It makes perfect sense that 17-year-old Swayam Ranjeet Bhatia (Sway for short) is a Libra. After all, she’s a master at balancing, well, everything.
This year alone, the rising talent starred in the DCOM of the summer (shoutout Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires), trained as a professional dancer, wrote her own songs and, maybe most impressively, survived high school.
Born in New York but raised in Dubai, her parents encouraged her to constantly seek out new experiences—including an opportunity to dance at a concert alongside Bollywood legend (and one of Sway’s personal role models) Priyanka Chopra.
“I was so excited to be there, I ran on the stage too early!” she remembers. Totally understandable, considering she was just 2 (!) years old at the time.
Seeing that Sway was made for the spotlight, her family moved back to the States, where she jumped headfirst into the audition circuit, landing spots on major shows like Sucession and The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.
But her core career memory? Finding out she’d get to portray vampire Vera in her fave Disney franchise. “I was actually in econ class when I heard. I went into the hallway and started bawling my eyes out,” she says. “Teachers were stopping and asking if I was OK. I just had to say they were tears of joy.”
Sway aced the acting game on the New Zealand Zombies set (even becoming its unofficial choreo coach wth her IRL pals Malachi Barton and Mekonnen Knife) all while simultaneously prepping her college apps (even when that meant staying up until 3 a.m. to Zoom with her SAT tutor back home in New Jersey).
“It took a lot out of me, but education is so important and makes you a well-rounded person,” shes shares. “And filming on set was just the best experience. Getting to dance and sing with this amazing cast…just being in their presence was incredible.”
As for Sway’s next steps? She’s headed to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts this fall to study film and television—a longtime dream finally coming true. “As a kid, it was the only college I ever thought about,” she says. “So it’s kind of surreal I’m actually going now.”
But, no surprise, she’s not slowing down on her acting career. “I have two movies—a comedy and a sci-fi—in the works right now,” she shares.
She’s also diving into music, writing her own songs and pulling inspiration from fave artists Benson Boone and SZA. “I strive to write like them…that kind of unique music you can escape into.” A self-described “one-woman band” (she plays guitar, bass and drums), Sway is thankful for the emotional outlet music gives her. “It’s stress relief for me. Instead of therapy, I make music or play my drums. My neighbors hate me,” she jokes.
We doubt that. Because when it comes to Sway and all that she has to offer, there’s just *so* much to love.
Hey, girl! Just to let you know, this piece was originally featured in our August/September 2025 issue. Read our print mag for *free* today when you click HERE!
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Photographed by Maarten De Boer.
Hair by Laura Rugetti.
Makeup by Robert Bryan.
Styled by Tabitha Sanchez.
