Posted Monday, November 20, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk
Angelica Hale is a tiny bundle of energy, nibbling on a Chick Fil A chicken biscuit and pointing agog at a video on the TV of the Georgia Dome imploding.
The Johns Creek 10 year old is also a celebrity thanks to her wide-ranging, pitch perfect, emotive singing voice that propelled her to second place two months ago on NBC's popular variety competition show "America's Got Talent."
In the lobby of the J.W. Marriott at Lenox Monday morning, she and her family were about to leave for New York City where she'll perform on the Sprout float during the legendary Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. (She is set to perform around 10 a.m. hour on NBC in case you want to catch her, a spokeswoman said.)
UPDATE: Here's video of her performance of "Girl on Fire" at the parade at about 10:20 a.m. Thanksgiving Day.
On Sunday night, she had sung "O Holy Night" to lead into the lighting of the annual Christmas Tree on top of Lenox Mall. During the interview, several fans, including a crew member for the band Casting Crowns (who also performed), came by to wax poetic about her vocal abilities and get pictures taken with her in front of a Christmas tree in the hotel lobby.
Angelica, who has lived in Los Angeles the past few months as her mom Eva gave birth to Angelica's sister Abigail, said the past two months have been a whirlwind of concerts and performances. She flew last week to sing Audra Day's "Rise Up" at the Atlanta Falcons/Dallas Cowboys game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Their home in Johns Creek has been mothballed, her dad James Hale said, so they haven't even stopped by. But they do plan to move back to metro Atlanta in early 2018.
Her father remains her manager. He decides with Angelica which events she should perform at, trying to limit her workload and travel to once or twice a week. "You have to say no sometimes," Angelica said.
James said they are being deliberative about creating an album while she continues to build her voice and musical skills. Remember, she's only ten years old. "We're not rushing," James said. "We're pacing ourselves."
After Thanksgiving, they are flying to Taiwan for a corporate event, the first time Angelica has ever gone overseas. James, a finance and accounting consultant, said though not everyone in the world gets "America's Got Talent," videos of her performances are available on YouTube so she now has followers all over the world.
She recounted her moments on stage at "AGT" during the waning minutes of the finale awaiting whether she'd win or come in second. Darci Lynne, the 12-year-old ventriloquist singer, ultimately won but Angelica insisted she was not disappointed.
"It was one of the best nights of my life," Angelica said. "I didn't even think I'd make the top five. It was so suspenseful. I was crying so hard. All of that pressure on me!"
Earlier this month, she got to perform four nights at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas with Darci and two other "AGT" finalists. "It was fun and nobody was judging me!" she said. And she even got to go trick or treating with Darci dressed as a unicorn. Nobody recognized her, she said, which was a nice break.
Angelica is also thrilled to have a little sister. "She's doing really well, not crying too much," she said. She sometimes cradles her in her arms but is not ready yet to change a diaper. "I don't want to yet," she said. "I push the stroller and kiss her a lot!"
And the family, despite all the travel, is managing well so far.
"It's been really busy but really rewarding and a lot of fun," Jame said. "What a cool life!"
Hale, who received a kidney from her mom at age six that saved her life, also recently taped PSAs for the National Kidney Foundation:
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