Sydney Agudong
Sydney Elizebeth Agudong is an American actress and singer. Agudong is best known for her role as Nani Pelekai in Lilo & Stitch.
Early life
Sydney Elizebeth Agudong was born in Kauai, Hawaii and is of White American and Filipino descent. Her younger sister Siena Agudong is also an actress.Agudong grew up participating in theater, talent shows and pageants and was named the 2010 Miss Hawaii Preteen. When she was 11 and her sister was 7 they began going to Los Angeles for acting auditions. When she attended Island School, she initially concentrated more on her social life before taking up songwriting in her junior and senior year. She wrote her first song "I'm So Sorry" entirely during a math class and it received air time on KQNG-FM.
Career
After graduating school in 2018, Agudong moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting again alongside her music career. She writes music under the persona of Jayne Doe who she states is "basically own version of Hannah Montana" and is an "unapologetic soul searcher". Her debut single "Welcome to Hollywood" was released in 2022 which she said was about her "relationship to dreams in Hollywood". She cited artists and bands she looked up to as including Briston Maroney, Frank Ocean, Queen, Elton John, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Billy Joel, John Fogerty, and The Backseat Lovers.Agudong starred in the low-budget film West Michigan. She made her television debut playing Jamal's prom date in the final season of On My Block. She played a social media influencer whose friend disappears in the web series Find Millie Martin and played Savannah in At Her Feet, an adventure film shot at the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Agudong's other acting credits include NCIS and Infamously in Love.
Agudong's first major starring role was as Nani Pelekai in Lilo & Stitch. Both she and her sister had auditioned for the role and were the final two candidates considered. Agudong will play Aria in the upcoming drama series Ripple.