4 musical cameos that you might have missed in the Harry Potter movies

It sometimes felt that everyone who was someone in British media was tied to Harry Potter and that's not a bad thing. We enjoyed seeing a Monty Python actor play Nearly-Headless Nick and who can forget that Professor Trelawney was once married to Professor Lockhart? More fun is the activity of spotting cameos from people who you might have overlooked the first time. Here are five musical talents that came to the wizarding world. Thanks go to JustJared for his eagle-eyed mentions of these performers.

1. Julianne Hough

You might not realize that the dancer, singer, and actress made her feature film debut in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Seven years before the release of her self-titled album, she was an enthusiastic Quidditch fan at the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin game.

Her dancing and singing brother Derek was Sorted into Ravenclaw in the same movie, apparently, since Jared says "He can be spotted as Hermione walks into the Great Hall before leaving for Christmas break."

2. Ian Brown

One amusing sight in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is that of a wizard intently reading a book on physics.. He idly stirs a spoon while engrossed in A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. This wizard probably aced his Muggle Studies NEWT exam.

The wizard is played by none other than the lead singer of the Stone Roses. Perhaps the reading material is a nod to the fact that his 2001 solo album, Music of the Spheres, is about the movements of celestial bodies can be interpreted as music? The 1988 book is a guide to how the universe is created.

3. Jesy Nelson

This British singer was part of Little Mix, a group formed during the popular talent program The X Factor. She has gone on to release solo music, but also has songwriting credit for music performed by her own group as well as Britney Spears.

Her role in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire preceded her musical career by several years, but the setting was right. She played one of the students attending the Yule Ball.

4. Phil Selway and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead

The band Radiohead has been around since 1985 and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019. They're immensely popular to this day, which makes two of their members fitting performers for another legetndary group: The Weird Sisters.

Jesy Nelson's appearance let her dance the night away as Jonny Greenwood asked if she could "Dance the Hippogriff" and drummer Philip Selway rocked out. This might explain why the band did not release an album between 2003 and 2007. They were clearly dealing with their Obliviated performers.

Thanks to the musicians of the Muggle world for bringing a little more magic to the wizarding world.