Vanessa Anne Hudgens, born December 14, 1988, is an American actress and singer. She is known for her role as Gabriella Montez in the High School Musical series. She had mainstream success following the release of the High School Musical trilogy, and her relationship with co-star Zac Efron was heavily publicized. Her appearance in the series helped making her a household name.

Songs from the films also charted worldwide, with the song “Breaking Free” peaking inside the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. This led to Hudgens releasing her debut album V on September 26, 2006, which entered the Billboard 200 at number 24, and was later certified gold. Her second album Identified was released on July 1, 2008 in the United States.