Danna Paola facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Danna
Danna at the 24th Latin Grammy Awards red carpet in 2023
Background information
Birth name	Danna Paola Rivera Munguía
Also known as	Danna Paola
Born	(1995-06-23) June 23, 1995 (age 30) Mexico City, Mexico
Genres	Pop R&B
Occupations	Actress singer model
Instruments	Vocals piano guitar
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Universal Music Mexico
Associated acts	Aleks Syntek Chayanne Noel Schajris

Danna Paola Rivera Munguía (born June 23, 1995), known as Danna, is a talented Mexican singer and actress. She became famous at a young age, starring in many TV shows and musicals as a child and teenager.

Danna played the main character in the children's TV show Amy, la niña de la mochila azul. She became even more well-known after appearing in the teen drama series Atrévete a soñar in 2009. She also provided the voice for Rapunzel in the Disney animated movie Tangled. Later, she gained international fame for her role as Lucrecia "Lu" Montesinos in the Spanish teen drama series Élite, which is available on Netflix.

Early Life and Beginnings

Danna Paola Rivera Munguía was born and grew up in Mexico City. Her mother is Patricia Munguía, and her father is Juan José Rivera Arellano, who was a singer in the groups Grupo Ciclón and Los Caminantes. Her parents separated when she was young. She has an older sister named Vania Rivera Munguía.

Starting Her Acting Journey

Danna Paola's acting career began in 1999 when she was just 4 years old. She and her sister went to an audition for Plaza Sésamo, which is the Mexican version of Sesame Street. Both sisters were chosen for the show and appeared in several episodes.

Becoming a Star

Big Roles in Children's TV

In 2004, Danna was chosen to play the main role in the popular children's series Amy, la niña de la mochila azul. Her second music album, Océano, was released soon after. A year later, she played the main female role in Pablo y Andrea, a TV show based on the classic book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Over the next few years, she appeared in many other TV series from Televisa.

Teen Drama Success

In 2009, Danna was cast as "Patito" in Atrévete a Soñar. This show was a Mexican version of the popular Argentine children's TV show Patito Feo. Danna filmed two seasons of the show. Atrévete a Soñar helped Danna move from children's roles to teen roles. She and the cast recorded two soundtracks and toured around Mexico to promote the show. The show and its music were very successful in Mexico and Latin America. The soundtrack even earned a double platinum award in Mexico.

Voicing Disney Characters

In late 2010, Danna voiced Rapunzel for the Latin American Spanish version of the Disney movie Tangled. She also sang on the film's Spanish-language soundtrack. In 2015, she voiced Tip Tucci in the Latin American Spanish dubbing of the animated film Home. In 2021, she voiced Raya in Raya and the Last Dragon.

Broadway and Beyond

Starring in Wicked

In May 2013, Danna auditioned for the first Spanish-language production of the Broadway musical Wicked in Mexico City. She tried out for both Glinda and Elphaba. Later that month, it was announced that Danna would play Elphaba. The show opened in Mexico City on October 17, 2013, and ran until January 18, 2015. Critics in Mexico, and even the play's original composer, Stephen Schwartz, praised her performance.

Wicked was also a big success, selling over 100,000 tickets in its first 10 weeks. This made it one of the most successful theater shows in Mexico's history. At 18 years old, Danna was the youngest person to play Elphaba in a professional production.

Other Exciting Projects

After Wicked ended, Danna joined the musical Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar, playing the main role of Maria and touring across Mexico.

In August 2015, she recorded a duet called "Mientras Me Enamoras" with Mexican singer Lalo Brito. She also moved to Miami to film the TV drama ¿Quién es quién?, her first TV role outside of Televisa.

In 2016, Danna filmed the Mexican movie Lo más sencillo es complicarlo todo, which was released in 2018. She also joined the cast of the telenovela La Doña, which premiered in November 2016.

Global Fame with Élite

In 2018, Danna was cast in the Netflix original Spanish teen thriller series Élite. This role required her to move to Madrid for six months. The show premiered globally in October 2018, and Danna starred in three seasons.

In 2019, she became a judge on the singing competition show La Academia. In 2021, she was a mentor on the Spanish singing competition Top Star. ¿Cuánto vale tu voz?.

After leaving Élite, Danna decided to focus mainly on her music career. However, she has said she is open to acting again in the future. In 2024, Danna voiced Elphaba for the Latin American Spanish version of the musical film Wicked.

Music Career Highlights

In 2011, Danna began working on her fourth solo album, which was her first as an adult recording artist. She wanted the album to show her growth beyond being a child actress. "Ruleta" was the first song released from the album in March 2012.

In 2016, she released the single "Baila hasta caer". In 2017, she released "¿Dónde estabas tú?". Her song "Oye Pablo" came out in August 2019. She released the album Sie7e + in 2020, followed by K.O. in 2021. Her album Childstar was released in 2024.

Endorsements and Partnerships

In January 2016, Danna Paola became the new face for L'Oreal Paris's "Casting Crème Gloss" hair color line in Latin America. She appeared in print and TV ads for the brand.

In September 2023, she was named a global brand ambassador for the cosmetics company MAC. This partnership is set to continue through 2024.

Personal Life

Danna Paola lives in Mexico City. She has shared that she faced personal challenges during her time living in Madrid while filming Elite.

Discography

• Mi Globo Azul (2002)
• Oceano (2004)
• Chiquita Pero Picosa (2005)
• Danna Paola (2012)
• Sie7e + (2020)
• K.O. (2021)
• Childstar (2024)

Filmography

Movies

Year	Title	Roles	Notes
2008	Tear This Heart Out	Lilia Ascencio (age 12)
2010	Tangled	Rapunzel	Voice role; Latin-American Spanish dubbing
2015	Home	Tip Tucci
2018	Lo más sencillo es complicarlo todo	Renata
2021	Raya and the Last Dragon	Raya	Voice role; Latin-American Spanish dubbing
2024	Wicked	Elphaba	Latin-American Spanish dubbing
2025	Wicked: For Good

Television Shows

Theatre Performances

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Danna Paola in 2015

See also

In Spanish: Danna Paola para niños