Euphoria Brings Zendaya Back to Music
Zendaya, the singer, is back in a major way thanks to the increased focus on the tunes featured in HBO Max's Euphoria.
Zendaya has found perhaps the role of a lifetime as Ruby “Rue” Bennett on Euphoria, which has contributed significantly to her wealth, critical acclaim, awards, and certainly fame. Recently, more original music has emerged from the series, and it has brought the actress and singer back into another area of the entertainment industry that it seemed like the star had left behind… until now.
Season two of Euphoria has turned out to be more musical and interesting (when listening specifically to the songs and score) than the first, and now Zendaya is back in a major way thanks to the increased focus on the tunes featured in the show.
Just recently, the woman who leads the production returned to the Hot 100, Billboard‘s main singles chart, for the first time in half a decade. She appeared on the tally with the Euphoria-specific track “I’m Tired,” which was also credited to producer and songwriter Labrinth, who controls all the music on the HBO blockbuster.
Just a short time later, she nearly repeated her success with another Euphoria-related single, “Elliot’s Song,” a duet with her co-star Dominic Fike. Both tracks can be found on the second season’s soundtrack, which also features tunes by the likes of Orville Peck, Lenny Kravitz, James Blake, and Lana Del Rey, to name just a few.
With so many insanely popular film and TV projects taking over the planet at the same time — as millions kept tuning in to watch new episodes of Euphoria, Zendaya also starred in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the top-grossing film in the world in 2022 — it’s easy to forget that from time to time, the woman has also enjoyed success in the music industry.
Nine years ago, Zendaya dropped her only album, a self-titled affair that somewhat underperformed, though it produced one hit that fans still remember fondly to this day.
“Replay” broke into the top 40 on the Hot 100, and it remains her only entrant inside that important region, though new smash “I’m Tired” came close to reaching that height, as it peaked at No. 53.
In the years between the Zendaya album and her Euphoria efforts, Zendaya has dabbled in music, but it never seemed to be her focus. She has collaborated with musicians such as Jeremih, Bobby Brackins, and Chris Brown on tracks, though none of them were huge.
She scored several hits and proved her power as a musician and singer when she joined the cast of The Greatest Showman. The musical biopic (of sorts) was a surprise success both at the box office and on the Billboard charts, and Zednaya was a big part of that.
The Greatest Showman sent two tunes to the Hot 100 that included Zendaya, with “Rewrite the Stars” (with Zac Efron) hitting No. 70 while “The Greatest Show” (which also credits Efron, Hugh Jackman, and Keala Settle) rose as high as No. 88. Both songs were bound to do well on their own, but adding Zendaya’s name surely assisted in their climbs.
After The Greatest Showman, it seemed like Zendaya might be done with music, as she didn’t sign on to any other projects that brought her singing voice to the forefront. When Euphoria launched, she was given a platform that allowed her to be musical once again.
She has a song on the first season’s soundtrack, but it didn’t really go anywhere. Now, the show is bigger than ever, and anything attached to it becomes huge as well, including the music.
At this point in her incredible career, it seems like Zendaya is interested in projects that may include some music, but perhaps she’s not looking to be a pop star any longer. Who can blame her? However it happens, fans are just happy to hear her singing again, and certainly to see her name appear on the charts once more.
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