Milton Girl, Mya Singh Shines in Hollywood and wins Best Leading Actress in a TV Series

Covid-19 has wielded the sledgehammer with sadistic gusto through Hollywood, but it didn't forestall Milton's own special Mya Singh to surpass the Young Entertainment Award as Best Leading Actress in a TV Series.Mya has won a couple of children's entertainment awards.She was a candidate for the 2019 Joey Awards for Best Monologue and Leading Actress in a TV Series, where she won the Best Monologue Award. She was nominated and won Best Performance in a TV Series, Leading Young Actress with the Youth Entertainer Awards in 2020. Mya's mom took it to Social Media to declare her nomination in a specific category in LA's awards ceremony. Coronavirus conventions restrained them from being in Los Angeles to get a prize on the enormous stage, yet she has positively made her family and whole town glad for her accomplishments. Mya discovered her heart beating before Live TV as they watched the honors streaming on the web with her mom; however, somewhere inside, she realized she had everything. This is the ideal start for Mya, who just turned 16 as of late, the cinema anticipates her exhibitions. You won't be shocked to see her in the following Netflix arrangement; anything is possible for such incredible ability. We addressed Mya and her mom Kimberly Singh about their excursion in Performing Arts.

Mya's father, Sarbjit Singh, is proud of his daughter's achievements. In the interview with Indo-Canadian Club, Sarabjit spoke about Mya, "I tell my daughter never compare yourself to others, it's a waste of energy. You are unique and have your gifts to offer the world. Respect and treat people as you would want others to treat you. Always help others and give back to society. I love you and never let anyone change you".

Discussing Performing Arts with the talent, Mya Singh- The Rising Star of Hollywood

At what age did you start your interest in Performing Arts?

I started to become interested in the arts when I was around 10; however, I was always outgoing, and I think many people around me knew that I would want to pursue a future like this. I started in a school play where I played Jojo in Seussical the Musical. It was such a fun experience, and I loved every second of it. After that, I stopped acting for a while and then wanted to get back into it, so I joined a local theatre group called Milton Youth Theatre. I loved every second of it and knew that acting was something I wanted to do long term.

What inspired you to keep going and pursuing your passion for Drama?

A huge thing that inspired me was my family. There was never a point where I wanted to stop acting, but there were times where I was down and felt like I could not see the success I wanted to see. When I got neglected for auditions, it upset me, yet my family always helped me understand that everything happens for a reason and that something bigger may be coming my way.

Who gave a big break on Family Channel? What was your role in the award-winning character?

I think multiple people helped me get my big break on Family Channel. First off would be my agent, Shari Quellenburg, who helped me get the audition and helped me have that amazing experience. She pushed me to work hard for this audition and helped me with every question I had. I also owe a lot to Larissa Mair and her casting associates, who pushed to help get me through the process and believed that I could play Kaylyn. And lastly, would be Derek Harvie. He was the creator of Bajillionaires, and I am so thankful that he trusted that I could play Kaylyn. I am so honored to know that he believed I could fill the shoes of this amazing character he created.

How did you feel when you heard about your nomination for YEA Awards in LA?

When I heard about my nomination, I was so excited. I was at my grandma's house when I found out, and I couldn't have been happier. I knew that this was a new step in my career and that there was a lot of exciting things to come. It's upsetting that we were not able to travel to Los Angeles for the awards, but it was still a fun experience even though it was all virtual.

Who would you give credit for your successful career as an Award-Winning Actor? Was it your friends, family, or your teachers?

I would say there are many people I owe so much to for helping me into my acting career. Of course, I would give credit to my Mom, Dad, and Sister for always supporting me and pushing me to work my hardest, as well as always changing their schedule to help me get to an audition or to be on set. I also would give huge credit to Shari Quallenburg, my agent who helps me get all my auditions. She was willing to represent me even though I had no clue what I was doing when I started. But she helped me learn and grow so much. Lastly, I would give credit to Larissa Mair, who was the one who helped me become an actor in the first place. I attended one of her workshops, and she told me I had a lot of talent. This is truly why I began acting, and I don't know if I would still be acting if she didn't tell me to get into the industry.

It must feel empowering being in a room full of people at school who now know you as a leading actor in Canadian Children series. How does it feel?

At school, I started to try and keep my acting unknown because, at my last school, many people would treat me differently because of it. However, about have way through grade 9, everyone found out, and it wasn't too bad. No one judged me for it, and I was able to be myself truly. It is great to know that my classmates support me and what I do.

You must have had to skip classes for auditions and shooting; how do you manage that with full-time schooling?

School is a challenge when it comes to acting, but we have figured it out. I let my teachers know the situation at the beginning of each semester, and I let them know when I have to leave school. A lot of the time, they will email me and let me know what I missed or post it on our website. When I am on set for long periods, my teachers get in contact with my tutor, and I get all my classwork through that. Even when we didn't have Covid, I had most of my classes online so that if I had to miss stuff, it would be an easier transition.

