Zendaya is the epitome of booked and busy. The mononymous actress has two high-profile movies currently in theaters, the blockbuster Dune: Part Two, and the buzzy new Challengers, out today. She's the fashion-forward darling of every red carpet event, and she's co-chairing next month's Met Gala. Unfortunately, all of this leaves less time for one of her early talents that put her on the map: music.
"I love music, and it's something that's been special to me," she told host Jennifer Hudson in a new interview on The Jennifer Hudson Show. "I think being in the music industry, maybe it -- it didn't kill the joy of music, but it's when you put music and business together, sometimes it cannot feel so good."
The Spider-Man actress said with "the right timing" she would consider releasing new tunes to the public. "I like creating it for myself," she said. "If there was a moment, maybe I would, ya know, put out a little something. Don't get crazy! We'll see, but maybe one day."
But even if she does go back into the studio, she's not keen on touring.
"I have bad memories of performing live when I was a kid," she told Hudson. "I can't. I can't do it. It drives me crazy. I'm too nervous. I don't want to not do good and let people down."
Zendaya got her start in music as a featured performer in a Kidz Bop video cover in 2009, and by the following year, she had a starring role on Disney's song-and-dance sitcom Shake It Up. She released a self-titled album in 2013, and its lead single, "Replay," broke into the Billboard Top 40.
But, that was a decade ago, before her Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning career went into overdrive. She's used her vocal talents for a number of roles -- notably in the 2017 musical movie The Greatest Showman and on her HBO series Euphoria, where she sang a piece by the show's composer, Labrinth.
Zendaya did dip her toe back into live performances last year at Coachella, when Labrinth invited her to make a surprise appearance during his set. Zendaya told Hudson that her extreme stage fright fueled her initial “absolutely not!” reaction to the British musician’s offer, but that once she accepted, she appreciated how well the audience responded to their set.
“It was really, really special,” she said. “It was a beautiful introduction back into being back on a stage.”
