10 Moments We Found Out a Voice Actor Was a Great Singer
#10: Jennifer Hale
Scooby Doo! and the Witch's Ghost (1999)
Holding the Guinness World Record for most prolific video game actress, Jennifer Hale has lent her voice to films and shows since the early 90s. At the end of the decade, she pushed her skills to bewitching heights in Scooby-Doo! and the Witchs Ghost. The movie debuted the animated goth rock band The Hex Girls, with Hale as frontwoman Sally Thorn McKnight. Her powerful and alluring belting on multiple songs helped to deliver a cult classic for Scooby-Doo! fans. The Hex Girls themselves have made several appearances in the franchise and been embraced as empowering icons. Though Hale has had an otherwise low-profile music career, its enough to make her a rock star.
#9: Tomori Kusunoki
Sword Art Online: Alternative Gun Gale Online (2018-24)
Seventeen-year-old Tomori Kusunoki hit the ground running with several voice roles at the start of her career. She was much more understated about her experienced vocal talents. To see the future, the theme song for Sword Art Online: Alternative Gun Gale Online, set up a bright future for the pop-rocker before her 2020 breakout in the musical anime franchise Love Live!. Kusunoki then signed with a Sony Music subsidiary, and cultivated a new fanbase. She also continued with Love Live!, only to hand off the role of Setsuna Yki to Coco Hayashi following a diagnosis of EDS. Other than that, this condition doesn't seem to have slowed down Kusunokis prolific acting career or inspiring music.
#8: Grey DeLisle
The Small Time (2000)
Whether you know her as Grey DeLisle or Grey Griffin, the versatile voice actress wasn't all that well-known going into the 2000s. Her big break would coincide with the release of The Small Time, a country music album. DeLisles breathtaking singing and equally impressive songwriting must have really shaken her first industry. She would go on to have musical numbers regularly throughout her distinguished acting career. Along the way, she has put out a massive, critically acclaimed music catalog. She even won a Grammy for her tribute to Father of American Music Stephen Foster. With so many memorable credits and voices in several mediums, DeLisle is a real Renaissance woman.
#7: Mamoru Miyano
Kuon (2007)
From Death Note to Mobile Suit Gundam 00, Mamoru Miyano is one of the top names in anime voice acting. He had been in the business for almost 20 years when he shocked everyone by releasing a single. Miyanos youthful, powerful voice was at its silkiest in the sweeping ballad Kuon. Two more singles would be released over the next two years before the album Break fulfilled the promise of its title. Miyano became a pop sensation, winning multiple Seiyu Awards for both acting and singing. And with his mixing the two disciplines all the way to stage productions of West Side Story and Waitress, this legendary talent is still full of surprises.
#6: Troy Baker
Random Thoughts on a Paper Napkin (2004)
Best known for his work in video games, Troy Baker is considered a rock star among voice actors. Thats not just because he actually looks the part. Baker was just starting to establish himself in anime English dubs when his alternative band Tripp Fontaine released their debut album. Random Thoughts on a Paper Napkin bolstered the swaggering, wailing frontman's cult appeal. His mainstream success has since extended to the band Window to the Abbey and his own solo work. Bakers contribution to soundtracks even won him the Spike Video Game Award for Best Song in 2013. With many accolades for voice acting on top of that, he clearly knows how to rock a recording booth.
#5: Aya Hirano
Breakthrough / The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006)
Aya Hirano spent the early 2000s in a variety of supporting roles in anime. 2006 was so decisively her breakthrough that she released a pop single actually named Breakthrough. A month later, she could be heard as the title character in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, which featured a number of songs by Hirano herself. The success of the anime series and its soundtrack turned the 18-year-old into an idol overnight. In addition to reprising Haruhi in spin-offs, Hirano has rivaled her prolific acting career with mega-hit singles and albums. She's also headlined in live-action films and stage productions. Both with help from and in spite of her outspokenness, Hirano has the range to be called the voice of a generation.
#4: Cree Summer
Womb Amnesia (1993)
Families fell for Cree Summer for her work in animation and the live-action sitcom A Different World. Imagine their shock when she fronted the alt-rock band Subject to Change for the album Womb Amnesia. But there was no denying the power in Summers voice or the iconoclastic edge to her songwriting. This continued on her solitary solo album Street Faërie, which was produced by Lenny Kravitz and covered a variety of genres and bold themes. That is quite the departure from the songs Summer has performed in more family-friendly entertainment since 1999. The fact is that her brief taste of rock stardom was just the beginning of many musical and acting hits for all ages.
#3: Keith David
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Disney established the always great Keith David as a legendary voice actor in the 90s. But it wasn't until 2009s The Princess and the Frog that they fully utilized his glorious baritone. The villainous Dr. Facilier steals the show with the sinister jazz jam Friends on the Other Side. Davids naturally musical voice seamlessly grooves and swings, with equally infectious belting. The Randy Newman composition has since become a Gold record, hailed as one of the great Disney villain songs of its era. Meanwhile, David has performed in the animated musical series Central Park and Hazbin Hotel, as well as Disneys Mufasa: The Lion King. His musical turns may be rare, but they're consistently worth the wait.
#2: Tara Strong
The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000)
It always seemed like Tara Charendoffs energetic and versatile voice would be perfect for a musical. One could definitely say that she was thrown into the deep end with her last project before changing her credit to Tara Strong. But in her Annie Award-winning portrayal of Ariels aptly-named daughter Melody, she led The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea with the lilt of a true Disney star. The ever-prolific Strong has since become a go-to for authentic, often tongue-in-cheek tributes to that musical style. She has also made singing and live performance a big part of her public image. The music is, after all, a highlight of Strongs iconic vocal range.
#1: Seth MacFarlane
Family Guy (1999-2002; 2005-)
It's almost hard to believe that Seth MacFarlane wasnt always a superstar for his vocal versatility in music. He did develop an enthusiasm and education in singing alongside animation. But it wasn't until the second season of Family Guy that proper musical numbers became a staple of his shows. Ironically, Peter Griffins butchery of musical theater in The King Is Dead really broke out the actor's theatrical showmanship. No matter how distinct or silly his voices get, the talent is serious. Since signing with Universal Republic Records in 2010, MacFarlane himself has become a pop star in the jazz tradition. Of course, with the range that voice actors are capable of, maybe we shouldn't be surprised by such an artistic transition.
Who are some other actors who shocked you with their other vocal talents? Speak up in the comments.
