What Happened To Disney Channel's Aly And AJ?
Disney Channel stars coming up the ranks at the time of Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, and the Jonas Brothers certainly had a much harder time becoming A-listers than the stars of today. There's no doubt about that. It seems as though Aly & AJ Michalka certainly had a hard time competing with their Disney Channel colleagues when they were beginning their careers.
Aly Michalka first made a splash on the Disney Channel when she starred in Phil of the Future and Now You See It. Not long after, her sister AJ was brought on to film the original movie Cow Belles alongside Aly. Due to their musical talents, Disney also tapped them to perform various songs for their projects and backed their album "Rush" which featured their most famous song, "Into The Rush."
For a short time, the sisters were everywhere... And then they vanished. At least, that's what the mainstream might think. Certain Disney Channel stars have fallen out of the spotlight completely. Some are even parents and we didn't even know, but both Aly and AJ have been working steadily ever since. While they took some time apart musically, they have since gotten back together and appear to be ramping up their careers.
Here's exactly what happened to them after they left the Disney Channel...
Leaving The Disney Channel Freed Them Up
There's no surprise that both Aly and AJ feel as though they have more freedom now that they're done with the Disney Channel. During an iHeartRadio interview where they reflected on their careers, both agreed that they felt controlled by Disney in terms of what kind of music they could write and perform. Ironically, they say, the pair were two of the safest options the Disney Channel had to play with.
The beautiful blond sisters, who were born in Torrance, California, started their careers in the modeling world, although they were already training to become musicians. Their love of music came from their mother, who performed in a Christian group. Perhaps this "wholesomeness" along with their totally-Americana good looks piqued Disney's interest. Luckily for them, Aly and AJ were (and are) legitimately talented. Both modeled and AJ was booking tons of roles on shows like The Guardian and General Hosptial.
The sisters were active with Disney from 2004 (when Aly first starred on Phil of the Future) until 2010 (when they left Hollywood Records). During that time, Disney would constantly air their various concerts and music videos, gave Aly multiple shows, and both girls were given the leads in the Disney Channel original movie Cow Belles. Not only that, but the young women were chosen to open for various A-list Disney Channel musicians like Miley Cyrus and The Jonas Brothers.
But in 2010, the sisters wanted to make a genre change to their music as well as a name change (78Violet)... something Disney wasn't a fan of. Their album, which contained collaborative works with Weezer, was pushed for years until Aly & AJ left Hollywood Records (which is owned by Disney).
The two continued to make music but the essentially took a break from it for many years. Part of this was due to the fact that fans didn't know 78Violet... they knew Aly & AJ. Thankfully, the pair learned a lot from this and took back their old name when they kicked up their music career again.
The Years Leading Up To Them Re-Uniting
Although they came back as Aly & AJ in 2015, the two didn't really release music until 2017. The songs they did release were tied to their various acting gigs, which was their focus after their 2010 departure from Disney.
Aly & AJ Michalka have done a lot of things apart before reuniting as a music duo in 2015.
Aly took a big role in Easy A, alongside Emma Stone, around the same time that AJ was cast in The Lovely Bones and J.J. Abrams' Super 8.
Then Aly hit it big on television...
While Riverdale may be the big show that fans go crazy for on The CW, there have been a number of other hits over the years. This includes Hellcats, which starred Aly Michalka and filmed up in Vancouver, British Columbia. This meant that Aly had to live up in the beautiful Canadian city that's caught between the ocean and the mountains. Due to her sister being there to film the show, as well as booking various acting gigs in Vancouver as well, AJ also spent quite a bit of time there.
After Hellcats was canceled, Aly did a major character arc on Two and a Half Men then booked a recurring role on iZombie, another show filmed up in Vancouver.
At the same time, Aly was cast on iZombie, AJ got the love-interest role on ABC's The Goldbergs.
She played Lainey Lewis on the show for more than five years. Her character was so popular that she even received a spin-off series, Schooled. Unfortunately, the show only lasted a season. Luckily for her, she's also been a voice on She-Ra and The Princess Of Power for years.
Nowadays, both women are focused on their music. Before the pandemic, they were touring around the world and filming music videos for their singles, such as "Attack of Panic". There's no question that their music has evolved immensely over the years. And because of this, it appears that their fanbase is increasing. However, that's not what they're in it for... In an interview with Vanity Fair, Aly Michalka had this to say:
“Our goal as artists is not just to sell records and gain notoriety. It’s a much deeper experience. When people come to an Aly & AJ show, they should come out feeling revived, like they matter. It should feel like a sanctuary.”
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