Sept. 1 is a big day for Zendaya.

First of all, it's the actress/singer/dancer's nineteenth birthday.

And on Tuesday, Zendaya will be the face of the Disney Channel as Corus Entertainment launches the specialty service in Canada. Fans will be able to binge on a marathon session of her tween sitcom "K.C. Undercover."

Zendaya is on Disney's fast track to fame, on the same promotional catapult that launched Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato as adult superstars. She looks up to both, saying they have been "nice and supportive."

In 2009, she landed Disney's TV series "Shake It Up" and soon after was recording a solo album for Hollywood Records.

In 2013, she went deep on "Dancing with the Stars" and ended up the runner-up to country music star Kellie Pickler. Zendaya was just 16 at the time, the youngest "DWTS" celebrity contestant ever.

"I pushed myself to places that I didn't think I could go," she says, adding it wasn't always a lot of fun. "I was stressed out on that job a lot."

She's just taped a guest appearance on the second season of the ABC sitcom "Black-ish." She'll also be a celebrity judge (along with Canadian "Shark Tank" star Kevin O'Leary) on ABC's coverage of the 2016 Miss America Competition, which will air live from Atlantic City on Sept. 13.

Zendaya is also heading back into the studio to finish work on her second album. She cites Michael Jackson as her favourite artist — although she's also crushing on Drake. "Everyone loves Drake," she says.

The young Oakland, Calif., native has spent half her life performing. Born Zendaya Coleman, she grew up helping her mom at a Shakespearean theatre company, attended an Oakland school of the arts, and went on to act and dance while studying at various theatre programs.

"I was always very attracted to the stage and that world," she says.

On "K.C. Undercover," she's listed as a co-producer.

"When you have an official title," she says, "not only do you have a voice, but you have a voice that has to be heard."

On a special hour-long episode airing Tuesday, she gets to play opposite former child star Raven-Symone. They share a hilarious scene together, going undercover as a pair of grey-haired janitors. The transformation took about three hours in the makeup chair.

Zendaya says she picked up some cues on comedy and timing — but also on life — from her 29-year-old co-star.

"One of the main things that she told me is make sure you're happy and you're doing what you love," she says.

"She was just checking in, making sure I'm still happy."

— Bill Brioux is a freelance TV columnist based in Brampton, Ont.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2015