Bailee Madison, most recently seen as the lead in the Netflix musical “A Week Away,” isn’t saving her singing strictly for the odd screen appearance. She’s moving full-on into it off-screen as well, plotting a music career that she’s announcing concurrent with the signing of a management deal with Kevin Jonas Sr.‘s Jonas Group Entertainment.
“So much of my life has already been shared with the public, and I’ve always tried to be as honest and true to myself as possible,” says Madison. “I’m finally ready to take this leap. Music is a very personal and vulnerable side of me, and this new partnership with Kevin Jonas, Sr. is an extension of that. Now sharing this part of myself with the world means so much, and it feels like a chance to give insight on my heart. Everything that I do is a circle of love, and that comes with my art as well.”
Madison co-produced as well as starred in the faith-based “A Week Away,” which premiered in March and generated a soundtrack that includes her and her castmates alongside Christian music staples like Amy Grant and Steven Curtis Chapman, who had cameos in the film.
Popular on Variety
The now 21-year-old actress broke out as a pre-teen in 2007 in Disney’s “Bridge to Terabithia.” Subsequent roles include a series regular part on the final season of “Wizards of Waverly Place,” roles in the thrillers “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” and “The Strangers: Prey at Night,” recurring roles on TV’s “Good Witch,” “The Fosters” and “Once Upon a Time,” and appearances in “Just Go With It” and the upcoming “A Cinderella Story: Starstruck,” which is said to have movie-musical elements.
Of taking on a music manager, Madison says, ““I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. From trick-or-treating with Kevin’s son Frankie as a kid, to this thrilling opportunity, it feels like what was meant to be has fallen into place. I have the utmost respect and gratitude for the way that Kevin has navigated the music industry, and am so excited to be a part of the Jonas Group Entertainment family.”
For her acting career, Madison will continue to be represented by Beau Swayze and Clifford Murray at Management 360 and Allison Band, Mark Herzberg and Matt Vioral at the Gersh Agency.
Jonas said that his firm “takes great pleasure in welcoming Bailee Madison onto our roster of talented artists. It is a privilege to have known Bailee since the origins of her career in entertainment. From an early age, her creative capacities were evident. She possesses an unteachable poise. Bailee sets a moral principle and professionalism that is second to none. I can’t wait to share her tremendous music talent with the world. As a young female, she stands among an incomparable category of entertainers who have an ability to succeed across multiple artistic landscapes. My team and I are honored to be a part of her musical journey.”
Jonas Entertainment Group had the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato and Jordin Sparks on its roster as rising stars and now has in its stable Frankie Jonas, Lanie Gardner, Public, Melanie Pfirrman, Livvia, Mandy Harvey and Lucy Cloud as well as Madison.
Madison was celebrated in even younger days as a staple of Variety‘s Power of Youth annual issues and events, including honoring her for her work with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation in 2011, at which point it was declared that “at 12, Bailee Madison is one of the most accomplished actresses her age.”