In case you forgot, Zendaya can sing. And recently, she’s been appreciating the positive reception to her contributions to the Euphoria soundtrack. “I stepped away from music quite a while ago, for a number of reasons, but I still really love it,†she tweeted, “so the kindness and support I’ve received the past few days just for a little tiny toe dip back into some music means the absolute world to me.†Zendaya lent her vocals to a shortened version of “Elliot’s Song,†which she co-wrote with Labrinth. The track hit streaming services on March 4. In addition to that season-two-finale song, she previously sang for the HBO show’s songs “I’m Tired†and “All for Us.â€
Zendaya has been singing since the start of her career in entertainment; her vocal credits include Kidz Bop, duets with Bella Thorne for Disney’s Shake It Up!, and even her own self-titled 2013 debut album. So what are the “number of reasons†stopping her from bringing us more bops like “Swag It Out†and “Something Newâ€? Although Zendaya’s tweet doesn’t get into specifics, she’s spoken several times before about her qualms regarding the revival of her music career. In 2019, she told Paper magazine that the music industry “sucks you dry a little bit,†and advised any hopeful singers to look carefully over contracts. “You are worth more than they will say that you are,†she said. In 2021, Zendaya told Issa Rae in an “A Sip†interview that she “stepped away from music on purpose because of bad contracts.†She added that acting allows people to fall in love with a character, offering a little bit more anonymity. “I think when you’re a music artist, you just kind of have to be — it’s your face all the time,†she said. “It’s you. And so that’s another thing that kind of scared me about music, is like not really being able to have as much of a life.â€
All this to say, if you’ve been enjoying hearing Zendaya on the Euphoria soundtrack, you probably shouldn’t get too hopeful that she’ll make a full-time return to singing any time soon. If it’s any consolation, though? You can always put her existing songs on replay.