest Showman, the most powerful showcase of her acting talent to date is in the HBO series Euphoria. A tale of sex, drugs and self-discovery, the show centers on a group of high school students and holds nothing back. Zendaya shines especially bright as Rue, a recovering addict and Euphoria's central protagonist. The performance earned Zendaya a People's Choice Award, a Satellite Award and a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Outstanding is certainly the word for it. Zendaya is on top of the world right now. With roles in high-profile upcoming films like Dune, Finest Kind and Malcolm & Marie however, it would seem that Zendaya's star is still on the rise. On top of everything else, she's set to collaborate with Reese Witherspoon to produce and star in A White Lie, a film about the first African-American woman to graduate from Vassar College. Between fashion, singing, acting and activism, there's seemingly nothing Zendaya can't do. And we can't wait to see what this inspiring young star does next. Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms Mojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.