Texas is one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S. With a population of over 30 million people, Texas is enormous and has several of the biggest cities in the country. Unsurprisingly, countless celebrities have made their way to the top from the Lone Star State, including some young ‘uns.
Most of us are familiar with the Beyoncés and Mathew McConaugheys of this world, but what about the next generation of celebrities from Texas who are taking the world by storm? In this article, we look at some of the fresh stars of the South in various industries.
Young Celebrities From Texas
As we all know, California is the traditional home of the stars. Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Los Angeles have become synonymous with stardom, and tons of A-listers spend much of their time on the west coast. But this doesn’t mean that California produces all the celebrities.
Singers, actors, musicians, and nowadays, social media stars often get their start elsewhere. Throughout history, celebrities have consistently built careers out of Texas. It’s a state where opportunities are aplenty. And while there are phenomenal schools in Texas, it’s also a fantastic state for artists.
Texas is known for being the number one destination in the country for music, and it has a long list of Academy Award-winning actors and actresses. And, of course, we can’t forget about sports. Texas is the birthplace of the second most athletes in the United States.
Below, we take a look at the most famous people from Texas aged 30 and under. You’ll see the emerging talent that the region has to offer as well as some celebs who’ve already established themselves as household names. The list includes celebrities that were born in Texas, not celebrities that live in Texas.
Famous Singers Born In Texas
When most people think of singers and musicians from Texas, old-fashioned country comes to mind, and rightly so. Texas has a long and storied history with country music, cajun music (and hip hop). But, as one of the most diverse states in the U.S., its singers cover a lot of genres.
So, here are three famous singers born in Texas. And none of them are in the country music niche.
Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in the rap game right now and has been for the past few years. Her real name is Megan Jovon Ruth Pete and she was born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1995. She moved to Houston shortly after birth with her parents.
Megan’s mother, Holly Thomas, was a Houston-based rapper who performed under the name “Holly-Wood”. She was largely responsible for Megan’s exposure to music from a young age. Thomas would take Megan to studio sessions as a child so recording studios became her daycare centers.
Megan followed in her mother’s footsteps and began rapping herself at just 14 years old. Although Thomas supported her daughter’s passion for music, they made an agreement that Megan would go to college and put her rap career on hold until she was 21.
While attending Prairie View A&M University (2013), Megan started uploading freestyle rap videos to social media and even performed live rap battles against other male rappers. After going viral online, Megan’s internet fame skyrocketed, and she rapidly developed a fanbase.
With her music career blossoming, Megan postponed her studies and fully committed to rapping. She got a record deal in 2018 and took on the stage name “Megan Thee Stallion”, a reference to her height and curvaceous figure. She’s had number-one hits and featured on tracks with significant artists like Beyoncé and Cardi B.
As a testament to her mother, Megan returned to Texas Southern University to finish her studies and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Administration in 2021. Today, she continues to be one of the brightest shining Texan stars in modern music.
Nick Jonas
Nick Jonas, the most famous of the Jonas Brothers, is a highly talented man whose career started in music and transitioned into acting and producing. Born in Dallas, Texas, in 1992, Jonas grew up in a religious household as his father was an ordained minister.
His talents were discovered early, at just six years old. By seven, Jonas was performing on Broadway, and at 10 years old, he began co-writing songs with his father. He was signed to Columbia Records in 2004 and released several tracks, many of which featured his two older brothers on backup vocals.
After a mediocre reception, Columbia offered to sign all three brothers as a group, and so, the Jonas Brothers band was formed. Although Columbia gave them a good introduction to the industry and helped forge the band’s relationship with Disney, there were difficulties, leading to the band leaving the label in 2007.
After signing with Hollywood Records in 2007, the Jonas Brothers released “S.O.S” which went on to become their first top 20 song on the Billboard Hot 100. From here, they experienced worldwide success and also became important figures on the Disney Channel for many years.
The band split in 2013, and Nick went on to have a successful solo music career. But from 2014 onward, he focused on acting and starred in several big movie and TV projects, like Kingdom and the Jumanji franchise.
Now 30 years old, Nick is married to Indian actress Priyanka Chopra, and the couple had a child together in 2022.
Selena Gomez
Although she turned 31 (we’ll make an exception to the age limit) in 2023, Selena Gomez is a shining example of one of the most successful young celebrities to come out of Texas. She’s been active in the entertainment industry for over twenty years and is still young in terms of her life and career.
Selena was born in Grand Prairie, Texas, when her mother, a stage actress, was just 16. Her parents didn’t stay together after she was born, and her mother raised her. As a very young parent, her mother struggled financially, and Gomez experienced a childhood filled with financial problems.
Gomez recalled her mother working multiple jobs throughout her youth just to make ends meet. But, she never gave up on her love for acting and performed on stage when Selena was a child. Ultimately, this fostered her interest in acting and performing, which her mother fully supported.
In 2002, Gomez first appeared in Barney before securing small parts in various Disney shows, like Hannah Montana and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. She finally got her big break in 2007 when she was cast as the lead role in the Disney hit, Wizards of Waverly Place.
From here, there was no looking back, and she become a teenage icon and role model for young girls around the world. In 2008, she was signed by Hollywood Records and seamlessly developed a huge career as a singer alongside being a major TV and movie star.
Although Gomez is an actor and director, some of her biggest successes have been in the music industry. She’s loosely described as a pop artist, but her music enters several different genres, like dance, electronic, and EDM. Selena is a true rags-to-riches story and one of the biggest female celebrities from Texas.
Famous Actors Born In Texas
Texas has a history of producing world-class actors and actresses, many of which have won the top accolades in their industry. Matthew McConaughey, Owen Wilson, Patrick Swayze, Renée Zellweger, Sissy Spacek, Ethan Hawke, and Eva Longoria are just a few of the many amazing actors from Texas.
