Raven-Symoné reveals the real reason why she stepped away from her music career

Raven-Symoné explains that her pause from music was fueled by boundaries at a time when being half-naked felt “mandatory.”

Once upon a time, Raven-Symoné‘s face was everywhere. From the movies like the “Cheetah Girls” to leading sitcoms like  “That’s So Raven” and “State of Georgia,” the actress, whom many first met as Olivia on the “Cosby Show,” had grown to be what many expected to be the “IT girl” of a generation. 

Like many young stars at the time, Raven-Symoné’s career also expanded into music. However, in a recent interview on the “Sorry We’re Cyrus” podcast, the actress revealed the reason why she walked away from the musical world despite her love for it. 

“Oh my goodness, yes, I definitely did [want to continue making music],” Raven-Symoné told the podcast hosts. “But what happened was that the mandatory outfit was a bathing suit, and I’m not going to get in one.”

“I just felt there was a time in music where it was like, the more naked you are on stage the better it is, and I’m not going to do that. So, I said no,” Symoné continued. “I had some back and forth with the record label that I was with. Somebody literally said to my mother, ‘She’s so fat. How can she do so long on stage?’ And I’m like, ‘Wow, cool beans.’ So, we’re just gonna leave this and go on tour somewhere else.”

A large chunk of her musical career was filled with moments like that. The actress went on to explain how it was both a “blessing and a curse” that she did not have “the machine” backing her singing career like other Disney stars did. While her career may not have taken off in the same way as her co-stars, she does recall having more freedom with aspects like her tour schedule. 

As a singer, Symoné released two of “The Cheetah Girls” soundtracks and two “That’s So Raven” soundtracks. While signed to Hollywood Records, which she describes as “a mess,” she released two studio albums, “This Is My Time” and a self-titled project. Having released her last album in 2020, Symoné says the secret to surviving in Hollywood is setting boundaries and seeking therapy. 

“I have a lot of masks up, and I go to a lot of therapy, and I stay to myself,” she concluded, “Hollywood, if you get too into it, you start losing yourself. You have to do the work and leave. Cuz there are too many stereotypes that can happen when you take the Hollywood life as the actual work.”