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Biography
Performing has
always been such a huge part of my life. Not
just singing but dancing and acting as well.
My first actual
experience of performing was when I was just four years old and I joined a local
dancing school, where I concentrated mainly on ballet and tap dancing.
Doing this at a young age allowed me to build my confidence from such an
early stage in my life as it involved performing in front of large audiences
right from the start.
I participated in
many dancing shows with my dance group, which helped me gain experience and
taught me how to handle pressure. I
was five years old when I appeared in my first major show.
It involved dancing with the chorus in ‘The King and I’ and
‘Oliver’. I remember really enjoying being on stage in front of so many
people as I loved the buzz I felt from performing. From then on I knew performing was what I really wanted to
do.
I
carried on gaining experience in dance for over eleven years and was involved in
taking many examinations and I received many medals throughout this time.
I
was always happier however, when I was singing and acting. I was always singing, from such a young age, as it gave me such a great
feeling and it allowed me to switch myself off from everyday life and go into a
world of my own. Music has always
been such a big part of my life. My
mum was very musical and loved to sing, so I grew up listening to the records
she always used to play and sing along to.
This included The Carpenters and Barbra Streisand, and their music has
really inspired me to do what I’m doing today.
I used to sing and act in front of family and friends all the time but I
realised I wanted a bigger audience. I
auditioned for the school production when I was at primary school and I gained a
main role, which involved acting and singing solo.
This continued through to secondary school, where I auditioned for many
school productions, each time gaining a main role. I loved being able to sing and act in front of a large
audience, it was a new experience from the dance shows I had done in the past.
I really enjoyed playing the role of Joyce Heth in the production
‘Barnum’. She was such a fun
character to play – a very eccentric old woman.
I
joined Stagecoach in 1999, a well-known theatre group in order to gain more
training and experience in performing. I
took part in many productions throughout my time at Stagecoach, including ‘The
Rainbow Juggler’. This was a very
special performance as over one hundred simultaneous productions were being
performed worldwide at exactly the same time.
Stagecoach had a professional singing troupe and dance troupe, which
involved paid work and strict training. For
the dance troupe twenty-five people auditioned and only four could be chosen,
and the singing troupe had nine spaces and thirty people auditioned.
I auditioned for both troupes and was lucky to be successful in both
auditions. Whilst being involved in
these professional groups I took part in many large gigs, including an hour slot
at Keynsham Music Festival, where we received a standing ovation.
I
appeared on television at the age of sixteen, as I was successful in an audition
for Michael Barrymore’s ‘My Kind of People’.
I travelled to London and performed in the Lakeside shopping mall, it was
great fun!
It
was at the age of nineteen when I was given the opportunity to become a
professional singer. A friend of
the family who was on the singing circuit was moving away and as she knew I
loved to sing, asked me if I would like to purchase her singing equipment.
Of course I jumped at the chance…what an opportunity to be given!
It would involve paid work in pubs and clubs around my area and
performing at weddings, parties and other special occasions was also an option.
Before she moved away, I joined her at some of her gigs and sang a couple
of songs in order to get known on the circuit and hopefully to be offered
business. I received a lot of
interest from many pubs and clubs around Bristol and Bath and I had my first gig
on Saturday 14th June 2003 at the Swan Inn in Hanham.
Since
then I have been extremely busy with gigs as I am getting good reviews from the
proprietors and the locals. I have
also done private functions, including birthday parties and wedding receptions.
I also took part in a large charity event in January 2005 in order
to raise funds for the Tsunami appeal.
I
have had many comments about the large variety of music I perform.
Pubs and clubs have so many different age groups, so I want the music I
sing to appeal to everyone. I
generally do two forty five minute sets and I sing music from the 60’s to the
present day, a mixture of different styles, including ABBA, Bryan Adams, Nancy
Sinatra, Kylie, Celine Dion, Queen and Eva Cassidy.
I’m really enjoying what I’m doing, it’s a lot of fun and it’s a
great way of building confidence and adding to my experience in the performing
industry.
For the last two
years I have been at Bath College studying for a Performing Arts National
Diploma. This course has really helped me improve my stage presence and
increase my confidence. Through this
course I have performed at the Egg Theatre in Bath in a production of 'Grimm's
Tales' where I played the character of Gretel from the Story 'Hansel and
Gretel'. I am currently rehearsing for our next show, William
Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Nights Dream' which is also on at The Egg theatre in
May 2007. I am playing the character of Titania Queen of the fairies,
which is the part I auditioned for, so I am pleased to be given the chance to
play this challenging role. During this course I have also had the
opportunity to take a LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts) acting
exam. I was entered in for the gold medal and passed this with a merit
which I was so proud of and this qualification looks great on a C.V. I try
to involve myself in as many things like this as possible in order to develop a
'good looking' portfolio. I was originally planning on going into teaching
when my course finishes in June, but I have been advised by my teachers and
others that I should take a year out and give it a good go trying to make it in
the entertainment industry. I also feel myself that this is something I
need and want to do as I don't want any regrets and thoughts of 'what if' in the
future. The year out will involve me recording material to send away and
promote myself, taking part in larger gigs in holiday parks for example, which
will also require me to travel further a field and also I will need to look into
getting an agent, not only for singing but my acting work too. I am really
excited about where all this will lead!
So…there
you have it. You all know now how I
became interested in performing and what I am up to now.
I’d like to thank everyone who comes along to my gigs regularly to
support me and help me carry those really heavy speakers!
I hope to see you all at my gigs soon…check out my gig guide for upcoming
dates!
Oh
yeah…also, I’ve been approached a number of times after my gigs and asked if
I have an album for sale. I don’t
have one yet but I will hopefully recording one when I've finished college in
June 2007!
Take
care,
Lots
of love, hugs and kisses,
Amy
Lee x
This site is © Copyright Amy Lee 2007, All Rights Reserved.
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