| Heather Youmans | |
| Birth Name: | Heather Anne Youmans |
| Birth Date: | 16 May 1992 |
| Birth Place: | Vista, California, U.S. |
| Genre: | Rock, pop, country, soul |
| Occupation: | Singer-songwriter, entertainer, journalist, publicist |
| Years Active: | 2002–present |
| Label: |
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Heather Youmans (born May 16, 1992) is an American dancer and singer-songwriter known for her soundtrack work on the feature films, Moondance Alexander (2007), Flicka 2 (2010) and (2011). Youmans recently appeared on I Can See Your Voice episode 4 (FOX), other live performances include a UNICEF benefit opening solo ahead of headliners Sting and Natalie Cole in 2005, a National Anthem performance for the Los Angeles Kings on New Year's Eve 2019, and Parade magazine's, She Rocks Spotlight Series, in 2020. Her work has been featured in American Songwriter magazine, Forbes Women and Parade magazine profiled her career and music in 2020. Youmans holds an MBA and is publicist with Fender Guitars, she has written for the Los Angeles Times, and the Orange County Register.
Youmans began landing theatre roles at age ten, such as Amarylis in The Music Man, Marta in The Sound of Music in 2003, as well as Nellie in Annie Get Your Gun in 2004 at the Welk Resort Theatre. In 2004, she won first place in the Del Mar TV Idol Contest, Junior Division, at age twelve. On November 30, 2005, Youmans performed an opening solo at the UNICEF Snowflake Ball at the Regent Beverly Wilshire. Headlining acts for the evening included, Sting, Chris Botti and Natalie Cole.
Youmans attended Rancho Buena Vista High School and was active in the Associated Student Body, dance and drama programs. In 2009, she won the MACY Award for Highest Achievement and Best Supporting Vocal-Female for her role as Rusty in Footloose, and Best Vocal Female in 2010 for her role as Jo in Little Women.
Youmans holds a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication with a music minor (classical and jazz vocal at Bob Cole Conservatory of Music). She graduated magna cum laude from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) in 2013, and graduated with an MBA at CSULB with an emphasis in marketing. During her undergraduate studies, Youmans created and hosted Heartbreakers: The Women of Rock, a radio format program on KBeach.org (2011-2013).
In 2005, Youmans earned a voice-over part, playing Becky Thatcher in Disney's Tom Sawyer's Island and the following year, won the part of Shana the Rock Star in a pre-production musical Teen Witch the Musical (2007). These accomplishments led to featured artist performances on the soundtrack for Moondance Alexander (2007). Youmans' single, "Girl to Change Your World", was a (2011) hit on Radio Disney, and it is one of the two Youmans songs included in the film Love by Design (2014), starring Giulia Nahmany, David Oaks and Jane Seymour.
The Teen Witch the Musical project was successful in its primary goal of reproducing the missing soundtrack for the Halloween classic film Teen Witch (1989). The musical stage-play never made it out of workshop and has yet to achieve the secondary goal of becoming a viable Broadway offering. This association with Weir Brothers Productions led to additional soundtrack features in the films Moondance Alexander (2007), Flicka 2 (2010) and (2011).
While concurrently studying journalism and music, Youmans auditioned and stacked up credits in Southern California regional theater and wrote for national and regional newspapers on entertainment topics. She has produced and hosted an entertainment format radio show, interviewed entertainment industry legends, and ran a marketing campaign for Jon MacLennan's iBook, Melodic Expressions: The Art of the Line (2012). She works as a communications professional in Los Angeles.
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Director/Producer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Music Man | Amarylis | Welk Resort Theatre | Lewis Wilkenfeld | |
| 2003 | Sound of Music | Marta | Welk Resort Theatre | Joshua Carr | |
| 2004 | Annie Get Your Gun | Nellie | Welk Resort Theatre | Jon Engstrom | |
| 2004 | Annie | Orphan Sadie | La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts | McCoy Rigby Ent. Glenn Casale | |
| 2004 | Annie Get Your Gun | Jessie | Saddleback Civic Light Opera | Sheryl Donchey | |
| 2004 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Scout | West Coast Ensemble | ||
| 2005 | UNICEF Snowflake Ball | Opening Soloist | Regent Beverly Wilshire | align="center" | - |
| 2005 | Tight Quarters | Lauren | Whitefire Theatre | Jules Aaron | |
| 2005 | Kodak Christmas | Featured Soloist | Kodak Theatre | align="center" | - |
| 2006 | Teen Witch the Musical | Shana the Rock Star | Alana Lambros | ||
| 2008 | New Music Weekly Awards | Featured Soloist | Avalon Theatre | align="center" | - |
| 2009 | 42nd Street | Ensemble | Moonlight Amphitheatre | Jon Engstrom | |
| 2010 | Once Upon A Wedding | Daisy | Bahia Resort-Dinner Theatre | Laughing Tree Prod. | |
| 2010-12 | Journey To The Lost Temple | Pippin | Legoland-California | Shawn Griener | |
| 2012 | American Idol Season 11 | Contestant | USS Midway Museum | Fox Network | |
| 2012 | American Idol Season 11 | Hollywood Week | Pasadena Civic Auditorium | Fox Network | |
| 2019 | Jason Robert Brown In Concert | Lead singer | Cabaret at the Merc | Gerald Sternbach | |
| 2019 | Evita In Concert | Ensemble | PVPA | Richard Israel | |
| 2020 | HAIR | Suzannah 1000-Year-Old Monk | LGBT Center LA | Kate Sullivan Jared Stein | |
| 2020 | New Year's Eve, National Anthem Singer | Soloist | Staples Center | LA Kings |
In 2012, Youmans performed "Some Kind of Wonderful" at the American Idol San Diego competition and won a golden ticket after a unanimous decision from the judges (Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson), which advanced her to the Hollywood Week competition. Youmans was eliminated during Hollywood Week in Season 11. She attributes the elimination to nerves and an ambitious music selection, Heart’s "Crazy on You".
In addition to performing in nationally televised commercials, Youmans has been involved in several cutting-edge media projects. In 2005, Youmans played the part of Becky Thatcher in Disney's Tom Sawyer's Island, a voice-over project. The performance was delivered via hand-held computers issued to visitors on Disneyland's Tom Sawyer's Island. A pilot project, titled "Available Light", was one of the first to test Sony Blu-ray camera technology.
Youmans writes about entertainment topics, specifically dance, music, theatre and film. Her Southern California beat includes covering venues, such as the Orange County Fair, the Newport Beach Jazz Festival, the Playboy Jazz Festival, Sunset Jazz at Newport, the Hollywood Bowl and Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Her freelance position with Freedom Communications has afforded interviews with: George Lopez, Drew Carey and Brooke Shields, Grammy Award-winning musicians David Sanborn, Jeff Hamilton for the Orange County Register, and her interview with Grammy nominee Brian McKnight was additionally published in the Los Angeles Register. Earlier interviews include, Chita Rivera for the Los Angeles Times and interviews with Ann Wilson and Martina McBride for the Los Angeles Times Media Group's Daily Pilot.