8 Surprising Singer Cameos In TV & Film

Last year, it was announced that the beloved cult television show from the ’80s Jem and the Holograms would be reincarnated by Jon M. Chu, the director behind Justin Bieber's films (yes, there are multiple), as well as the Step Up sequels. In order to celebrate, People hypothesized who would be best suited to play each of the roles from the iconic series, coming up with a list that reads much like a Rolodex of pop stars today. But, eerily, the magazine predicted one key celeb appearance — Kesha's Jem and the Holograms cameo as Pizzazz, lead singer of the Holograms' rival band the Misfits.

Pizzazz appears (spoiler!) in the end credits scene of Jem and the Holograms, though her character plays a much bigger role in the series. (Sequel, anyone?) For the role, Kesha sported green hair, a dark purple lip, pink-rimmed eyes, and a bad-girl attitude (though none of these would be surprising for a Kesha appearance circa 2010). Her appearance as the frontwoman for the menacing Misfits is another addition to a few fabulous recent singer cameos in television and film, from old-school reps like Stevie Nicks to throwbacks like Britney Spears. A few you might recall:

1. Stevie Nicks On American Horror Story: Coven

Wrapped in a piano shawl and boasting a witchy black hat, Stevie Nicks would make a convincing witch any day. Combine with Lily Rabe's outfit to the same effect, and the pair turns into a tiny coven of their own. The Stevie Nicks arc was one of the more outlandish to appear on American Horror Story in its five seasons, made all the stranger by several full-length musical interludes like "Seven Wonders" and "Rhiannon."

2. Adam Levine On American Horror Story: Asylum

The first of many moments of incredulity in Asylum, Adam Levine appears in the first moments of the first episode of the season as a newlywed photographer exploring the since-abandoned asylum with Jenna Dewan-Tatum. His character is subjected to the machinations of the serial killer Bloody Face throughout the season — and it costs him an arm. Levine told the Huffington Post that he didn't watch the series, or even his own episodes in Asylum , because he's not a huge horror fan.

3. Jack White In Cold Mountain

Though Jack White's Cold Mountain character isn't a principal character — he's a traveling singer named Georgia who finds a match in Renée Zellweger's Ruby Thewes — White himself actually performed the songs his character plays, and further recorded several songs on the soundtrack.

4. Keith Richards In Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End

Keith Richards plays Captain Jack Sparrow's (Johnny Depp) father Captain Teague in the third Pirates of the Caribbean film, At World's End, a role he reprised in the following film On Stranger Tides.

5. Britney Spears On Jane The Virgin

Britney Spears announced via Twitter that she'd be guest-starring on the upcoming second season of Jane the Virgin. She'll play the archnemesis of notorious narcissist and soap actor Rogelio, Jane's father, played by Jaime Camil. Spears also previously appeared in How I Met Your Mother and Glee.

6. Sigur Rós On Game Of Thrones

Maybe I was asleep for this, but I completely missed Jónsi and co.'s cameo on Game of Thrones in "The Lion and the Rose." Sigur Rós performs "Rains of Castamere," going incognito on the show as a group of traveling minstrels performing for Joffrey at his wedding. (The National had previously covered the song for Season Two.)

7. Lady Gaga On American Horror Story: Hotel

Just a few episodes into the most recent season, and Lady Gaga is already the best thing about American Horror Story: Hotel. Considering her aesthetic and early performance work, her character the Countess doesn't seem like too great a stretch, much like Stevie Nicks's Coven role.

8. Ezra Koenig On Girls

Girls has featured cameos from Amy Schumer, Jenny Slate, Kim Gordon, John Cameron Mitchell, and many others, but you may have missed Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig's single line during this party attended by Marnie and Hannah.

Some television shows have recruited a serious crew of non-television celebrities to play characters, and sometimes themselves, while other series feature just the occasional cameo. The same goes for film — Jem and the Holograms' Kesha cameo is a fun Easter eggs in the movie, an unexpected and welcome diversion that the filmmakers save for the very end.