Whether it’s in the shower or on stage, Amelia Shelby’s glow in the spotlight has helped her passion for singing cut through her darkest moments. But she doesn’t need the spotlight to know that music is her calling; singing has been a fluent language for her since the beginning.

“My parents have always said that I was singing before I could talk,” Shelby said.

If not before she could talk, her singing certainly started when she was young. At the age of two, Shelby and her mom enjoyed weekly parent-child “Music Together” classes, and her first musical theatre role was acting as a munchkin in a Wizard of Oz rendition when she was six. She continued to pursue her love for music and started taking music lessons at 12.

Shelby’s mom, Angela, was one of the first to recognize her daughter’s talent.

“I could tell from a very early age that she had great pitch, but more importantly to me was that she had a passion for singing,” Angela said.

Shelby comes from a musical family, so it was natural that she would get involved in different music camps, voice lessons, and talent shows. Before COVID, she would also often attend different performances and musical shows with her family. Shelby and her family love singing together and joke about having a family band.

While music was important to Shelby in her childhood, it was middle school when singing really became special to her.

Shelby went to a private middle school where she felt isolated and even experienced bullying. She spent countless nights crying to her parents, feeling hopeless and lost – until she realized that singing and acting made her feel happy despite her challenges.

“Performing on stage helped me find the voice I thought I’d lost,” Shelby said.

Shelby has an unbreakable bond with singing and music because every song is unique. It doesn’t if she’s singing or listening to music, every song has its own special meaning.

“Music gives me the confidence and push I need,” Sheby said. “I really listen to the songs and what they’re trying to convey…music has made me a better person.”

The confidence and push she found from music helped guide and heal her, leading Shelby into high school.

Through Highland’s theatre program, Shelby has continued to grow not only in singing and acting, but also in her confidence and abilities to overcome hardships. She learned how to persevere through her darkest points and held on to her passion. Singing has led her in and out of the greatest and worst moments in her life and has shaped her into the talented performer she is today.

“Amelia is pretty good about allowing herself to feel disappointment or sadness, using her friends and parents as a support and then focusing her energy on moving forward,” Angela said.

Shelby has participated in a total of 10 shows during her time at Highland, and she has acted in six of those 10 shows.

“I was a head of costumes and makeup for the other four shows, gaining a greater appreciation for all that goes on behind the curtains!” Shelby said.

Her talent reached a new high point when she was cast in the lead role of Audrey in Highland’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors” in Spring of 2020.

“I continued to push hard to get what I wanted, which was a lead in a musical,” Shelby said.

After graduating, Shelby plans to go to Utah State University in Logan. She’s applying to be an ambassador at the university and is thinking about auditioning for the Musical Theatre Program in the Spring of 2022. In the meantime, she plans on taking whatever theatre classes pique her interest.

“Theatre is my whole world and I’m not going to let that go,” Shelby said. “If I want to do Broadway then I will continue to push myself to achieve my dreams.”

Whether it’s acting, singing, or dancing, Shelby is a great example of a passionate, dedicated and hard-working actress who will, without a doubt, achieve her dreams.