As rumors about "Stranger Things" season 5 already begin to fly, fans of the show fortunately don't have to wait long to hear from some of the cast. Joe Keery — who has been making music for years under the moniker of Djo (pronounced "Joe") — is set to release his new album DECIDE on Sept. 16. Just one week later on Sept. 23, Maya Hawke is releasing her own album, Moss.

Getting two musical albums from a television show's cast might seem surprising, but it shouldn't be a shock from this group. Many of the "Stranger Things" actors and actresses come from musical backgrounds — and several have continued their music-related ventures while filming the show.

Like Keery and Hawke, some of the cast have made their own music, whether solo or in bands.  A few have made cameos in music videos for some of music's biggest names, and a couple have even performed in musicals on Broadway. With such a musically gifted cast, maybe it's not a coincidence that the music of "Stranger Things" — whether the original score or the licensed soundtracks — has been one of the show's most beloved elements.

GRAMMY.com has compiled a list of some of the most musically prolific "Stranger Things" actors and actresses — from those who are artists in their own right to one who lived out a Metallica superfan's dream.

Joe Keery

Joe Keery, who plays fan favorite Steve Harrington, is no stranger to making music. Even before "Stranger Things," Keery was performing as part of Chicago psychedelic-rock group Post Animal. While his acting career eventually led him away from the group, the influences of their heavily guitar-based, funky sounds — like those found on their album When I Think Of You In A Castle — stuck with him.

Keery has since started a solo project under the name Djo, releasing his first album Twenty Twenty in 2019. He's further dipped into expressive, rollicking guitar licks while incorporating elements of shoegaze, as found on tracks like "Change," the lead single from his next LP, DECIDE. But he hasn't forgotten where he started musically: Keery recently reunited on stage with Post Animal during a Lollapalooza aftershow.  

Maya Hawke

Maya Hawke joined the "Stranger Things" cast as Robin Buckley in season 3 in 2019. That same year, she released her debut singles, "To Love A Boy" and "Stay Open." Her debut studio album, Blush, arrived in June 2020, and now she's set to release her latest project, Moss.

Hawke's music is deeply introspective, often finding her reflecting on the twists and turns of life over mellow piano lines and gentle acoustic guitar chords. She also brings the thoughtful, expressive vision to her music videos, from the NSFW video for "Thérèse" to the video for "Sweet Tooth," which matches the song's whimsical, nostalgic feeling. 

Finn Wolfhard

Mike Wheeler, played by Finn Wolfhard, was arguably the main character of the first two seasons of "Stranger Things" before it shifted to a more ensemble setup. Wolfhard has also taken center stage in music as the frontman of the rock band Calpurnia, formed in 2017. While the band played a number of covers alongside original material, Calpurnia only officially released a single EP, 2018's Scout, which showcased Wolfhard's howling vocals and funky guitar riffs.

After Calpurnia dissolved in 2019, Wolfhard formed a second band, The Aubreys. Featuring more mature songwriting and musicianship, The Aubreys released an album, Karaoke Alone, in 2021. In August the band posted a new YouTube video to showcase snippets of new music yet to come.

Charlie Heaton

Charlie Heaton was involved in one of the first big musical moments of "Stranger Things": The bond his character, Jonathan Byers, shares with his brother Will (Noah Schnapp) through The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go" played a key role in the first season.

Heaton had plenty of music experience before the show's inception, though, as he was the drummer for British band Comanechi in the early 2010s. The band released two albums, 2009's Crime of Love and 2013's You Owe Me Nothing But Love, full of grimey, sonically dense rock tracks. Heaton also briefly played drums for London alt-rock group Half Loon, who released a handful of singles between 2016 and 2017.

Gaten Matarazzo

"Stranger Things" fans were able to hear Gaten Matarazzo's singing for themselves in the show's third season, where his character, Dustin Henderson, performs a delightful rendition of the theme song for 1984 fantasy film The NeverEnding Story. But perhaps unbeknownst to viewers, Matarazzo had been honing his voice for years before that — on none other than the Broadway stage.

Matarazzo originally made his debut as Benji in "Priscilla Queen of The Desert" in that show's 2011-2012 run. His big break on the stage came in 2014, where he played the pivotal role of Gavroche in "Les Misérables" (he toured in the role the prior year). Matarazzo hasn't left those roots behind, as this summer he took on the role of Jared in "Dear Evan Hansen."

Since debuting in "Stranger Things," Matarazzo has also starred in a few music videos: Katy Perry's "Swish Swish," Computer Games' "Lost Boys Life" and Green Day's "Meet Me On The Roof."

Sadie Sink

Of the established cast, no one had a star-turning performance on the latest season of "Stranger Things" quite like Sadie Sink, whose work as Max Mayfield provided the emotional heart of season 4. Fans have watched her grow since season 2, but those who love theatre may recognize her from the 2013 Broadway production of "Annie," as Sink starred in the iconic lead role. (She first served as a standby for the musical in 2012.)

In more recent days, Sink's storyline as Max helped propel Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" to the top of the charts decades after its release, and the actress also appeared in the music video for Taylor Swift's fabled 10-minute version of "All Too Well," which just won Video of the Year at MTV's Video Music Awards.

Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder's early role as Lydia in 1988's Beetlejuice remains a touchstone for everyone who loves dark aesthetics and spooky vibes, and the ending scene with Harry Belafonte's "Jump In The Line" is still one of her most renowned moments. "Stranger Things" lovers now know her as Joyce Byers.

Naturally, musical artists have taken inspiration from her work, and it's resulted in some high-profile music video collaborations for Ryder over the years. After making her music-video debut in 1989 with Mojo Nixon's "Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child," Ryder seemingly became a music-video staple of the 1990's: She appeared in the videos for Cher's "The Shoop Shoop Song," Roy Orbison's "A Love So Beautiful," Soul Asylum's "Without a Trace," Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's "Talk About the Blues" and Jonathan Rice's "We're All Stuck Out In The Desert."

Her inspiration hasn't entirely faded over the years either, as Ryder appeared in the 2012 music video for The Killers' "Here With Me." (Plus, a quick search of "Winona Ryder" on Spotify yields more than 20 songs titled with her name.)

Millie Bobby Brown

Like Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown's breakout role — which, of course, was the telepathically gifted Eleven in "Stranger Things" — has helped her become a highly sought-after star. Not only has she since starred in the latest Godzilla films and Netflix's popular mystery film Enola Holmes, but Brown has also been recruited for music videos across several genres.

She starred in the videos for production duo Sigma's "Find Me" and The xx's "I Dare You" to begin with, before moving to guest roles for some of the biggest artists in music. Drake and Maroon 5 both tapped her for cameo roles (in "In My Feelings" and "Girls Like You," respectively), and she appeared in the "Celebrity Edition" of Mariah Carey's holiday classic "All I Want For Christmas Is You," released for the song's 25th anniversary in 2019.

Joseph Quinn

Joseph Quinn is another "Stranger Things" actor whose role almost instantly turned him into a beloved star. Social media fell in love with his portrayal of outcast Eddie Munson in the fourth season of "Stranger Things," propelling him to fame seemingly overnight.

In one of the most memorable (and memeable) moments in the season, Eddie put on an otherworldly performance of Metallica's "Master of Puppets" in the grim dimension of the Upside Down, and audiences ate it up. The scene proved so popular that Metallica met Quinn backstage at Lollapalooza, and even gave him the opportunity to shred the track with them. The band also used footage of the scene during their performance of the song during their headlining set — further proving that the "Stranger Things" cast has quite the hold on pop culture, from TV to music and beyond.

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