We had the good fortune of connecting with Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Malea Emma, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I just love singing and acting. I started singing when I was very young. It just came from my heart. Singing always makes me happy. The same thing with acting. I started my acting career when I was 4 and I really love it until now. I really think that everyone should pursue something that they really love and enjoy as long as it’s something positive.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started singing when I was very young, maybe like around 1 year old. I used to take a comb to pretend it was a microphone and stood on my parent’s bed or a table to pretend it was a stage and I would sing my heart out. I sing all the time so my parents put me in a singing lesson when I was 3. I started singing Disney songs and then I started listening to Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey.

When I was 6 years old, I was cast as Molly in Annie at the Hollywood Bowl where I got to share the stage with Broadway stars like Lea Salonga, Megan Hilty, Ana Gasteyer and David Alan Grier. My performance gained rave reviews from media such as LA Times, Times Squares Chronicles and Broadway World.

When I was 7 years old, I went viral after singing the National Anthem at an LA Galaxy soccer game. That moment has changed my life.

Good Morning America invited me to sing a duet with the legendary Grammy and Tony aware winner, Jennifer Holliday, who’s one of my idols. American Idol invited me to audition in front of Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan even though I was too young to compete and they gave me the golden ticket for me to come back when I am old enough to compete. That has made me the youngest golden ticket holder on American Idol history.

Since then, I have been invited to sing the National Anthem at so many major sport games like the MLS Cup Final in front of 73 thousands people, NBA playoffs, MLB and NFL games. I also sing in many corporate and private events..

As an actor, I started my career in commercials when I was 4 years old. I have been in commercials like Jeep, Lenovo, and Lay’s for Super bowl. My first acting job in TV show was when I was 6 years old and since then I have been acting in several TV shows like iCarly on Paramount Plus, Raven’s Home and Coop and Cami Ask the World on Disney Channel. I have been in multiple feature and short films as well which includes being the lead actor in A24 Film’s After Yang, opposite Colin Farrell. This film premiered in Cannes Film Festival in 2021 where I got to walk the red carpet and that has been one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had so far. In this film, my performance once again has gained rave reviews from critics such as Awards Watch, The Hollywood Reporter and Indie Wire and also received some critics award nominations such as Best Youth Performance by San Diego Film Critics Society and Best Breakthrough Performance by South Texas Film Critics Association. To name a few, The Hollywood Reporter said I played my character with disarming naturalness, IndieWire described me as a buoyant newcomer, and The Up Coming UK said that I played my character very well and it’s a given that I would have a long career ahead of me.

I am currently working on another feature film in Indonesia, my home country, which is very exciting.

Was it easy? Not always. Entertainment industry is very hard and competitive. It is not easy to book a job. Once you book a job, there are so many things that you also have to prepare to make sure you can do your job well. But since I really love singing and acting, I always enjoy all the opportunities I have been given along with all the challenges.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Since I live in Los Angeles, I think Disneyland is my most favorite place to hang out with my family and friends. I love theme parks!

But I also love going to the beach, go hiking and also go to the malls. My favorite food is sushi, pasta and pizza but I also love Indonesian food like nasi kuning and pempek.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give a shoutout to my family because I love them so much and they have been very supportive with my career. My mom is the one who always takes me to auditions and accompanies me on set. My dad is my singing and acting coach. And my brother always helps me with music and video editing for my Youtube channel. They are the reason why I can achieve all the accomplishments in such a young age.

Website: www.maleaemma.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/maleaemma

Twitter: www.twitter.com/maleaemma

Facebook: www.facebook.com/maleaemma

Youtube: www.youtube.com/maleaemma

Other: Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@singdadsing

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