Mandy Moore’s Evolution From Pop Star to Emmy Nominee

Mandy Moore’s evolution over the years from teenage pop star to Emmy-nominated TV actress — see her transformation

A journey to remember! She may have started as a bubblegum pop singer, but Mandy Moore has evolved considerably throughout her two-decade long career.

The New Hampshire native, 35, burst onto the Hollywood scene in 1999 when she signed with Epic Records as one of their up-and-coming artists. Her first single, “Candy,” reached No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

From that moment on, Moore’s career has had its peaks and valleys, but it was all worth it — especially since it eventually led to an Emmy nomination and massive TV career.

Once the “Save a Little for Yourself” singer got her feet wet in the music industry — she released five records by the age of 23 — Moore ventured into the film world.

She first appeared on screen as mean girl Lana Thomas in Disney’s The Princess Diaries in 2001. In the film, she acted, but she also performed “Stupid Cupid” during one scene, showing off her range.

In 2002, she landed her first leading role as Jamie Sullivan in A Walk to Remember. The movie, which also starred Shane West as Moore’s love interest, did OK at the box office, but nearly 20 years later, the film has become a cult classic with infinite staying power.

“[It’s] bananas,” Moore told Us Weekly exclusively in January 2018 about the film’s longevity. “It’s crazy. It feels like another lifetime ago. But I’m so happy to celebrate it and so happy that people still — it’s relevant and still means something to people. That means a lot.”

During her rom-com phase, Moore was also creating new music with her record, Amanda Leigh, coming out in 2009. While the album was her last bit of music to come out for more than a decade, it wasn’t something she totally forgot about.

Beginning in 2010, the actress focused on her acting career and talent, becoming a Disney Princess with the animated film Tangled. She then appeared in more than 10 movies over the past 10 years before landing the job that changed her career forever in 2016.

That year, Moore was cast as the matriarch of the Pearson family, Rebecca Pearson, on NBC’s hit drama This Is Us. After being on the show for three seasons, she earned her first Primetime Emmy Awards nomination in 2019.

In March 2020, the starlet returned to her musical roots by dropping her seventh studio album, Silver Landings. “I missed it,” she told Entertainment Weekly of her music comeback in February 2020. “I’m not going to get emotional. I had a lot to unpack about my feelings toward music and my sense of worth in what I brought to the table.”

Scroll down to see how Moore has evolved over the years.