Who Are The New Disney Pop Teen Queens?

Given Miley Cyrus' less than becoming behavior of late, Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez have been singled out as Disney's new pop princesses ready to sit on Cyrus' throne. Parents who keep an eye on what their children watch on television, may want to take note of what the up-and-coming pair are up to. After all, parents like to know a little bit about the celebs visiting our living rooms a few hours a day with our children — we do this with their actual friends too. So, who are they, where did they come from and why do they matter? 

Demetria Devonne Lovato exploded on the teen-scene as the star of the Disney Channel Movie Camp Rock (2008). She's from Dallas, Texas, and started her acting career around six years old on Barney and Friends where she met and became close friends with Selena Gomez. Both are currently filming a movie together titled Princess Protection Program. Demi opened for the Jonas Brothers during their Burnin Up Tour this summer, and has a debut CD entitled “Don't Forget” featuring songs co-written with the Jonas Brothers. She is a singer, songwriter, and also plays guitar and piano. Disney announced she will reprise her role as Mitchie Torres for Camp Rock 2, as well as star in her own show Welcome to Molleywood.

Photo by Javier Porras

Selena Gomez also started her career on Barney and Friends at the age of 10. Selena Marie Gomez was born in New York City, New York, and later moved to Grand Prairie, Texas. Her big break came after auditioning three times for Disney's The Wizards of Waverly where she plays the role of Alex Russo. She stars in the new Disney movie Another Cinderella Story and co-stars with her best bud Demi in the Disney movie Princess Protection Program.

Photo courtesy of WirePhoto.com

Besides singing, acting and friendship both performers come from divorced parents and have their Latin ancestry in common. Gomez is “half-Mexican and half-white” she told Lateen Magazine, and admits she regrets not learning to speak Spanish.

Demi Lovato is of Hispanic, Italian and Irish descent. Like the Jonas Brothers, she wears a purity ring hanging from a necklace. Her mother, Diana de la Garza, was a cheerleader and country music singer. Demi has an older sister, and a much younger half sister spotted in the role of Juanita on Desperate Housewives.

Both girls have worked with the Jonas Brothers which has propelled their names to the forefront of teen pop news. (Selena has gotten a little more attention in this respect for '>dating Nick Jonas)

Unlike the Hannah Montana star's bad-girl antics making national news, teen publications have drawn attention to Gomez and Lovato as Disney's representatives of its good-girl brand of tween entertainment.

In an interview with New York Daily News, Demi spoke about the pressures and pitfalls of becoming a household name, “Of course, it's going to add some pressure – the pressure not to make mistakes, and try and keep a good head on your shoulders,” she said. “Just don't believe the hype because if something happens and you're not the next big thing. I love what I'm doing and if the rest comes, great”.

It's not clear whether Miley will abdicate her throne as pop queen anytime soon, but frankly, there's plenty of room for a couple of ladies-in-waiting as they continue to rise above the rest.