Emma Watkins
| Emma Watkins | |
|---|---|
 Watkins at the 2014 ARIA Music Awards, Sydney, 26 November 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Born |
21 September 1989 Sydney, Australia |
| Genres | Children's music |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Associated acts | The Wiggles |
Emma Watkins (born 21 September 1989 in Sydney)[1][2] is an Australian musician and member of the children's group The Wiggles.
Watkins started ballet when she was four. She saw The Wiggles perform Irish dancing and later studied other styles of dance, including Irish, jazz, hip hop, tap, and contemporary.[2] She attended The McDonald College of Performing Arts, won a full scholarship at the Sydney Film School, and completed a certificate specialising in musical theatre at ED5 International in Sydney. Watkins earned a masters degree in Media Arts in Communication at the University of Technology Sydney. She has taught children dance since she was in high school.[2] She has also performed in Bollywood films, played drums and percussion instruments, was learning Australian Sign Language in 2012, and was crowned Miss Granny Smith Apples in 2009.[2]
In 2010, Watkins began performing with The Wiggles, first as Fairy Larissa and then as Wags the Dog, Dorothy the Dinosaur, and as a Wiggly Dancer.[2][3][4] She used her film skills during tours with the group, providing them with video and editing services.[2] In May 2012, The Wiggles announced that Watkins would replace founding member Greg Page as the Yellow Wiggle and the first female Wiggle.[3] Although the original members insisted that they chose Watkins because she was the most qualified for the job, they admitted that it was "a strategy for marketing The Wiggles into the next generation".[5]
In March 2015, Watkins and fellow Wiggles performer Lachlan Gillespie publicly acknowledged their romantic involvement.[6]
Lisa Tolin of the Associated Press called Watkins a strong role model for girls, and reported that her fans came to concerts dressed like her and that they gave her homemade bows, which had become part of her signature look.[7]
References
- ↑ In a Ten News interview, Watkins mentions she was born a year before The Wiggles came out, and that she and her sister were also shown in the concert audience for the 1997 Wiggledance! video. – Wiggle reaction (YOUTUBE). Ten News. 18 May 2012. Event occurs at 0:54–1:03. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
The same video footage was featured on Today Tonight – New generation of Wiggles (YOUTUBE). Today Tonight. 18 May 2012. Event occurs at 2:39. - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Meet the Next Generation Wiggles" The Wiggles Official Website. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cuneo, Clementine (18 May 2012). "Emma Watkins is Ready, Willing, Able for The Wiggles". Herald Sun. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- ↑ Sams, Christine (29 June 2014). "Emma Watkins may be known as the Yellow Wiggle but she also has a hip side". Daily Telegraph.
- ↑ Shedden, Iain (19 May 2012). "The Wiggles: Split the band, save the brand". The Australian. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
- ↑ Kilby, Penelope (7 March 2015). "'It's the best thing to happen to me': The Wiggles' secret couple Emma Watkins and Lachlan Gillespie give fans a glimpse into their private world and how they fell in love". DailyMail. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
- ↑ Tolin, Lisa (15 August 2013). "Newest Wiggle Inspires an Army of Wiggling Girls". Valley News. Associated Press. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
External links
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