The big-voiced young singer Ashley Tisdale is one of several pop stars to have benefited from Disney backing. With the music industry in flux, Disney has stepped up to the plate and used a high-profile, multi-media approach to bring these teenage superstars to their target teen audience. Tween pop has never been hotter, and Ashley Tisdale exemplifies the growing trend of after-school TV celebrities crossing over to real-life music stardom. Ashley Tisdale got her start on several Disney programs, including The Suite Life of Zac & Cody. Her radiant smile and all-America good looks make her perfect as either an older sister or the school mean girl. However, Tisdale has been in showbiz long before joining forces with The Mouse. The South Jersey native was "discovered" by her current manager in the mall at the tender age of three, and showbiz has been her dream ever since. Ashley Tisdale took advantage of her proximity to Broadway and got a lead roll in the hit show Les Miserables when she was only eight. Ashley Tisdale's strong work ethic lead her to appear in numerous international TV commercials, but she didn't break in to film and TV acting until the late 1990's. Tisdale has had small rolls on a long list of popular and critically acclaimed TV shows, including Charmed, Malcolm in the Middle, 7th Heaven, Beverly Hills 90210 and Boston Public. Fun trivia: Before hitting it big with Disney, Ashley Tisdale had a small roll in sci-fi cult classic Donnie Darko. In 2006, Ashley Tisdale stole the show as the scheming, jealous bad girl Sharpay Evans in Disney's made-for-TV movie High School Musical. Playing opposite Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron, Tisdale's character attempts to sabotage the couple's audition hopes. However, her playing a villain hasn't hurt Tisdale's career as either a singer or an actress, and she was swept up in the surprise popularity of High School Musical. Ashley Tisdale's debut solo pop album, Headstrong, comes across as a solid collection of adult club pop, and the hot debut single "He Said She Said" proves that Tisdale won't be stuck in the tween-pop trench for long.