Raven-Symoné walked away from a potential pop career after music executives demanded she perform in a bathing suit and insulted her weight, she revealed on the “Sorry We’re Stoned” podcast hosted by Tish Cyrus.
The former Disney Channel star said she refused to participate in what she described as a culture that prioritized revealing outfits over talent. Her decision to step away wasn’t just about wardrobe requirements. Raven-Symoné also recalled a painful incident where a music executive made a cruel comment about her body, directed at her mother. “Somebody literally said to my mother, ‘She’s so fat. How can she do so long on stage?’” she recounted. Although she released her first album, “Here’s to New Dreams” in 1993 at just seven years old, Raven-Symoné said her music career never reached the heights of her Disney peers like Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers.
Her final album under Hollywood Records came out in 2008. She returned briefly in 2020 with a stripped-down EP, but her focus has remained on television and production work—areas where she’s maintained control over her image and career.