I remember when I was 5 years old – do you? I was writing little poems about “Ghosties in the Attic” – but few people read them. I could sing Christmas carols, little ditties like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” and just a few other children’s songs, but refused to sing at church in front of an audience – my mirror at home was enough for me forever. But not so with a 5-year-old elfin sweetheart named Kaitlyn Maher who took NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” by storm by moving into the top 10 with her talent and personality when she was only 4 years old – “I just turned 4” as she held up 4 tiny fingers to the judges on stage.

Kaitlyn was born to sing and she does it well. She was singing all the time and singing herself to sleep before she was even 18 months old. When she was 3 her parents recorded a YouTube video for relatives in Canada in honor of a birthday party and 5 months later her parents received a call from NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” requesting that Kaitlyn audition for Season 3. And audition she did – bringing her national acclaim as she climbed the tiers in the competition to the top 10.

Since she burst onto the stage in her little pink dress and endearing smile and personality she has taken the hearts of millions of Americans by storm. She has performed for then-President and First Lady Bush during the live televised “2008 Lighting of the National Christmas Tree” ceremony and has also performed at the 2009 National Cherry Blossom Festival which was chaired by First Lady Michelle Obama. Audiences love her and she is not afraid of large crowds as she has also sang at a Washington Nationals Major League Baseball game in front of 40,000 cheering fans and her rendition of the National Anthem and God Bless America was a highlight on ESPN’s Sports Center.

Kaitlyn has been a special guest and performed on both the Today Show and Access Hollywood and has appeared in People magazine. She smiles, she sings, she charms, she records and she writes. Her debut CD “You Were Meant To Be” was released in November 2009 and she co-wrote 2 of her own songs, “Daddy, I Love You” and “Dreams Come True”. The album was produced by Robert Reynolds of The Mavericks who also holds a Grammy award and a former guitarist for Keith Urban, Scotty Huff. The CD features musicians who have played with well-known names in the music industry such as Kid Rock, Tim McGraw, George Strait, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Vince Gill and the Dave Matthews Band.

Her hair is long and brown and her big brown eyes and endearing ways are those of a child but there is a huge heart and soul in this young lady – much like, if anyone remembers, little Miss Shirley Temple, back in the day. Kaitlyn has accepted the position of Compassion International’s 1st Child Ambassador and is making plans to visit Guatemala with needed items for the children of the country and to bring smiles to their faces with her performances as she helps in the campaign against global child poverty and a portion of the proceeds of her CD will go to benefit Compassion International’s efforts.

Kaitlyn is filming in Vancouver, Canada currently in her role as Quinn in “The Search for Santa Paws”, a Disney film scheduled for release in 2010. Here first movie was “Santa Buddies” which was released in November 2009. She played the part of a cute little puppy named “Tiny” helping to save Christmas.

Whew! This amazing young lady has lived a lifetime in just a few short years and you can well believe there is much, much more to come. In between performances, movies, and CD releases she plays with her dollies, attends ballet lessons and smothers her baby brother with great big kisses.

One of the songs on the CD just released happens to be one of my favorites which was first recorded by Lee Greenway – “God Bless the USA” and in this rendition you will have a great perspective of what this young lady will be capable of when she “grows into” her adult voice. She already has breath control and a wonderful mastery of emotion where it belongs in a song.

Her rendition of “Daddy, I Love You” that she co-wrote is a heart-warming song full of love and admiration for her beloved Daddy and you can hear the warmth of a child’s love shining through the heart-felt words.

The surety of her high notes and her confidence for such a young voice is apparent in her song “Somewhere Out There”. Kaitlyn goes through the CD with the confidence of a seasoned singer – and well she should because she has literally been singing all her young life and has already set the music industry “on its ear” and we will all be tuned in as the life of this young prodigy unfolds magically and musically.

You can find Kaitlyn Maher at www.kaitlynmaher.com and listen to a sample of all CD songs. She is also active on Twitter, MySpace, Facebook and you can find her tunes for sale on ITunes, Amazon and wherever digital songs are sold. Go – look – listen – and hear the musical phenomenon that is Kaitlyn Maher.

Calamity Annie – CMTT Music Contributor
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