What are your future goals? Are you making your way to LA shortly? Where do you see yourself in the next ten years?

In regards to my future, I couldn't see myself living in LA long term. Of course, if I got a job there, I would live there temporarily, but I love living in a small town, and I couldn't imagine going to the city. But I hope that I have to make many trips there for different jobs and movies and that I find much future success.

What took you ahead of your competition to be in the place you're in today?

In the film industry, there is much competition and a lot of the same people at auditions. I think the best thing to do is to be friendly and not allow any fear to get in the way. At auditions, your thoughts are all over the place; you're reading the room, seeing the competition, trying to remember your lines, making sure you have everything, but you have to tune out what's going on around you and focus on yourself. Some of my competition in auditions have become some of my closest friends, so the biggest thing is not to let them psych you out because there is a lot you can learn from your peers.

What advice would you like to give to Canadian Youth who are aspiring to be noticed and want to there on TV and Films?

To all the young aspiring actors out there, I would say put your best foot forward and try your hardest. You are going to get rejected a lot, but don't allow that to get to your head because that means something better is coming your way. Take every audition you can get and get on set as often as you can. Participate in workshops and classes because the more experience and knowledge that you have, the easier it will be to see your goals become a reality.

Parents play a huge part in the success of children; Mya's mother, Kimberly Singh, works as Mortgage Agent in Milton. We contacted her to understand her point of view as being a mother of a leading actress and her journey as a supporting parent. What challenges did she have to conquer? Maybe some memorable stories about how she was juggling to manage her business, household, and Mya's auditions and shooting schedules. Mya has done a fabulous job, but Kimberly and her husband Sarbjit have been there as a rock for her to let her see this day!

Discussing Mya's success with her mother,- Kimberly Singh

I'll be honest; I deterred her from pursuing her dreams when she first started talking about them. I joke that all kids want to be famous, so we chalk it up to a phase. But her desire wasn't a phase when after a couple of years, she was still bugging me to figure things out. It's not an easy career path to navigate. There are so many scary stories, how do you know who is scamming you. She's my baby! I wanted to protect her.

We were lucky enough to have one of my clients and fellow theatre moms suggest a workshop and open casting call for which I signed her up. The casting director loved her right away and asked me to get her an agent as she had tons of talent. Well, there it was...I couldn't prevent her from following her dreams and her natural talents. And my role as a Momager began.

I used to hate driving into Toronto. Well, I overcame that quickly when we were downtown for 4-5 auditions a week initially. These slowed when she became unionized as it does focus on a select audition type but wow, what a whirlwind! Mya was a top 25 finalist for the Mini Pops in 2018, which was a crazy experience. And she rose to the heights of the professionals. She was amazing and had such a powerful voice that silenced the audition room (picture Canadian Idol/American Idol waiting room with hundreds of people) while she belted out Adele's "Girl on Fire" in her practicing before seeing the judges. She didn't end up with the Mini Pops, but multiple levels of intense auditions were a great learning experience for her. And we look back, knowing that she didn't get the Mini Pops because something was waiting for her that was even bigger.

When she landed her first main series lead role with Family Channel on Bajillionaires, we had about two weeks to figure out our lives. We had just moved into a new home, and I was managing my own business, her career, and mental health onset five days a week for 11 weeks through the summer, overseeing her education, driving to Toronto daily, our household, and even a renovation! I have another daughter that luckily is an amazing support and independent that she was a trooper that summer. We even added a new puppy to the crazy of our lives. We tend to jump in and all in. :)

We had loads of fun on set. We met many amazing people, and it was a crazy time. It was when I realized I needed to get my business more virtual based, and now with Covid, the final details were nailed in place. So, I'm ready for the next one!

Mya is quite an amazing kid that is so self-managed she made my 'job' easy. She handled herself on set like a pro! She was never nagged to memorize her lines for the next day; she had her routine, she was focused on her schooling, and even graduated Grade 8 that year. We almost missed the ceremony as we raced back from the set that day but wow...so much fun!

Mya has won a couple of children's entertainment awards now. She was a nominee for the 2019 Joey Awards for Best Monologue and Leading Actress in a TV Series, where she won the Best Monologue award. She most recently was nominated and won Best Performance in a TV Series, Leading Young Actress with the Youth Entertainer Awards this year past which was a crazy new experience as well. We were hoping to get to Los Angeles for this ceremony, but sadly Covid impacted that, and we had the unique experience of having an awards ceremony over the internet. IT was EXCITING! And to see her grace and poise when she won...I was blown away...I was trying to hold back my tears.

We are all so proud of what she has accomplished so far in her 16 years and 5 of those in the industry. We can't wait to see what more she will get to experience, the people she will get to meet, and the red carpets she will get to walk down.