Sydney Agudong is a 23-year-old American actress, singer, and songwriter, probably best known for portraying Nani in the live-action movie “Lilo and Stitch.”
Early life
Sydney Elizebeth “Syd” Agudong was born on 13 November 2000, in Kauai, Hawaii USA, to parents Kenneth “Kenny” and Karen Ligon Agudong, both real estate agents. Karen previously owned Aloha Island Properties, a company that Kenny began operating when she found employment with eXp Realty. According to EthniCelebs, Sydney has Polynesian and Filipino roots on her paternal side, and Irish, English, Scottish, and German ancestry on her maternal side.
Sydney competed in the Kaua’i County Farm Bureau’s Healthy Baby Contest beauty pageant in her early years, and was the runner-up. She enjoyed music from a young age, and started playing drums when she was about three. Sydney told Naluda Magazine that her father is the reason, as he nearly always played music. Her sister inspired her love of acting because she relentlessly pursued a career despite being younger. Sydney described herself to Pop Culturalist as ‘a skeptic who was curious about the world, but a perfectionist who wanted to be the best in her school.’
Siblings
Sydney has three sisters, Kayli, Sarah, and Siena. Siena Nicole was born on 19 August 2004 in Kauai, and is also an actress. She is best known for playing Nick in the “No Good Nick” TV series in 2019, Young Billie Wesker in the “Resident Evil” television series in 2022, and Young Mia in the “F9: The Fast Saga” movie in 2021.
Early education, source of career
Sydney wrote her first original song, “I’m So Sorry,” at 10, which some local radio stations played afterwards. She wrote it during her pre-algebra class to apologize to her mom for lying. Sydney likely attended the same school as her younger sister, King Kaumuali’i Elementary School in Lihue, Hawaii. Sydney performed in theatre and starred in productions of “Mulan Jr.,” “Shrek,” “Peter Pan,” and “Cinderella” between the ages of six and 12. In 2010, she won the Miss Hawaii Preteen beauty pageant, taking home awards for her appearance and talent.
In her MidWeek interview, Sydney said that she frequently traveled to Los Angeles, California, US, between 2012 and 2018 with her sister to attempt to book a career-starting role while attending Island School in Lihue. According to Sydney’s profile on Backstage.com, she has completed The Actors Workshop Private and Group Sessions and On Camera Training under Wayne Ward while in Los Angeles.
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Career
Sydney started her career as a model in the fall of 2011, by appearing on the cover of the Kauai Family Magazine. She was then featured in the online brochure for Kukui’ula, a private resort community near Kauai.
Sydney debuted in acting in 2013 by playing Ellen in the “Second Chances” movie alongside Madison Iseman, Tristan Lamb, Emily Miles Hsia, and her sister, who also made her acting debut. In what she calls ‘a burst of inspiration because she landed the role in the low-budget movie “West Michigan,” Sydney moved to Los Angeles, California, US, at 18. The movie, in which she played Jasmine, was released three years later, almost simultaneously with the short film “Turning the Tide,” in which she played Skylar. She admitted to MidWeek that she was tired of the rejections before getting cast in “West Michigan.” She considered applying to a Colorado State, US college, delaying or abandoning her dreams of becoming an actress.
Sydney’s career was on the upswing in 2022; she had a notable role as Sara Sanders in the “Find Millie Martin” television series, for which she also wrote additional material, and Karina in the television movie entitled “Infamously in Love.” In 2023, she played Kelly in an episode of the crime drama series “NCIS” and then appeared in the “Trapped in the Farmhouse” TV movie as Kylie.
Joining Disney
In April 2023, several media publications announced that Syndey won the role of Nani Pelekai. She portrayed the older sister and legal guardian of the lead character, Lilo, played by Maia Kealoha. Lilo’s alien companion, Stitch, was voiced by Chris Sanders. Chris voiced Stitch in the 2002 animated movie, also named “Lilo & Stitch,” created the story, co-wrote the script, and co-directed the film. According to GMA Network, Disney has received criticism for casting Sydney because her skin tone doesn’t match Nani’s dark skin; Nani and Lilo are native Hawaiians in the story. Siena told FeelingTheVibe that they identify as ‘a mix of Caucasian, Polynesian, and Filipino.’
