Keke Palmer has been the voice of the younger generation for years. Whether you discovered her for her work in earlier projects on Nickelodeon or love watching her as an adult on Strahan, Sara, and Keke, her energy has always been magnetic. Her career has been something we have watched bloom since 2004 when she did her first small movie role in Barbershop 2: Back in Business.
A young woman who started off as an actress has now added the title of singer, dancer, host, producer, and overall just a great entertainer to her resume. During an interview with Harper Bazaar, Keke explains why she is so inspired by this generation and how they have accelerated her career forward.
“Our generation inspires me so much. The voice. The creativity. I mean, it’s masterful.” This generation has made social media one of the biggest tools used for the development of not only relationships but their careers and outreach. Although most people have access to social media, it’s hard to successfully capitalize on it. Palmer has helped keep herself relevant be interacting with her fans and keeping them entertained even while social distancing. The high energy actress keeps us entertained with funny Tik-Tocs, dance videos, and videos of her speaking to her audience about self love.
“If I’m gonna have something to say, or if I’m gonna be someone that’s looked at, I wanna try my best to uplift other people like me,” she says, referring to the purpose of her online presence. “Whether they be Black, whether they be women, whether they be millennials, whether they be the underdog, whatever. If I can be that voice, why not?”
She is definitely the voice and continues to use that voice to entertain, love and serve her community. It makes sense why her career has such longevity, especially starting off as a child star. Being a modern start can have its ups and downs but she definitely uses her platforms to her as advantage.
So what now? Keke still has her main day job but a few side hustles keep you working. According the Harper Bazaar, “She’s released songs and skits, as well as improv, dance, and music videos to her Instagram and YouTube pages. No matter the platform, she always finds ways to play to her strengths, like physical comedy, as seen in Mirror Affirmations, a spoof series in which she issues self-love pep talks in a high-pitched baby voice.” This Spring, she will also host a revival of Singled Out on the mobile streaming platform Quibi.
We see that this burst or black girl magic is not stopping anytime soon. Keke Palmer is an artist in all respect. Keep your eyes open to see what barriers she will conquer next.