Malachi Barton is Disney’s next big thing, but he’s also ready for fans to get to know the person behind his beloved movie characters.
The actor — known for his Disney work across ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires and the newly released Camp Rock 3 — is taking his first major step into music outside his onscreen roles with his debut single “Stay for the Credits,” which Barton released first thing Friday (Aug. 28).
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For Barton, the song represents way more than just a creative pursuit; it’s an opportunity to craft something entirely on his own.
“Being able to have something that I have controlled from the ground up and being able to fully be a part of the creative process has been really cool,” Barton tells Billboard in an exclusive interview. “It’s my own thing.”
Music has always been part of Barton’s life, he says, with both of his parents having musical backgrounds. But pursuing his own artistry wasn’t necessarily a carefully mapped-out next step. Instead, the idea emerged from having the freedom to create without pressure.
“I don’t have to [make music],” he explains. “I just get to do it carefreely and just [have] no pressure and no strings attached, which has been great. It’s allowed me to thrive during the creative process.”
That freedom led to “Stay for the Credits,” which is a song inspired by Barton’s experience of being perceived through the version of himself people only encounter online.
“People [are] judging you based off of what they see online and not taking the time to get to know you as a person,” he says. “The story is all about staying for the credits and really being willing to go deep and learn about who I am as a person, and not just the things that are portrayed online.”
While the song provides Barton a chance to show the more vulnerable side of himself, he hopes that listeners can ultimately make it their own. He describes music as an escape, much like stepping into a movie theater and temporarily leaving the outside world behind.
“I just hope that people can use the song as an escape,” Barton says. “It can be one of those songs that just makes you feel good in the morning when you put it on in the car and you’re just kind of grooving out.”
As for the sound he hopes to continue exploring, Barton points to artists including Malcolm Todd, Frank Ocean and Mac DeMarco as inspirations. He also cites Joe Keery — who balances acting with his musical alter ego Djo — as an example of the kind of creative juggling act he admires.
Barton will soon get to bring that balance to the stage himself. After performing primarily ZOMBIES music on last year’s Worlds Collide Tour, he’ll perform songs from ZOMBIES, Camp Rock and now his own song on this year’s trek, which kicks off next month in Palm Desert, California. The prospect is both exciting and, admittedly, a little nerve-racking.
“Definitely sh–ting bricks a little bit,” Barton laughs. But once he gets through those first moments onstage, he expects that he’ll settle in. He admits he’s already looking forward to the possibilities of performing underneath a single spotlight with his guitar.
For now, though, Barton is focused on seeing where “Stay for the Credits” takes him.
“I’m kind of just gonna let ‘Stay for the Credits’ roll and see what it does,” he says of whether more solo music is on the way. “But you never know. I’m keeping it open. Not closing any doors.”