Kaitlyn Maher
Kaitlyn Ashley Maher (born January 10, 2004) is an American teen singer and actress. In 2008, at the age of 4, she appeared on the third season of America's Got Talent and for her audition sang "Somewhere Out There". She reached the top 10 of AGT season 3, and was the youngest person to ever reach that level. Maher has since appeared live at The Great Kids Expo[3][4] in Chantilly, Virginia, on October 25, 2008, a live broadcast of the 2008 lighting of the National Christmas Tree,[5] on December 4, 2008, attended by President George W. Bush and over 7,000 guests, and the 2009 Cherry Blossom Festival on April 11, 2009.[6] On October 3, 2009, Maher was the opening act of The Addi and Cassi Hempel Fund benefit.[7] Maher has appeared in a Harris Teeter[8] commercial airing during December 2008. She was also selected by Compassion International as its first ever Child Ambassador, visited children in El Salvador with Compassion, got to meet her sponsored child, and shot a music video to her title song "You Were Meant to Be."
Kaitlyn Maher | |
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Maher performing at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in 2009 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Kaitlyn Ashley Maher |
Born | Novi, Michigan, U.S. | January 10, 2004
Origin | Novi, Michigan, U.S. |
Genres | Pop/Rock, Religious[1] |
Occupation(s) | Child singer, actress |
Instruments | Vocals, piano, guitar |
Years active | 2008–present (singer) 2009–present (actor) |
Labels | Universal Music[2] |
Website | www.kaitlynmaher.com.usa |
Maher signed a recording deal late in 2009 with Indie Extreme for the release of her debut album You Were Meant To Be.[9] The album was released December 15, 2009.[10] Maher appeared in the Disney direct to video movie Santa Buddies[11] as the voice for the character Tiny,[12] which was released on November 24, 2009. Maher played the orphan Quinn in The Search for Santa Paws.[13] She played Sarah Reynolds in Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups.[14]
Early life
Maher was born Kaitlyn Ashley Maher in Novi, Michigan on January 10, 2004 and raised in Ashburn, Virginia.
Career
America's Got Talent
Maher began her career on the third season of the American television reality show America's Got Talent, when she reached the top ten.[15] Producers from the show first became aware of Maher from a video that was uploaded to the popular video sharing website YouTube. The video had been made after she had been asked to sing at a birthday party for one of her relations in Canada. The video was posted because Alison Maher was pregnant with her second child and they could not travel to Canada. Five months after the video had been made, around Maher's fourth birthday; Maher's parents received an e-mail from NBC's America's Got Talent asking if Maher would be able to audition for the show's third season.
Performances / Results
Week | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Performance order | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Audition | N/A | "Somewhere Out There" | James Horner | N/A | Advanced |
Vegas Verdicts | Child performers | "When You Wish Upon a Star" | Cliff Edwards | 2 | Advanced |
Top 40 Group 1 |
Semi-finals | "What a Wonderful World" | Louis Armstrong | 4 | Advanced |
Top 20 Group 1 |
Heroes | "Beauty and the Beast" | Beauty and the Beast | 7 | Advanced |
Top 10 | N/A | "I'll Be There" | The Jackson 5 | 2 | Eliminated |
The Goodwin Games
In 2013, Maher joined the cast of The Goodwin Games in the role of Piper Goodwin, the daughter of Jimmy Goodwin (played by T.J. Miller).[16]
Russell Madness
Maher provided the voice of Grace in Russell Madness, directed by Robert Vince. This film was released on February 21, 2015.[17]
Discography
- You Were Meant to Be (2009, Universal Music; 11 tracks, 39 minutes)
Filmography
Year | Film | Role |
---|---|---|
2009 | Santa Buddies | Tiny (voice) |
2010 | The Search for Santa Paws | Quinn |
2012 | Treasure Buddies | Cammy (voice) |
Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups | Sarah Reynolds | |
A Turtle's Tale 2: Sammy's Escape from Paradise | Ella (voice) | |
2013 | The Goodwin Games | Piper Goodwin |
Free Birds | President's daughter (voice) | |
2015 | Russell Madness | Grace (voice) |
2016 | Mack & Moxy | Trooper Kaitlyn (voice) |
2016 | Pup Star | Tiny (voice) |
2017 | Pup Star: Better 2gether | Tiny & Scrappy (voice) |
2018 | Pup Star: World Tour | Tiny & Scrappy (voice) |
2018 | Puppy Star Christmas | Tiny & Scrappy (voice) |
References
- Kaitlyn Maher; You Were Meant to Be AllMusic Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- You Were Meant to Be (CD – Universal Music #77128) AllMusic Retrieved May 13, 2013.
- "Every Thing For Healthy, Happy and Safe Kids of all ages". Great Kids Expo. 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
- Hendrickson, Lisa (October 16, 2008). "Four-Year Old Singer Kaitlyn Maher to Perform at Great Kids Expo". Thomson Reuters.
- "(Photo Gallery) – Four Year Old Singer Kaitlyn Maher to Performing at the National Christmas Tree Lighting – (Photo Gallery)". zimbio. December 4, 2008.
- Cheney, Catherine (September 2, 2009). "Singer's Only 5, But Career Hits The High Notes". The Washington Post.
- Hempel, Chris (July 30, 2009). "Kids Helping Kids: 5-year old Singing Sensation Kaitlyn Maher To Perform".
- Garman, Erica (December 4, 2008). "Ashburn's Kaitlyn Maher to Sing at National Christmas Tree Lighting(includes Harris Teeter commercial)". LoudounExtra/The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 27, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
- "Indie Extreme Signs 5 Year Old Singing Sensation, Kaitlyn Maher". News. BREATHEcast. December 4, 2009. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
- Kaitlyn Maher; You Were Meant To Be Amazon.com
- "Kaitlyn Maher – Disney's Next Star". Disney Dreaming. 2009. Archived from the original on September 9, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
- "Twelve Things You Didn't Know About Kaitlyn Maher". KOL: Movies and TV. AOL. 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
- "The Search for Santa Paws". Disney Movies. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- "Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups". Disney Movies. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- youtube Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- IMDb Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- imdb.comRetrieved December 11, 2014.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kaitlyn Maher. |