EXCLUSIVE COVER STORY: Sofia Carson

“You Can Do Anything You Dream Of”

As a little girl, Sofia Carson spent her days dancing and twirling around the house, dressed as a Disney princess, dreaming that someday, she might become one. “I was Belle every single year for Halloween,” she says. 

At just three years old, Sofia enrolled in her first dance class and when she was 12, the Florida native appeared as a backup dancer at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, likely dreaming about one day having a float of her own. After high school graduation, Sofia moved to Los Angeles in order to pursue both her college degree and her dreams of performing. And now, every one of those dreams is coming true.

It began with a starring role in last summer’s biggest movie. After a long audition process, Sofia booked the part of Evie in Disney’s Descendants. “That role really changed my life,” she shares. Soon after that came a record deal, which Sofia had been working towards since elementary school. “I started writing music when I was ten years old,” she says. “I just fell in love with the feeling of writing a song from the deepest parts of your heart and then performing it. It’s like nothing in the world.”

In between global appearances for Descendants and prepping her debut album, Sofia also found the time to film two movies, Adventures in Babysitting, out next month, and A Cinderella Story: If The Shoe Fits, coming to Freeform in 2017. This summer, Sofia will complete her album and begin production on Descendants’ highly anticipated sequel. 

But she’s not just incredibly busy; she’s also immensely grateful. “My mom reminds me every day to breathe, take it in, and be thankful,” she explains. “I think that’s so important because there’s so much going on all the time and we can’t forget to realize that we do what we love every day.” 

Sofia is doing what she loves every day, just like she dreamed of as a little girl. And remember that time she was a backup dancer in the Macy’s Parade? This past Thanksgiving, exactly ten years later, Sofia performed on her very own float. 

Sofia grew up being inspired by Disney princesses, and now, she’s bringing them to life for a whole new generation. “There is something so beautiful about a fairytale,” she says. “I think it gives us hope, something to dream for.” 

Sofia is proof that with hard work, grace and gratitude, fairytales can come true. “Always, always dream,” she says. “Dream big, dream that you can do anything, and believe it. Work harder than anyone else and believe in yourself because you can do anything. And always remember, you’re so beautiful now.”

Photos by Joe Magnani/J Squared Photography

Story/Video by Colleen Broomall

Special Thanks to Brooks Butterfield, Lillian Matulic, & Meghan Prophet