Being a “Disney kid” can set artists off to a great start for their careers. I mean, look at Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Joe Jonas, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter and the list keeps going. All these pop stars and celebrities have very distinct styles and public images now. But they all share the same beginning – Disney. And, if it wasn’t for this common background, who knows if they would ever have made it to where they are today.
At the same time however, the “Disney kid” image can become a major career holdback, especially as artists age. Although Disney movies and Disney Channel shows can open many doors to young artists by helping them gain notoriety for their talent, being too attached to a “Disney image” might stop them from advancing their careers with time. As they become older, these people usually try to disassociate from their Disney background in order to receive recognition for their work as solo (or group) artists. But, whenever one can’t smoothly break their ties with the kids’ entertainment world, it can become a negative weight on their future.
Dove Cameron is a perfect example of this conflict between the past and the future. Disney Channel introduced her talent as both an actress and a singer to the world. Who hasn’t heard of Liv and Maddie or Descendants, right? But, her Disney era success was so large that Dove struggled to set herself free as an independent artist. Even having solo songs released and televised performances, she was always remembered as the “Disney girl” – never as Dove Cameron herself.
Now, the story might be about to change forever. With the release of her single “Too Much” (following the ground-setting success of “Boyfriend”), Dove is finally being seen as a talented singer and performer, not just a “Disney kid.” She seems to be finally leaving her Disney days behind. So, has her turn to shine finally come?
Disney Channel Start
Dove Cameron was one of Disney Channel’s key faces for about a decade. Her journey in the entertainment company started in 2012 when she was cast to play Alanna in the comedy series Bits and Pieces. Through her performance in this first job, Disney saw in Dove the potential to build a new Disney star. So, shortly after, she was reworked into Liv and Maddie, a show that became nationally popular and was considered to be among Disney Channel’s best productions. Premiering on Sep 15, 2013, the series’ pilot episode marked a total of 5.8 million viewers, the highest number registered by the company since Shake it Up! was aired two and a half years prior.
Liv and Maddie put Dove Cameron under the spotlight. It was nearly impossible to find a young teenage girl who didn’t know what the twin sisters Liv and Maddie Rooney looked like. Dove’s face and talent achieved broad notoriety across the country – and internationally too. Her ability to give life to two characters with opposite personalities in the same show was applauded and earned her a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children’s Programming. Also, as many of the series’ songs became national hits, Dove’s refined vocals were admired by the public. I mean, who doesn’t know the lyrics to “Better in Stereo”?
Later, she strengthened her connection with Disney Channel through her role as Mal in the Descendants film series. The public received the three movies well, judging the narrative creative and thinking the songs were catchy. At this point, Dover Cameron was 100% a Disney girl. It was hard to imagine Disney without Dove or Dove without Disney.
The Journey to Image Freedom
As Dove Cameron started to age, she immersed herself into a process of disassociation from her Disney star background. After the last Descendants movie aired in 2019, Dove decided it was time to end her Disney Channel years and focus on strengthening her image as a solo artist. She was done being a “Disney girl.” At this point, she wanted to be known for her work as Dove Cameron.
She was determined to redraw her image as a singer in her own way, moving past her Disney Channel history and developing her unique music taste and artistic style. And she had no issues making this clear to all her fans and followers. This was made even more evident in a lie detector interview when Dove Cameron said she wouldn’t be willing to do work on any projects related to High School Musical because she was trying to leave her Disney Channel days behind.
Unfortunately for her, this journey to image freedom wasn’t easy. For years, no matter what Dove did, how many songs she put out, how drastically she changed her style or the color she dyed her hair… she was always remembered as the girl from Disney Channel. Her Disney past haunted her, as it kept the public from recognizing her unique artistic character and her constant hard work.
Is It Now or Never?
Following a two-year hiatus, Dove Cameron returned to the spotlight in 2022 with a new single “Boyfriend.” Setting itself apart from Dove’s previously failed attempts to claim her respect in the music industry, “Boyfriend” became a hit surprisingly fast, even reaching platinum certification. Even more important than the song’s success, Dove Cameron was recognized for her work as a solo, independent artist for the first time in her career.
So, she followed this awaited accomplishment with the release of her debut album Alchemical: Volume 1 in 2023. With this release, Dove proved that her Disney Channel days are over. Through the exploration of new sounds and the deviation from her old soft tones, she made it clear that a new era in her career has started – an era in which she rules.
More recently, Dove Cameron stopped all music platforms with the release of her newest single and biggest hit “Too Much.” Composed of a socio-political criticism of the idea of women being “too much,” this revealed a more mature and confident version of Dove Cameron to the public. It also earned the singer critical acclaim, placed her back in the global charts and created excitement among fans regarding what’s next to come.
Conclusion
The pathway has been long, but it seems like it is finally time for Dove Cameroon to shine all by herself. This journey might have taken longer than she would have expected or desired, but the singer doesn’t feel ashamed of her past. In an interview with Rolling Stone Australia, Dove Cameron clarified that she doesn’t regret her arduous career trajectory. She understands that every stage she went through has contributed to making her the artist she is today.