This tradition appears to be continuing with the next batch of up-and-comers. Some young Texan actors and actresses look to be dead set on stardom. Here are three to keep an eye out for.
Sadie Sink
Netflix’s highly addictive sci-fi-drama-horror show, Stranger Things, is one of the highest-performing shows in TV history. Season four alone has been viewed for over 1.83 billion hours (and counting) all around the world. One of the main characters since season two is Max Mayfield, played by Sadie Sink.
Sink hails from Brenham, Texas, a small city in Washington County. Born in 2002, she grew up with three big brothers, a younger sister, a math teacher mom, and a football coach dad. Unsurprisingly, her household was heavily involved in sports and in particular, American football.
But Sadie had other plans. Ever since she was a child, she took a liking to the performing arts and was acting in local theater productions by the age of seven, including a lead role. By her early teens, Sink knew she wanted to be an actress.
Her family supported her dream by moving to New Jersey so that they could be closer to New York City. This move proved to be worthwhile as she performed consistently in theaters and was featured in several high-profile TV shows, like The Americans, Blue Bloods, and Chuck.
But the role propelling Sadie to stardom was Max in Stranger Things. After a successful audition in 2016, she was cast as a main character in season two and has become a massive fan favorite. Since then, she’s had a number of big movie roles, including the Academy Award winner The Whale.
Lizzy Greene
Lizzy Greene is a young, up-and-coming actress that has also made a big impact on the digital entertainment space. Born in Dallas, Texas, in 2003, Greene was destined for the big screen from a young age. By the time she was 10 years old, she was preparing for her Nickelodeon debut.
She was one of the leads on the popular show Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn, playing the role of Dawn Harper, the oldest of the Harper quadruplets. The show was highly successful, running for four seasons, which totaled 82 episodes between 2014 and 2018. It ended as the young stars sought to further their careers.
After the Nickelodeon show finished, Greene moved swiftly along to another big TV project, where she got the role of Sophie Dixon, a lead character, on the ABC series, A Million Little Things. The show ended in 2013 and despite some harsh views from critics, was very popular in terms of viewership.
Lizzy Greene is the definition of a modern young celebrity. Not only is she making waves in the entertainment business, but she is also an active digital creator. She has a major following on social media across a range of platforms. She regularly uploads to YouTube, which isn’t common for traditional actors and actresses.
She shares behind-the-scenes footage from film and TV show sets, shoots vlogs, and gives personal updates to her fans and followers. While she might not be a household name in Hollywood just yet, her social media following is that of a major star. Even when she’s not in an active role, fans know what she’s doing.
Tye Sheridan
At just 26 years old, Tye Sheridan is already an accomplished actor and has appeared in a number of blockbusters, alongside some of Hollywood’s top actors and actresses, like fellow Texan, Matthew McConaughey, Colin Farrell, Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, and Sean Penn.
His love of film goes beyond acting. Sheridan is a student of the industry and a keen director. He also co-founded an AI-based visual effects (VFX) company, called Wonder Dynamics. Wonder Dynamics essentially creates animations and CG characters through AI technology, something that’s a hot topic in Hollywood right now.
But let’s go back to where it all began, in Palestine, Texas. Sheridan grew up in a regular household with two working parents and a younger sister. As with many child stars, Tye’s talents and passions were quickly realized, and he spent his teens performing in theater and getting tutoring on real film sets.
His breakout role came in 2012 when he starred alongside Matthew McConaughey in Jeff Nichol’s Mud. Some of his other notable movies include X-Men (film series), where he plays Cyclops, Read Player One (lead), Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, and Voyagers.
Famous Sports Stars Born In Texas
We need a separate article to cover sports stars from Texas, but that’s for another day. As you know, sports are kind of a big deal down here. While sports stars will always be big in the Lone Star state, right now there are some young stars making a real impact.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the famous sports stars from Texas. Considering their college and professional journeys, you might not know that these guys are actually Texas natives.
Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes II is a bonafide star in the NFL and has won two Super Bowls in six seasons (five as a starter) with the Kansas City Chiefs. Born in Tyler, Texas, in 1995, he watched his father, Pat Mahamoes, play professional baseball in the MLB as a pitcher.
Mahomes accredits watching and pitching with his dad as one of the main reasons for his success as a quarterback. As a youngster, Mahomes excelled in all sports, especially football and baseball. He represented Texas Tech in both sports but stopped playing baseball in his junior year to focus on football.
Interestingly, Mahomes was selected in the 2014 MLB Draft, right out of high school. But he has already committed to going to college at Texas Tech. After his junior year, Mahomes declared for the NFL Draft and was the 10th pick of the first round. The rest, as they say, is history.
Kyler Murray
Like Mahomes, Kyler Murray was a dual sports player growing up, competing at the elite level of baseball and football. Growing up in Bedford, Texas, Murray excelled in sports, leading to a scholarship at Texas A&M. However, within months, he transferred to Oklahoma to become a Sooner.
Murray was selected in the first round of the MLB draft and even signed for the Oakland Athletics. But eventually, went against this decision to focus on playing college football. But, if he ever decides to return to baseball, the A’s retain the rights to sign him.
After a Heisman Award-winning college career, Murray was drafted as the first pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. Despite doubts over his potential in the league, due to his size, Murray has been a star. Although, he hasn’t got the rings that Mahomes has.
References
Christian Linden is a seasoned writer and contributor at Texas View, specializing in topics that resonate with the Texan community. With over a decade of experience in journalism, Christian brings a wealth of knowledge in local politics, culture, and lifestyle. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications from the University of Texas. When he's not writing, Christian enjoys spending weekends traveling across Texas with his family, exploring everything from bustling cities to serene landscapes.
