I have loved Musical Theater since I was 8 years old when I was in my first ever show "The Wiz" in Albuquerque, New Mexico and it changed my life. Growing up I would watch so many musicals and try to find the performers that I loved and resonated with the most, so for fun I decided to share them with you all with a little explanation as to why I chose them. These aren't in any particular order they are just who came to mind first.
Anika Noni Rose
Anika Noni Rose is very well-Known for her Iconic roles in "The Princess and the Frog" as Princess Tiana, & "Dreamgirls" as Lorrell Robinson alongside Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Hudson. Anika Noni Rose has a very wide range of both vocally and as an actress as she was in other films such as "Roots", "For The Colored Girls", and "Everything, Everything". She was the first Black Princess and my first "Female Role Model" growing up, and I strive to be as successful as she is.
Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Erivo is known for her roles in "Harriet" as Harriet Tubman, "The Color Purple" as Celie, and most recently in her upcoming role as Elphaba in the Movie adaption of "Wicked". Cynthia Erivo's voice is personally one of the strongest and most powerful voices I have ever heard, and her passion for performing is what pushes me to be a better singer, actor, dancer, and all of the above. She truly is an inspiration, not only for me but for many other young black women in the performance industry.
Alisa Davidson
Alisa Davidson just recently was in the film adaption of "Heathers" musical in 2022 as the lead role of Veronica Sawyer. The reason why I added her to this list is that she is also one of the strongest performers I have ever seen. I hadn't heard of her until I saw her performance and the only way I can describe her performance is "Phenomenal." She portrayed this character perfectly and gave the audience the perfect emotional rollercoaster that was needed.
Ariana Debose
Ariana Debose has made a name for herself since she first stepped on the stage. She is most iconically known for her performance as The Bullet in the original cast of "Hamilton", and ever since then she has continued to deliver amazing and breath-taking performances in many different shows such as "The Prom" and as Anita Baker in the film adaption of "West Side Story". She is a huge inspiration for the Latinx and Queer community. Seeing her amazing dancing performances really pushed me to keep going.
And last but not least...
Vanessa Hudges
Vanessa Hudgens is an American-Filipino Actress who is known for many different roles. After making her feature film debut in "Thirteen", Vanessa quickly rose to fame in her role as Gabriella Montez in the "High School Musical" film series, which brought her a lot of success and plenty of eyes on her since she had just turned 18 years old. Vanessa has also been a very big inspiration of mine because I grew up watching her in all of her films, especially in the live rendition of "Rent" in 2019 alongside the amazing J. Elaine Marcos.