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Throughout history, kids have followed in their parents’ footsteps. First, literally, as they learned to walk, and then figuratively, as they entered adulthood and forged careers. While it’s become rarer in many parts of the world to pass down a family business, there’s definitely a caveat if your parent(s) work in entertainment. Music specifically seems to have a knack for passing down from parent to child, and the list of 2nd-generation singers is as long as it is impressive, including stars-to-be like Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy Carter, Pink’s daughter Willow Sage Hart, and more.
From Billy Ray Cyrus’ pop star daughter Miley Cyrus to musical legend Judy Garland’s daughter Cabaret star Liza Minelli, there are so many examples of musically talented families where each generation has their own sound to contribute, and where kids can carry on the family business in a whole new way. Many of today’s celeb parents have taken to social media to show off their genetically gifted offsprings’ talents over the years, and it’s safe to say there are plenty of famous kids out there today who will be huge on the music scene in five or ten years — think Will Smith’s daughter Willow Smith, or Jennifer Lopez’s daughter Emme Muñiz.
With new celeb kids blowing us away with their musical talents every day, we had to celebrate all the kids who are following in their famous parent’s footsteps as entertainers and entering the music world. Read on to see who’s taking on this Hollywood family business below.
A version of this article was originally published in May 2021.
Travis Barker’s Daughter Alabama Barker
Travis Barker’s faughter Alabama Barker recently shared a livestream, where she previewed her new music for everyone to hear. She shared a clip of a rap song she has been working on, so it seems the Barker family has another musical member!
Alicia Keys’ Son, Egypt Dean
When your mom is Alicia Keys, you’re bound to inherit some musical talent. Keys’ son Egypt, whom she shares with husband Swizz Beatz, is turning into quite the virtuoso when it comes to the piano. Back in 2019, Egypt performed alongside his mom at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, and Keys will sometimes share videos of her son’s piano progress on Instagram. We’re hoping that 2019 performance is the first of many collaborations for this mother-son duo.
Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony’s Daughter, Emme Maribel Muñiz
Mere weeks shy of turning 11, Emme Muniz got what you might call a pretty big break when she performed live with Shakira and her mother Jennifer Lopez at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Yes, you read that right. Not yet 11 years old and she was performing live for an at home audience of 103 million viewers. And she killed it. She’s clearly got performing in her blood thanks to J.Lo and dad Marc Anthony, and we can’t wait to see what she does next.
Beyoncé & Jay-Z’s Daughter Blue Ivy Carter
I don’t know about you but I definitely didn’t have a Wikipedia page at the age of 11. But then again, I’m not the first born of music royalty Beyoncé and Jay-Z, so I guess that makes sense. This past winter, while just a preteen, Blue Ivy became the youngest person to win a Grammy for her work on her mother’s “Brown Skin Girl” which won the award for Best Music Video. Her debut performance harkens back to Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” in that you can hear her making adorable baby sounds on her dad’s track, “Glory” which was written about her. Awww.
Pink & Carey Hart’s Daughter Willow Sage Hart
The 9 year old daughter of über talented singer/songwriter/arial acrobat Pink and her motocross husband, Carey Hart, is featured on her mom’s latest single, “Cover Me In Sunshine.” Willow’s sweet voice carries the chorus in a way that allows you to feel her happiness coming through. Both the song and the video are utterly delightful.
Reese Witherspoon & Ryan Phillippe’s Son Deacon Reese Phillippe
Reese Witherspoon was one proud mama when her 16-year-old son Deacon released his first single “Long Run” in the summer of 2020 — even going so far as to make a TikTok dance to it.
Will Smith & Jada Pinkett’s Kids Willow & Jaden Smith
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith both have their own musical pasts, and kids Willow and Jaden Smith have gladly stepped up to the mantle. Willow wowed the world with her 2010 single “Whip My Hair,” releasing her first full album Ardipithecus in 2015. She’s since recorded four albums total and recently collaborated with Travis Barker on a new pop-punk single “Transparent Soul.”
Older brother Jaden also had a breakout music moment in 2010 when he was featured on Justin Bieber’s “Never Say Never,” releasing a debut mixtape in 2012 titled The Cool Café. He’s since released three studio albums and has talked about potentially collaborating with Kid Cudi.
Uma Thurman & Ethan Hawke’s Daughter Maya Hawke
Whether you recognize her from Stranger Things or from the uncanny resemblance to her famous mother Uma Thurman, this New York native is building upon the acting chops she inherited from her parents and taking it one step further by making music. In 2020 she released her debut album, Blush, an indie folk collection of lovely songs that remind one of early Norah Jones and make me long for hours spent in a coffee house.
Lenny Kravitz & Lisa Bonet’s Daughter Zoë Kravitz
Music legend Lenny Kravitz and ex-wife Lisa Bonet’s daughter Zoë Kravitz certainly seems to have caught the music bug from her dad, releasing album Calm Down in 2014 and album Tenderness in 2020 and a few EPs in between. She’s also collaborated with musicians like Drake, will.i.am, and Janelle Monáe.
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