Liamani Segura

Liamani Segura
Born (2008-10-24) October 24, 2008 (age 16)
Racine, Wisconsin, U.S.
Occupation(s)Singer, actress
Years active2018–present
Websiteliamanisegura.com

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

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]

Miller Park

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

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

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

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Liamani Sings". Facebook. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Lockwood, Denise (March 8, 2015). "6-Year-Old To Sing At Milwaukee Bucks Game Wednesday Night". Racine County Eye. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ a b c Valliere, Toni (January 16, 2016). "7-year-old Racine girl's voice capturing national attention". WISN-TV. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  7. ^ Weingus, Leigh (March 3, 2015). "Six-year-old Wisconsin girl completely crushes the national anthem". HuffPost. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  8. ^ Moyer, Caitlin (April 13, 2015). "6-Year-Old Liamani Segura Wows Crowd with Rendition of National Anthem". Milwaukee Brewers. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  9. ^ Moyer, Caitlin (July 24, 2016). "7-Year-Old Liamani Segura Wows Crowd with Rendition of National Anthem". Milwaukee Brewers. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  10. ^ Moyer, Caitlin (July 30, 2017). "8-Year-Old Liamani Segura Wows Crowd with Rendition of National Anthem". Milwaukee Brewers. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  11. ^ a b c Jones, Stephanie (September 23, 2018). "Best Band/Musician". Racine Journal Times. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  12. ^ "9-year-old Liamani Segura belts out National Anthem at Milwaukee Bucks game". WTMJ-TV. December 29, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  13. ^ "Little but Loud: Dorothy from 'The Wiz' wows noontime audience". WCYB-TV. June 18, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ Markianou, Irene (May 21, 2020). "11-Year-Old Takes 'Rise Up' To New Heights With Powerful Voice". See It Live. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  17. ^ "11-year-old Racine Native Liamani Segura Makes "TMZ" and National Headlines for Instagram Challenge". WGTD. October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  18. ^ "Deborah Cox Blown Away By 1998 Classic Challenge...especially by 11-year-old girl!!!". TMZ. October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  19. ^ Casey, Evan (May 21, 2020). "This Wauwatosa resident is organizing a virtual Memorial Day event". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  20. ^ "11-year-old girl to sing national anthem for Brewers home opener". WISN-TV. July 30, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  21. ^ "'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.
  22. ^ "Best Band/Musician: Liamani Segura". Racine Journal Times. September 22, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  23. ^ "Best Band/Musician: Liamani Segura". Racine Journal Times. September 27, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  24. ^ "Event: Raising Hopes". Racine Dominican Sisters. Retrieved October 25, 2020.