Mandy Moore is taking a lighthearted look back at her early days as a teenage pop star. In a recent chat on Not Gonna Lie, the podcast hosted by Kylie Kelce, Moore opened up about her 1999 debut single “Candy” and how she saw herself compared to fellow pop icons Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Jessica Simpson.
“I Was the Most Boring One…”
Now 41, Mandy Moore laughed as she recalled how different her rise to fame felt at just 15 years old. “I feel like I was the youngest and the most boring… out of the four of us,” she said on the July 17 episode of the podcast.
While Spears, Aguilera, and Simpson were climbing the charts and becoming global superstars, Moore said she felt she was in a completely different lane. “I would never have been able to cross paths with them. They were, like, superstars. They were on this level of success that I’ve never known,” she explained.
Starting Young but Staying True
Though she didn’t hit the same commercial heights, Moore expressed gratitude for the freedom she had early in her career. “I was just like a little 15-year-old doing my own thing,” she said, remembering the early days with her record label.
Unlike many young artists, Moore said she didn’t feel forced to fit a specific image. “I was allowed to sort of make my own decisions even as a clueless 15-year-old,” she said. “Nobody told me how I needed to dress or how I needed to answer questions or what lane to sort of occupy or how to present myself to the world.”
The Music Industry Then vs Now
Moore also reflected on how the industry has changed for young artists in today’s digital world. “With social media and the world we live in now, there’s so many more mediums I think to reach people now,” she said. “You don’t have to wait for a magazine interview or something. It was such a different world back then.”
Moore admitted the thought made her feel a little out of touch, joking, “I sound super old,” which gave host Kylie Kelce a laugh.
Where Is Mandy Moore Now?
While she may have started as a teenage pop singer, Moore is now better known for her acting, particularly her role as Rebecca Pearson in the hit drama This Is Us. She also continues to make music. Her most recent album, In Real Life, was released in 2022, showcasing a mature and emotional sound quite different from her bubblegum pop roots.
Mandy Moore’s honest and humorous reflection on her pop past offers a refreshing perspective on fame. While she may not have dominated the charts like her peers in the early 2000s, she has carved out a long-lasting and diverse career on her own terms.
Her story reminds us that success isn’t always about being the loudest or the most talked-about — sometimes it’s about staying true to who you are.