Music
According to Pop Nerd Lounge, Sydney joined the FR8 Train Music Publishing company in January 2022 as a professional songwriter. Moreover, on 1 January, she announced her debut single, “Welcome to Hollywood,” via her Instagram, whoisjaynedoe, which was released two weeks later. Simultaneously, Sydney revealed her artist’s name, Jayne Doe, a variation of Jane Doe, a placeholder name given to females in the US and UK whose names are unknown, cannot be established, or are hidden.
I’m singing a duet with my sister @Sydneyagudong for @girlslifemag Back-to-School Music Takeover (virtual performances, celebs, freebies, surprises & more!) This Friday August 7 at 6p est on @girlslifemag IGTV and TikTok. Head to https://t.co/1sMt1QDEsi to get ALL the details ❤️ pic.twitter.com/mg6GZlGMHp
— Siena Agudong (@SienaAgudong) August 4, 2020
She explained that she wanted to pick a different name for her music career to show that ‘humans are all imperfect and signify that she doesn’t yet understand who she is, which many people globally could relate to.’ Moreover, Sydney was afraid of ending up alone, and wanted to give her fans a persona to accompany them through life.
Pop Nerd Lounge described her sound as ‘a mix of Lorde and Olivia Rodrigo’ and noted that Sydney plays ukulele, guitar, and piano. That brought attention to Sydney’s YouTube channel, @SydneyAgudong, on which she released covers of songs by John Legend, Adele, Elvis Presley, and Nina Simone as early as 2013. Her music releases also showed that her stage name before 2022 was SYDNY.
Upcoming work
Sydney is to appear in the “Terminally Unique” short film as Kelly, and the “At Her Feet” movie as Savannah; both are in post-production in early 2024. She told Close-Up Culture that she wanted to raise awareness about mental health and plans to portray characters who struggle with it. Her dream role in 2024 and beyond is headlining a movie similar to “Divergent” and “Salt.”
Her fans can also expect her debut album; Sydney told MidWeek that she planned to release it before 2022 ended but delayed it to focus on acting.
Boyfriend
Sydney hasn’t dated anyone publicly.
Interesting facts, favorite things
- She is a lousy liar, and eventually admits the truth because she feels guilty.
- Sydney hoped to compete in the “Wipeout” TV show in her early teens. As an aspiring gymnast, she couldn’t understand why contestants struggled to complete the obstacle course.
- She is adept at indoor rock climbing, hula hooping, archery, and ice skating.
- Sydney knows how to dance tap, jazz, ballet, and hip-hop.
- She can shoot a rifle, ride a horse, and juggle.
- Sydney trained in mixed martial arts (MMA) and excelled in kajukenbo and hapkido.
- Justin Bieber’s concert in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2010 was the first concert she had attended.
- Her vocal range is alto to mezzo-soprano.
- She can speak in Southern, Filipino, and British accents. More precisely, she can imitate Scouse or Liverpool English accent and dialect.
- Sydney’s favorite healthy food is acai bowl with nut butter.
- Macaroni and cheese is a meal that she could eat daily for the rest of her life.
- Her favorite quote is, ‘Everything happens for a reason.’
- “Peanut Butter Falcon” was her favorite movie of 2022.
- She has a sweet tooth and enjoys cheesecake and chocolate.
- “Caroline” by Briston Maroney was her favorite song in 2022.
- Sydney’s favorite TV series are “Friends” and “The Vampire Diaries.”
- She plans on traveling through Europe.
- Her acting influences are Shailene Woodley, Ryan Reynolds, Tom Hanks, and Sandra Bullock.
- She listened to John Fogerty, Pink Floyd, Billy Joel, and Queen as a kid. In the early 2020s, she began listening to Young the Giant, Labrinth, WILLOW, and Frank Ocean.
- Her favorite ‘color’is black.
- Sydney’s favorite fashion brand to shop from is Urban Outfitters.
- Her favorite Disney movie is “Camp Rock.”
Physical characteristics
Sydney has dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. She is 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall and weighs about 125lbs (56kgs). Her distinctive facial feature is freckles; her shoe size is 8.5 (US) or 39 (EU).
Net worth
Sydney has a net worth of about $100,000, entirely from her acting and budding music career. She has yet to promote a brand or product on her social media.
