Current:Home > ScamsAlgosensey|Meet Kylie Cantrall, the teen TikTok star ruling Disney's 'Descendants' -Aspire Financial Strategies
Algosensey|Meet Kylie Cantrall, the teen TikTok star ruling Disney's 'Descendants'
TrendPulse View
Date:2025-04-08 15:35:35
Kylie Cantrall remembers well where she was when Disney’s musical movie “Descendants” premiered in 2015,Algosensey because it was the sort of huge deal that necessitated a watch party with her next-door best friend and much tween-girl bonding.
“It was all the rage in fourth grade,” Cantrall recalls. “The minute that ‘Rotten to the Core’ came on, I was in. I want to be a VK. They're so cool.”
Nine years, two seasons of a Disney Channel sitcom and 6.5 million TikTok followers later, Cantrall, 19, is living that Villain Kid dream as Red, the Queen of Hearts’ daughter, in “Descendants: The Rise of Red” (streaming now on Disney+).
Join our Watch Party!Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox
In the fourth installment in the franchise, the rebellious Red receives an invite to Auradon Prep, a much nicer place than her Wonderland home and where all the coolest Disney fairy-tale characters matriculate. But when the Queen of Hearts (Rita Ora) pulls a dastardly coup, Red goes back in time with Cinderella’s daughter Chloe (Malia Baker) to stop the prank that turned her then-positive mom (Ruby Rose Turner) evil.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Cantrall gets to strut her stuff early in the opening song “Red,” and she even gets to be an action hero. “They have my number, I'm ready for my Marvel movie,” says the actress, who starred as an alien-babysitting teen on the Disney series “Gabby Duran & The Unsittables” and played a singing cheerleader in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.”
If you’re not already a Cantrall fan, here’s what you need to know:
Kylie Cantrell sees her ‘Descendants’ character as a role model
“She doesn't have to be a villain like her mom; just because she was born into it doesn't mean she has to follow that path," Cantrall says of Red, the first Disney princess rocking a nose ring. “We should be empowering girls to create their own futures and own destinies and not wait around for anybody to tell them what they should or shouldn't be."
The “Descendants” world has a fantastical, “Barbie”-like vibe but Cantrall didn’t feel completely like Red until she put on the leather jacket and the bright wig. “It's so camp. We're all dressed as highlighters, so bright and so crazy,” says Cantrall, whose nose isn't pierced in real life. “I don't know if I as Kylie can pull that off as much as Red can.”
Music and dance have played large roles throughout Kylie Cantrall’s life
Cantrall’s mom is a dancer/choreographer and her dad is a producer/songwriter, so performing was “in the blood from the beginning,” says the actress, who has been dancing she was 2. “Literally the day after I got potty trained, my parents were like, ‘Put her in dance class.’ ” It took her a while to get good, though: “I’m sure my balance wasn't that great. I'm sure I was a bit clumsy. I'm sure I was distracted. But I definitely had a love for it even then.”
Music came shortly after that, as she would write songs at age 5 and 6 and spend time in her dad’s studio. “I would be watching him in the booth, and I was like, ‘Oh, I want you to record me next,' ” Cantrall says.
Brandy is Kylie Cantrell’s ‘Descendants’ co-star and a musical hero
Cantrall would listen to Brandy CDs in her dad’s car on the way to elementary school, so “I really do think I manifested working with her,” she says of her “Rise of Red” co-star. Brandy reprises her title role from the 1997 Disney movie “Cinderella,” and Cantrall found her to be “just incredible and such a nice human. She exceeded my expectations.”
Brandy, Janet Jackson and Aaliyah are all major influences on her own music. “They definitely inspire who I want to be as an artist and that kind of flavor that I want to bring,” says Cantrall, who’s prepping a debut album full of “danceable” pop/R&B tracks. “I’m just excited for people to hear it.”
Like most teens, Kylie Cantrell is working on her online/offline balance
For much of her life, Cantrall has had a significant Internet presence: When she was 8, she started her own “Hello Kylie” YouTube show and more recently started doing her “10 Minute Song” challenges on social media, where she turns three words from a fan into a tune. “I’ve grown so much as a songwriter over the past year pushing myself in that way,” she says. “I mean, it doesn't always work. I only post the ones that I think turn out OK, but I have a whole batch of ones that suck and are terrible and I didn't even finish. It's hit-or-miss.”
She’s been especially busy online lately with “Rise of Red” coming out. “I’m getting tagged in these beautiful fan edits and videos of people reacting to the songs,” Cantrall says. “Then you get the other side that's like the negative comments and the scrutiny of it.
“I’m trying to work on setting that boundary of, OK, I've been on Instagram too long, I’ve seen too much of myself lately on TikTok. It's all about balance and I'm still trying to figure out when to put the phone down. It's easy to get wrapped up in it and to go on a deep dive.”
veryGood! (6)
Related
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Why Olympian Jordan Chiles Almost Quit Gymnastics
- Judge denies bid to move trial of ex-officer out of Philadelphia due to coverage, protests
- Chiefs' Travis Kelce in his 'sanctuary' preparing for Super Bowl three-peat quest
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Katie Ledecky wins 400 free bronze in her first Olympic final in Paris
- Top Shoe Deals from Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2024: Up to 50% Off OluKai, Paige, Stuart Weitzman & More
- Divers Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook win Team USA's first medal in Paris
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- Billy Ray Cyrus reportedly called ex Tish a 'skank.' We need to talk about slut-shaming.
Ranking
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Team USA members hope 2028 shooting events will be closer to Olympic Village
- Ryan Reynolds Confirms Sex of His and Blake Lively’s 4th Baby
- Maine State Police investigate discovery of 3 bodies at a home
- Bodycam footage shows high
- Life and death in the heat. What it feels like when Earth’s temperatures soar to record highs
- Maine launches investigation after 2 escape youth center, steal car
- Fires in the West are becoming ever bigger, consuming. Why and what can be done?
Recommendation
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Drag queens shine at Olympics opening, but ‘Last Supper’ tableau draws criticism
Watch this soldier's shocked grandparents scream with joy over his unexpected visit
How U.S. Olympic women's gymnastics team shattered age stereotype: 'Simone changed that'
Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
Maine State Police investigate discovery of 3 bodies at a home
UFC 304 live results: Early prelims underway; match card, what to know
Who plays Deadpool, Wolverine and Ladypool in 'Deadpool and Wolverine'? See full cast