5 Surprising Facts About Zendaya You Probably Didn't Know
Staff Writer, Jasmine Williams, covers a variety of topics from home decor to beauty and everything in between. She has bylines at Motherly, The Everymom, and Byrdie where she wrote about motherhood, beauty, health and relationships. Jasmine knew she wanted to be a writer when she realized she was actually interested in reading the articles in her mom's favorite magazines — and she may or may not have ripped her favorite articles out to study them later. When she's not working, you can find Jasmine playing make-believe with her toddler, spending an undisclosed amount of time in Target or TJ Maxx, and searching for a family-friendly puppy to add to her family.
I feel like I talk about Zendaya like she's the little sister I never had — I mean I've basically watched her grow up, from Disney Channel days to becoming one of the most influential young stars in Hollywood. Her star is continuously on the rise, and basically goes without saying that she's arguably the best-dressed of all time, given her long-time partnership with Law Roach. She's gone from an award-winning performance in Euphoria to making us question our sanity in Challengers, solidifying her stance as an actress we need to keep our eyes on.
Since we know a ton about Zendaya's recent career and style wins, I thought it'd be fun to shed light on a few surprising facts about her! Here's what you should know!
1. She's a Virgo.
Image via Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Zendaya was born September 1, 1996 which makes her a Virgo. Some of my favorite people are Virgos so I'm truly happy to know this. Also the fact she's even born in September — my birthday month — so we're basically cut from the same celestial cloth, right? (I know I'm a Libra, but whatever!)
2. Her name has South African influences.
Image via Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for BAFTA
According to this throwback video of Zendaya, her name essentially means "To give thanks" in Shona. That's so beautiful!
3. She's from Oakland, CA and is the youngest of five kids.
Image via Kristy Sparow/Getty Images
Zendaya revealed in a 2017 Vogue interview that she's from Oakland, CA! This California-born actress comes from a pretty big family, too — she's the youngest of four older half-siblings! However, she moved to LA with her family when she was just 13 to pursue her career. So brave!
4. She can sing.
Image via Stefania M. D'Alessandro/Getty Images
This shouldn't come as a surprise if you're familiar with Zendaya's Disney career, but she's also a talented singer. One of her more notable songs is featured on The Greatest Showman's soundtrack, "Rewrite The Stars." And while we'd love to see her in another movie musical, I know plenty of people want her to bring back her original music! I mean "Replay" was a MOMENT.
5. She was Selena Gomez's backup dancer in a commercial.
Image via Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
Prior to appearing on Disney, Zendaya was actually a backup dancer for Selena Gomez in a Sears commercial. She revealed this fun fact to J-14 almost 10 years ago, and it' justs wild when you think about how much she's accomplished!
"That's a funny commercial because it’s so weird to think that later on — Ross [Lynch] was in it, Leo Howard was in it — and we were backup dancers, we weren't even the lead kids," she gushed. We love to see a crossover with two of our absolute faves!
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Lead image via Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
Staff Writer, Jasmine Williams, covers a variety of topics from home decor to beauty and everything in between. She has bylines at Motherly, The Everymom, and Byrdie where she wrote about motherhood, beauty, health and relationships. Jasmine knew she wanted to be a writer when she realized she was actually interested in reading the articles in her mom's favorite magazines — and she may or may not have ripped her favorite articles out to study them later. When she's not working, you can find Jasmine playing make-believe with her toddler, spending an undisclosed amount of time in Target or TJ Maxx, and searching for a family-friendly puppy to add to her family.