Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman (born September 1, 1996), known simply as Zendaya, is an American teen actress, singer and dancer. She began performing at an early age with the dance group Future Shock Oakland, the California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda, and as part of her studies at the Oakland School for the Arts and Cal Shakes Summer Conservatory Program. While she was in her early teens, she embarked on her entertainment career, graduating from modeling work for Macy's and Old Navy to appearing in the video for Kidz Bop's version of Katy Perry's hit single, "Hot n Cold".

Late in 2009, she auditioned for the Disney Channel series eventually known as Shake It Up, landing the role of Rocky Blue. Several of the songs she performed on the show were released as singles, including 2011's "Watch Me," a duet with her co-star Bella Thorne that charted at number 86 on Billboard Hot 100. That year, she also released the promotional single "Swag It Out". Zendaya also parlayed her Shake It Up success into hosting Make Your Mark: Ultimate Dance Off 2011 and a role in the 2012 Disney Channel original movie Frenemies, alongside Bella Thorne. That year, more of Zendaya's songs were featured on the second season of Shake It Up and the soundtrack Shake It Up: Live 2 Dance. After signing a deal with Disney imprint Hollywood Records, she began work on her first solo album.