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Kaitlyn Maher

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Kaitlyn Maher
Maher performing at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in 2009
Background information
Birth nameKaitlyn Ashley Maher
Born (2004-01-10) January 10, 2004 (age 20)
Novi, Michigan, U.S.
OriginAshburn, Virginia, U.S.
GenresPop, rock, religious[1]
Occupation(s)Singer, actress
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano, guitar
Years active2008–present (singer)
2009–present (actress)
LabelsUniversal Music[2]
Websitewww.kaitlynmaher.com.usa

Kaitlyn Ashley Maher (born January 10, 2004) is an American singer and actress known for being the Youngest Top 10 Finalist on America's Got Talent and for her roles in films such as The Search for Santa Paws, Santa Paws 2, Free Birds, and the PupStar series; as well as television shows such as FOX's The Goodwin Games and PBS' Mack and Moxy. She serves as the first-ever youth ambassador for the global nonprofit Compassion International and is a national debate champion, singer/songwriter, and global advocate.

In 2008, at the age of 4, Maher 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, attended by First Lady Michelle Obama.[6] On October 3, 2009, Maher was the opening act of The Addi and Cassi Hempel Fund benefit.[7] Maher 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." Maher has toured internationally and sang on behalf of special needs children for the nonprofit, Jill's House;[9] for critically ill children at the National Institutes of Health Children's Inn; for wounded warriors at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center; and for retired soldiers at the Veterans' Affairs Center in Washington, D.C.[10]

Maher signed a recording deal late in 2009 with Indie Extreme for the release of her debut album You Were Meant To Be.[11] The album was released December 15, 2009.[12] Maher appeared in the Disney movie Santa Buddies[13] as the voice for the character Tiny,[14] which was released on November 24, 2009. Maher played the orphan Quinn in The Search for Santa Paws.[15] She played Sarah Reynolds in Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups.[16] In 2013, Maher starred alongside T.J. Miller, Scott Foley, Becki Newton, and Beau Bridges as Piper Goodwin in the FOX TV series The Goodwin Games.[17] She acted as the President's Daughter in Free Birds, alongside co-stars Amy Poehler, Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, and George Takei.[18] From 2016 to 2019, she played the lead roles of both Tiny and Scrappy in AirBud's four-film PupStar series.[19] She has acted in supporting roles in the Disney movie Treasure Buddies, the PBS TV series Mack and Moxy, the Disney series Disney's World of English, the AirBud film Russell Madness, and subsequent 2020 film series Russell Maniac, among others.[19]

Maher continues to write and release music, including her 2023 album "When Did We All Grow Up?" and subsequent singles "We Could Be" and "Fill It Up" in 2024.[20]

Early life and education

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Maher was born Kaitlyn Ashley Maher in Novi, Michigan, on January 10, 2004, and raised in Ashburn, Virginia. To accommodate a demanding film and performance schedule, she was homeschooled until 9th grade,[21] when she began attending The Potomac School. In high school, Maher competed on the USA Debate Team[22] and captained her school's nationally ranked speech and debate team,[23] placing first in the nation in Extemporaneous Debate at the 2021 National Speech and Debate Tournament.[24] Passionate about public speaking and political advocacy, her writing has been published by The Aspen Institute, a leading global think tank.[22] She currently attends Duke University.[25]

Career

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America's Got Talent

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Maher began her career on the third season of the American television reality show America's Got Talent, when she reached the top ten.[26] Producers from the show first became aware of her from a video that was uploaded to YouTube. The video had been made after she had been asked to sing at a birthday party for one of her family relations in Canada and the video was later posted because her mother, Alison was pregnant with her second child and they could not travel to the country. Around Maher's fourth birthday, five months after the video had been made, her parents received an e-mail from AGT's Website on NBC.com, asking if their daughter would be able to audition for the show's third season in 2008.

Performances / Results

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Week Theme Song choice Original artist Performance order Result
Audition N/A "Somewhere Out There" Linda Ronstadt
James Ingram 		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

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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).[27]

Russell Madness

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Maher provided the voice of Grace in Russell Madness, directed by Robert Vince. This film was released on February 21, 2015.[28]

Discography

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Filmography

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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)
Pup Star Tiny (voice)
2017 Pup Star: Better 2gether Tiny & Scrappy (voice)
2018 Pup Star: World Tour Tiny & Scrappy (voice)
Puppy Star Christmas Tiny & Scrappy (voice)

References

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  1. ^ Kaitlyn Maher; You Were Meant to Be AllMusic Retrieved May 7, 2013.
  2. ^ You Were Meant to Be (CD – Universal Music #77128) AllMusic Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  3. ^ "Every Thing For Healthy, Happy and Safe Kids of all ages". Great Kids Expo. 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  4. ^ Hendrickson, Lisa (October 16, 2008). "Four-Year Old Singer Kaitlyn Maher to Perform at Great Kids Expo". Thomson Reuters. Archived from the original on September 17, 2012.
  5. ^ "(Photo Gallery) – Four Year Old Singer Kaitlyn Maher to Performing at the National Christmas Tree Lighting – (Photo Gallery)". zimbio. December 4, 2008.
  6. ^ Cheney, Catherine (September 2, 2009). "Singer's Only 5, But Career Hits The High Notes". The Washington Post.
  7. ^ Hempel, Chris (July 30, 2009). "Kids Helping Kids: 5-year old Singing Sensation Kaitlyn Maher To Perform".
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Mobius Supports Local Nonprofit Jill's House at 2017 Celebration of Special Children". mobius. August 22, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  10. ^ "3-Year Old Delivers Pitch Perfect Rendition Of 'The Star-Spangled Banner'". Country Rebel. September 30, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ Kaitlyn Maher; You Were Meant To Be Amazon.com
  13. ^ "Kaitlyn Maher – Disney's Next Star". Disney Dreaming. 2009. Archived from the original on September 9, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  14. ^ "Twelve Things You Didn't Know About Kaitlyn Maher". KOL: Movies and TV. AOL. 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  15. ^ "The Search for Santa Paws". Disney Movies. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  16. ^ "Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups". Disney Movies. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  17. ^ "Kaitlyn to Star in Fox's Comedy Series, The Goodwin Games (October 2012)". www.kaitlynmaher.com. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  18. ^ Free Birds (2013) - IMDb, retrieved December 31, 2021
  19. ^ a b "Kaitlyn Maher". IMDb. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  20. ^ "Kaitlyn Maher". Spotify. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  21. ^ "NJHS Achievement Awards - Laurel Springs School". Laurel Springs. April 27, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  22. ^ a b "Translating Competitive Debate Norms to Classroom Political Conversations". The Aspen Institute. August 18, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  23. ^ Maher, Kaitlyn. "Kaitlyn Maher". Potomac Pulse. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  24. ^ "2021 National Speech & Debate Champions". National Speech & Debate Association. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  25. ^ Howe, Brian (November 1, 2023). "Years After America's Got Talent, Kaitlyn Maher Takes Stock of the Extraordinary Childhood She's Leaving Behind". INDY Week.
  26. ^ youtube Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  27. ^ [1] IMDb Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  28. ^ [2]imdb.comRetrieved December 11, 2014.
  29. ^ "World Without You♥ (More Than Just Today) // Original Song by Kaitlyn Maher". YouTube. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  30. ^ When Did We All Grow Up?, November 3, 2023, retrieved August 10, 2024
  31. ^ We Could Be, May 17, 2024, retrieved August 10, 2024
  32. ^ Fill It Up, July 10, 2024, retrieved August 10, 2024
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