Liamani Segura
Liamani Segura | |
---|---|
Born | Racine, Wisconsin, U.S. | October 24, 2008
Occupation(s) | Singer, actress |
Years active | 2018–present |
Website | liamanisegura |
Liamani Segura (born October 24, 2008) is an American singer and actress of Mexican and Filipino ancestry. Liamani began her musical career at age 9 when she was cast as Dorothy in the Lees–McRae College Summer Theatre production of The Wiz. As an actress she made her television debut in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series as Emmy.
Self-taught, she began performing in public at age six, has sung the national anthem at many venues, including the Indy 500, Game 1 of Major League Baseball's 2018 National League Division Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies at Miller Park, and the 2019 NCAA Women's Final Four Championship Game.
Early life
[edit]I remember the words and I just sing my little heart out.
–Liamani Segura, age 9[1]
Liamani Segura was born in Racine, Wisconsin, on October 24, 2008.[2] Her father, Anthony Segura, is a disabled veteran of the United States Army Reserve and her mother, Joanna, is a registered nurse.[3][4] She has an older sister and a younger brother.[3]
Segura began singing when she was two.[1] Self-taught, she did not take voice lessons or participate in organized musical activities as a girl.[3][5] She practiced her vocal inflections by watching music videos on YouTube.[3]
She sang the national anthem in public for the first time at a school talent show when she was in kindergarten,[1] and soon branched out to sporting venues.[3][6] In her second live performance outside her home in February 2015, she sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" before 1,300 attendees at a St. Catherine's High School basketball game.[3][5][7] Two months later, she performed the national anthem at a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game;[8] she was invited back to sing at Miller Park in 2016[9] and again in 2017.[10] In October 2018, she sang the national anthem before Game 1 of the 2018 National League Division Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies at Miller Park.[1]
Segura has performed the national anthem before basketball games of St. Catherine's High School, Horlick High School, Park High School, Marquette Golden Eagles, and the Milwaukee Bucks; baseball games of the Milwaukee Brewers; the Indy 500; and the Miss Racine beauty contest.[3][5][6][11][12] Her voice is described as powerful and loud in contrast to her petite frame.[5][6]
Segura competed on America's Got Talent, but was eliminated before the televised round.[11]
Acting career
[edit]In 2018, the nine-year-old Segura was cast as Dorothy in the Lees–McRae College Summer Theatre production of The Wiz.[13][14]
In 2019, Segura sang the national anthem at the NCAA Women's Final Four Championship game.[15]
In 2020, Segura started her own YouTube channel on which she uploads videos from her live performances as well as sings covers of contemporary songs.[16] She participated in the Deborah Cox Challenge, posting her cover of the ending to Cox's song "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" on Instagram and earning high praise from Cox herself.[17][18] During the COVID-19 pandemic, she videotaped the national anthem for a virtual Memorial Day livestream event[19] and sang the national anthem in a fan-less stadium for the Milwaukee Brewers' home opener on July 31.[20]
In 2022, Segura was cast in season 3 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series as Emmy in a recurring role.[21] In 2023, Segura was promoted to the main cast for the 4th season of the series.
Awards and honors
[edit]Segura has placed first in the Racine Journal Times reader poll for best musician in the county in 2018,[11] 2019,[22] and 2020.[23]
She won second prize for her performance of "I'll Be There" at a 2019 talent show benefiting the HOPES Center of Racine sponsored by the Racine Dominican Sisters.[24]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Jackel, Peter (October 5, 2018). "9-year-old Racine girl sings anthem at Brewers playoff opener". Racine Journal Times. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ "Liamani Sings". Facebook. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g Wicklund, Pete (February 20, 2015). "A star is born — 6-year-old wows Racine with national anthem performances". Racine Journal Times. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ Lockwood, Denise (March 8, 2015). "6-Year-Old To Sing At Milwaukee Bucks Game Wednesday Night". Racine County Eye. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
- ^ a b c d DeLong, Katie (March 8, 2015). "'Singing makes me happy:' Racine kindergartner's powerful voice is blowing people away". Fox6. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ a b c Valliere, Toni (January 16, 2016). "7-year-old Racine girl's voice capturing national attention". WISN-TV. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ Weingus, Leigh (March 3, 2015). "Six-year-old Wisconsin girl completely crushes the national anthem". HuffPost. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ Moyer, Caitlin (April 13, 2015). "6-Year-Old Liamani Segura Wows Crowd with Rendition of National Anthem". Milwaukee Brewers. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ Moyer, Caitlin (July 24, 2016). "7-Year-Old Liamani Segura Wows Crowd with Rendition of National Anthem". Milwaukee Brewers. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ Moyer, Caitlin (July 30, 2017). "8-Year-Old Liamani Segura Wows Crowd with Rendition of National Anthem". Milwaukee Brewers. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ a b c Jones, Stephanie (September 23, 2018). "Best Band/Musician". Racine Journal Times. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ "9-year-old Liamani Segura belts out National Anthem at Milwaukee Bucks game". WTMJ-TV. December 29, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ "Little but Loud: Dorothy from 'The Wiz' wows noontime audience". WCYB-TV. June 18, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ Mastandrea, Nina (June 15, 2018). "Summer Theatre performance of The Wiz to kick off 34th season June 24". Lees–McRae College. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ Putnam, Bob (April 7, 2019). "Meet the national anthem singer who captivates the Women's NCAA Tournament crowd". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- ^ Markianou, Irene (May 21, 2020). "11-Year-Old Takes 'Rise Up' To New Heights With Powerful Voice". See It Live. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ "11-year-old Racine Native Liamani Segura Makes "TMZ" and National Headlines for Instagram Challenge". WGTD. October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ "Deborah Cox Blown Away By 1998 Classic Challenge...especially by 11-year-old girl!!!". TMZ. October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ Casey, Evan (May 21, 2020). "This Wauwatosa resident is organizing a virtual Memorial Day event". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ "11-year-old girl to sing national anthem for Brewers home opener". WISN-TV. July 30, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ "'HSMTMTS' Adds Three to Season 3 Cast: See Who They're Playing (Exclusive) | Entertainment Tonight". www.etonline.com. March 8, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ "Best Band/Musician: Liamani Segura". Racine Journal Times. September 22, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- ^ "Best Band/Musician: Liamani Segura". Racine Journal Times. September 27, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ "Event: Raising Hopes". Racine Dominican Sisters. Retrieved October 25, 2020.