LANI
ARTIST. MUSICIAN. VEGAN
Lani's Bio
Lani is a musician, actor, singer and visual artist from Houston, Texas. As young as 4 years old, it was apparent to everyone that knew her, that she had natural talent when it came to singing and drawing. She would draw and doodle anywhere and everywhere she could; even places she shouldn’t. She would draw on sketchpads, menus, bills, sidewalks and even walls throughout her home. As a young girl she liked the same animations that most kids her age liked. But Lani gravitated more to darker animations and characters like Jack and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas, and other characters from Tim Burton movies.
"I am a self-proclaimed Artist, Musician, Vegan, Avid Muppet Enthusiast, and Professional Mixtape Creator. ;-)"
Her passion for music could be heard everywhere she went. She would sing in the car, the shower, the library, grocery stores and even church. Before she went to kindergarten she was the happiest kid ever; singing, drawing and eager to share her passion with the world. But when introduced to the public school system her beautiful world was not accepted with open arms. Lani could not stop singing just because it was naptime, which was frowned upon. Her feet and hands could not stop tapping to the rhythms in her head. The next several years in elementary and junior high school, were anything but fun for her. Her style of music and art were perceived as weird by other girls her age. By the time she was in junior high she was diagnosed with depression and Tourette’s. She tried hard to blend in but bullies saw her uniqueness as an open door to do what bullies do. Lani still sang her songs and still created her unique style of art, but she was no longer comfortable sharing it with the world.
At the age of 13 she researched ways to help with stress, depression and Tourette’s. To help bring balance in her life at such a young age, she became a vegetarian and practiced regular meditation. Eventually the vegetarian lifestyle evolved into a vegan one. As this healthy lifestyle helped her to achieve more balance, she began to be more competitive in choir. Although choir was a good outlet for her, it was not helping Lani come out of her shell.
Choir helped her to read music and enhance her voice. However, it was not helping her to be a performer because quite often you could find her hiding in the background when she sang. Then, in 10th grade, a life changing moment happened for her, someone convinced her to join theatre. Here is where she learned how to step out from the background and step into the spotlight. She found that it was easier to perform in front of an audience when she was portraying a character. Her theatre director, Mr. Adam Delka, helped her to realize just how talented she was. After her first year in theater, she was selected for lead roles in back to back musicals. Because of the range in her voice, she played male and female characters. Soon she would be performing in lead roles for musicals such as; the Wizard of OZ, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Little Women and My Fair Lady. Her uniqueness was no longer seen as a punch line. Her classmates now saw that her uniqueness could someday make her a star.
