Gianna-Lorenn is 5-year-old star
By Kirsten Ballard
Published in News on January 25, 2015 1:50 AM
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Gianna Lorenn Singleton jokes around with her father, Eddie Singleton, at their home. Gianna says she wants to be an army officer like her father when she grows up.
kballard@newsargus.com
Tami Singleton did not realize there was anything different about her daughter Gianna-Lorenn.
She is typical 5-year-old.
She rides her bike, plays in her child-sized kitchen and uses her dad as a human jungle-gym.
But when she sang along to "Frozen" at the Dancing Butterfly, something was different.
Gianna was a star.
"Everybody asked me, 'Do you have her in voice lessons,'" Tami said.
Looking back, Tami and her husband, Eddie, realize their daughter has always had an ear for music.
Since she was 2, Gianna would make a stage out of her quilt and perform on it, mimicking the performers on TV.
When Gianna was 3, Tami was approached in the mall by a scout. It was not the first time someone had stopped her to comment on Gianna's appearance.
"Everybody would come up to us and say she's so beautiful, she should model," Tami laughed.
Last year, Gianna started competing in pageants, winning Little Miss Teen Wake County and an All Natural Beauty Pageant.
"It's been non-stop," Tami said.
Gianna was an extra in the popular CBS show "Under the Dome."
Tami did not think she would enjoy that particular experience. It was 98 degrees, and the actors had to wear winter clothes.
"It was sweltering," Tami said.
But Gianna told her mom she wanted to do it again.
Her parents put her in voice lessons, and she sings the National Anthem at NASCAR's Southern National Motorsports Park Speedway. She modeled at Richard Petty's Red Carpet "Hot Pass to Fashion" Challenge this month and won. She will appear in an issue of North Carolina Living magazine and Indi Kids magazine. In the upcoming year, Gianna has been invited to participate in Charlotte International Fashion Week.
Her parents have turned down other offers.
"We don't push her to do anything," Eddie said. "I push her to get an education."
Gianna plans to follow in her dad's military footsteps. Eddie is a retired Army lieutenant colonel.
From the moment Gianna found his hat, she has known what she wants to be.
"I want to be a military officer," she said, throwing her arms around her dad.
Her favorite song to sing is the "Star Spangled Banner" because it makes her feel good.
Tami says Gianna loves school and learning. She is quiet and reserved around small groups, but in front of an audience, Tami says she just turns it on.
When Gianna was done performing at the Richard Petty event, Tami says the little girl turned to her and asked "Mama, did you hear everybody clapping for me?"
Tami and Eddie do not know where she gets it from. They laugh, saying they are not entertainers or performers.
"She likes to perform," Tami said. "She just shines in front of a large group."