For Disney starlet Sofia Carson, today is a major day: It's her birthday!
Yes, the Descendants star turns the big 2-5 today and already has so much to show for her quarter of a century.
After appearing in just a few episodes of Austin & Ally in 2014, Sofia Carson shot to fame when she appeared in the role of Evie, the Evil Queen from Snow White's daughter, in Disney's TV movie Descendants—a film focusing on the children of Disney's greatest villains. She went on to star in other Disney Channel Original Movies, such as Adventures in Babysitting alongside Sabrina Carpenter and Descendants 2, as well as the fourth installment of the Cinderella Story series.
But that's not all—as with most Disney stars, the girl can really belt it out, too! After being signed to Hollywood Records in 2016, Carson released her single "Back to Beautiful" in February 2017. The track was written by Julia Michaels, and has received over 20 million views on YouTube! Talk about amazing.
This is all just the beginning for the rising star. Here are six reasons why we think Sofia Carson is the next big thing.
1) She's multi-talented
I mean, really. If you want to make it in the entertainment industry anymore, you either have to be super amazing at one thing or really great at a bunch of things. Sofia proves that she can hold her own on screen and on stage. At 25, that's an important skill to have! If you want to be a singer and an actress, you have to prove that you can do both—and she does both so well!
2) She embraces her culture
When you've begun to make it in America, it's easy to focus solely on that, but Sofia Carson isn't afraid to show her Latinx roots. She's appeared on the Disney Latin America Telenovela Soy Luna, as well as the Spanish-Italian movie Tini: The Movie. It's important for girls of all backgrounds to have someone to look up to and she falls under this umbrella with former Disney stars Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato, and singer Camilla Cabello. They remind fans that they can (and should!) proudly embrace every part of who they are.
3) She's a hardworking gal
Though she's always busy filming various projects, People's Choice revealed that she is always working on her music during her down time. She's aware of the cycle of Hollywood and how easy it is to get lost, but she has her eye on the prize. Carson is hard at work on her latest album and is honest with her fans when she tells them that she isn't sure about release dates. It's important for younger fans to see her work ethic and remind them that nothing worth having comes easy!
4) She wants to be a role model
In the latest issue of Le Fair magazine, Carson said that playing someone like Evie was something she had always hoped for. "When I was a young girl and dreamed of what I wanted to do with my life, I knew I wanted to inspire and empower young girls like me. Even if it was just one girl, to be able to do that with Evie and to be able to do that with my music is priceless to me. Inspiring young women to chase their dreams is the most important thing I could ever do.”
5) She practices self-love
In the same article, she mentions how important her song "Back to Beautiful" is to her and how she perceives herself. "‘Back To Beautiful’ is an anthem about how beauty isn’t skin deep," she explained. "It’s about how beauty sees no race and how it doesn’t matter who you love or where you come from, we’re all beautiful.” If that isn't an important message to scream from the rooftops, I don't know what is!
6) She's about to join a major cast
One of the most widely discussed moments of summer 2017's TV season was the final moments of the Pretty Little Liars series finale. After leaving Rosewood for bigger and better places, Mona kisses her boyfriend before heading down to a basement when she's been keeping Spencer's evil twin sister Alex Drake and her mother Mary in her own version of a dollhouse. "Spin-off!" was all anyone heard. I. Marlene King apparently listened and Sofia was cast to star opposite Janel Parrish's Mona and Sasha Pieterse's Alison in the upcoming Pretty Little Liars: the Perfectionists. In TV for young adults, there's no better role than within the world of Pretty Little Liars.
Happy birthday, Sofia Carson! We can't wait to see what you do next.
