JD McCrary facts for kids

Quick facts for kids JayDon
Background information
Birth name	JayDon McCrary
Born	(2007-07-18) July 18, 2007 (age 18) Granada Hills, California, U.S.
Genres	R&B, Pop, Hip-Hop, pop rock, soul, funk, neo soul, rock, funk rock
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, actor, dancer
Years active	2014–present
Labels	Zoo Mega Gamma

JayDon McCrary (born July 18, 2007), known as JayDon, is a talented American singer, songwriter, and dancer. He was previously known as JD McCrary. JayDon is famous for voicing young Simba in The Lion King movie from 2019. He also played Kenny Payne in the TV show The Paynes and appeared in the 2019 film Little. In 2025, he joined the record label Mega, which is led by Usher and L.A. Reid.

JayDon's Amazing Career Journey

Early Acting Roles and Music

JayDon McCrary started his acting career in 2015 when he was just 8 years old. He appeared in two episodes of the TV show K.C. Undercover. In December 2016, he was featured on a song called "Terrified" by Childish Gambino.

He also performed live on popular TV shows like Little Big Shots, where he sang "I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5. He also sang "Who's Lovin' You" on The Ellen Show. JayDon even performed at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards to support Childish Gambino's song. In December 2017, he sang the national anthem before a Los Angeles Clippers basketball game. He also had small roles in the TV shows I'm Dying Up Here and Teachers in 2017.

First Songs and Big Movie Roles

On January 14, 2018, JayDon released his first official song, "Inviting All of You." Later that year, on August 13, 2018, he became the youngest artist to sign with Disney Music Group's Hollywood Records. He then released the music video for his second song, "My Name," on August 28. After signing with the label, he released "Keep in Touch" on January 24, 2019. He also starred as Kenny Payne in The Paynes on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

In 2019, JayDon had two very important movie roles. He co-starred in the comedy film Little. He also provided the voice of young Simba in the live-action remake of the Disney movie The Lion King. JayDon mentioned that he thought about Donald Glover, who voiced the adult Simba, to make sure his young Simba sounded like he would grow into that character. Also in 2019, JayDon played a young Michael Jackson in the BET series American Soul. On April 19, he released his first collection of songs, called an EP, titled Shine. This EP included music produced by famous artists like Jermaine Dupri. He also appeared on the comedy show Wild 'n Out.

JayDon's Music Today

In 2024, JayDon changed his stage name to his birth name, JayDon. On November 8, 2024, he released his first song under his new name, "Ah! Ah!", which featured 310babii. In 2025, it was announced that he officially signed with Usher and L.A. Reid's record label, Mega. This partnership is with Larry Jackson's Gamma company. In 2025, he released two more songs, "Lullaby" and "I'll Be Good." A music video for "I'll Be Good" was released on April 24, 2025.

JayDon's Musical Inspirations

In an interview with Vibe magazine, JayDon shared who inspires his music. He said that Michael Jackson is his biggest influence. He also looks up to artists like Chris Brown, Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber, Omarion, Bobby Brown, Usher, and Mario. It's cool that he is now signed to Usher's label, as Usher is one of his mentors!

JayDon's Film and TV Appearances

Movies

Television Shows