Constructing an Authentic Rhythm: Kylie Cantrall’s Journey of Self-Discovery

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From the early days dancing before she could even speak, to captivating audiences as Gabby Duran, and now stepping into the iconic shoes of Red, Kylie Cantrall is a force to be reckoned with. She’s not just an actress or a singer; she’s a multi-talented artist who embodies the spirit of her generation—bold, creative, and unapologetically herself. Kylie’s journey from viral YouTube sensation to the star of Disney’s Descendants: The Rise of Red is evidence of her versatility and passion for the arts. In this conversation, Kylie opens up about the intricacies of balancing her diverse roles, the influence of her dance roots on her acting career, and the excitement of portraying an anti-hero who dares to challenge expectations. She also discusses the importance of social media in her growth, the joy of inspiring young fans, and her aspirations to headline a tour and break into new creative territories; The multifaceted singer/dancer/actress candidly speaks about her hopes that the narrative of Red in Descendants: The Rise Of Red brings families together, girls together and epitomizes a celebration of Girl Power. As we dig deeper into her professional walk, Kylie’s enthusiasm for her craft and determination to pave a path that is honest and loyal to her creative beliefs shines through. Whether you know her from her variegated performances or vibrant online presence, one thing is clear: Kylie Cantrall is just getting started, and the future looks even brighter as she firmly stands for her dreams and ambitions.

Kylie, you’ve had such a diverse career in acting, singing, and social media. How do you manage to balance these roles and what’s your favorite part of juggling all these different aspects of your artistic journey?

The best part of exploring the multiple facets of art is that they all lend themselves to one another. I first started as a dancer, That laid a foundation for what I would continue to do. I started in dance when I was two years old, then I did competitive dancing for years. From that moment on, I started naturally gravitating towards apps where I would do the dance trends and started building a following base there. Using YouTube as a platform, I started doing covers where I would sing Disney songs and it became natural for me to be online and share my craft. And they all intensely lend themselves, like I said, to one another. With these projects, like Descendants, as it’s a musical, I got to combine everything I love to do, so I can say that every part of my artistic trajectory has prepared me for this moment.

You started learning dance and engaging with the arts at a very young age. How has your early start influenced your approach to your career today?

I always tell anyone who dreams of getting into the industry to start with dance. That’s genuinely the foundation that got me to where I stand today; Those early days of dance taught me discipline, hard work, and confidence. All of this led me to gain better knowledge about my body. It helps with everything that I do, like my work ethic and all of those issues I worked on so early on. That’s surely why I’m able to have the stamina to do what I’m doing at this point in my career.

In Descendants: The Rise of Red, you play Red, the daughter of the Queen of Hearts. What unique qualities does Red bring to the Descendants universe?

Red is very much an anti-hero. It’s not her desire to follow in the footsteps of her mother, the Queen of Hearts. This is such a universal concept of not quite feeling like you want to take the same path as your parents, but especially in this case, where she comes from this royal line of queens. It’s hard to come to grips with the idea that you don’t want anything to do in this area, of becoming a queen one day, living up to what people expect of you. And that’s brave of Red to go against her mother that way. She goes on a journey of finding herself and discovering who she wants to be, which I feel is very relatable to the audience. My hope concerning those questions is that girls can feel inspired by that and not be afraid to truly be themselves, even if that means going against what people want for them.

How did your collaboration with Rita Ora on Descendants: The Rise of Red influence your portrayal of Red, and what did you learn from working with her?

Rita has such a strong presence, and she’s a queen off-camera just as much as she portrays herself on screen. She has that regalness to her, but, at the same time, she’s immensely sweet and open to collaborating. Anytime I had an idea for a scene or something we could do, she was always very receptive to it, which made me feel safe to try things and experiment with her, which was genuinely fun. I wanted to match her, her regalness and intensity, but differently, in a more youthful way because Red is still a young kid trying to figure herself out. Simultaneously, she still is the daughter of a queen so I tried to bring a bit of that confidence and power that Rita had and implement that into what I was doing for sure.

You’ve mentioned that your social media presence has been a huge part of your growth. Can you share a memorable interaction or feedback from a fan that particularly touched you?

That’s a good question! Social media has been such a big part of the Descendants campaign, and that’s because the world we live in now, obviously, press junkets and things that look so different because everything’s online. Social media is the biggest tool for promoting any big music or film. So we use that with this campaign. And seeing like little kids learning the Red dance and getting tabbed in those videos; Also, people recreating Red’s look, doing the makeup, and recreating her wig and costume. All those different elements have been so special about this project that people can feel included in it and share the fun of the movie. It has been really, really special to see people online doing that.

You’ve played a variety of roles, including a social media star in High School Musical: The Series. How did you prepare for that role and what did you find most challenging about it?

It was unlike any role I’ve ever played before. She’s this Sharpay, like the snobby girl in your musical theater class who is the teacher’s pet, and that’s her. So I tried to emulate the energy of those girls I went to school with who were partially like that; They worked as an inspiration. You know, the girls that weren’t so nice in school were my references, like, as I said before, Sharpay Evans from the original High School Musical, Regina George, these iconic kinds of mean girl characters. Still, it was a challenge to portray the

character of Dani because I had never played a mean girl like that. What was so exciting about it was to get to step into something new and challenge myself to explore my versatility. But one of the things I loved about playing Dani was that body language was such a part of her character because she would say so much without saying anything at all, with the facial expressions she would always position her hand on her hip, and the way that she walked were all such a part of what made her this bigger-than-life character. So it was a fun experience getting to challenge myself with that.

What message or feeling do you hope young audiences take away from watching Descendants: The Rise of Red?

There are so many messages I love about this film! First of all, the message of finding yourself and staying true to who you are, opening up to meaningful friendships, accepting others, and building up relationships with people that can be a little different from you, and, obviously, mother/daughter relationships. That’s such a big part of the film, not only between Red and the Queen of Hearts but also between Chloe and Cinderella, that’s such a key part of it. So I hope this movie can bond families and open up those conversations. It is a coming-of-age movie, these are girls are teenagers figuring themselves out. And these are concepts every teenager can relate to. I hope the narrative brings families together, brings girls together, and symbolizes a celebration of Girl Power.

Looking ahead, what are your biggest career goals? Are there any artists or projects you dream of collaborating with?

My biggest goal, of course, is to headline my own tour, or even headlining a festival. Music has always been my biggest passion, so I would love to shift more into that and surely keep my acting career as well. I’d love to be in a Marvel film as I’m excited to continue down this action genre as far as acting; Someone like Sabrina Carpenter represents a real inspiration within my journey. She also came from Disney and is the biggest pop star right now. I definitely see myself leading a similar path. So, I’d love to collaborate with her in the future!

With a debut EP out and more music on the way, what can fans expect from your upcoming album? Are there any specific themes or sounds you’re excited to explore?

You can expect pop and R&B vibes to it. It’s definitely going to represent a new chapter in my career. I really want to take fans on a journey for where I am right now, in this moment, finding myself going through things, dating, and all that stuff. I want to be genuine in my music and have people get a chance to really know me from what my songs speak about. But they’re going to be fun! Dancey, of course, and always Girl Power. In my music, it’s all me, every image, every concept, especially with this new EP, everything is me. That’s what’s really special about music, it’s viscerally coming from me, and everything is essentially very honest.