Annie D - Born To Grace The Stage

At 15, Annie D has chosen to battle the odds of stardom and, by all indications, she appears to be well on her way.

She has played guitar and piano since the age of 12 and has been singing for as far back as she can remember - sometimes keeping the family up at night. Her parents, James and Mary Davis, soon realized Annie held a special talent.

Annie cites Christina Aquilera and Gwen Stefani as two of her primary musical influences but adds that "everyone I meet or want to learn about has some sort of influence on me."

Tony Award winning vocalist Karla Burns realized Annie's potential after seeing Annie perform and that lead to training in both stage and vocal performance under Burn's direction. This training paved the way for Annie to secure roles in local musicals including Bye, Bye Birdie, How To Eat Like A Child and The Wizard of Oz. She is also frequently asked to sing the National Anthem at various events throughout the area.

Annie is currently a regular voice and diction student of Ginny Kopf. "Annie is becoming quite a performer," Kopf said. "She's finding her voice, and finding her stage personna. She is a joy to work with, because she works very hard on everything I give her."

She has also worked with Mark Goff who has trained international talents Britney Spears, N'SYNC and the Backstreet Boys.

"Many would try to write Annie off as just another teenage girl with a dream of making it big," Nick Nanton, Annie's attorney said. "I could say that couldn't be further from the truth. Annie exhibits a level of maturity way beyond her years and has talent and tenacity - the 2 key ingredients that you must have to be successful in the music business and in life."

Locally, Annie would like to see more venues specifically for teens. "There are so many clubs and every once in a while they will have a teen night," she said, "but the ages are so different. Maybe something like a teen club with different kinds of music every weekend" would benefit the area.

"Right now, Annie is seeking management to represent her and help negotiate a few potential deals and hopefully many more," her mother, Mary said.

"Performing is where I can really get into a song. It' just so different when your singing to real people who want to know what your singing about," Annie explained. "The butterflies never go away. They get less intense but right before I go on stage, but they always come whether there is a ton people or just one, but once I start performing, they're gone!"

To listen to audio clips and learn more about Annie D, visit her myspace site.