Emma Watkins

Emma Watkins
Watkins in Toronto, Canada in 2018
Background information
Born (1989-09-21) 21 September 1989
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia[1]
Genres Children's music
Occupation(s) Singer, actress
Instruments Vocals, drums, trumpet, piano
Years active 2010–present
Associated acts The Wiggles

Emma Watkins (born 21 September 1989[2]) is an Australian singer and actress, best known as the first female member of the children's group The Wiggles.

Early life

Watkins started ballet when she was four. She saw The Wiggles perform Irish dancing and later studied other styles of dance, including Irish, jazz, hip hop, tap, and contemporary.[1] She attended The McDonald College of Performing Arts, won a full scholarship at the Sydney Film School, and completed a certificate specialising in musical theatre at ED5 International in Sydney. Watkins earned a master's degree in Media Arts in Communication at the University of Technology Sydney. She has taught children dance since she was in high school.[1] She has also performed in Bollywood films, played drums and percussion instruments, was learning Australian Sign Language in 2012, and was crowned Miss Granny Smith Apples in 2009.[1]

Career

In 2010, Watkins began performing with The Wiggles, first as Fairy Larissa and then as Wags the Dog, Dorothy the Dinosaur, and as a Wiggly Dancer.[1][3][4] She used her film skills during tours with the group, providing them with video and editing services.[1] In May 2012, The Wiggles announced that Watkins would replace founding member Greg Page as the Yellow Wiggle and the first female Wiggle.[3] The original members stated that they chose Watkins because she was the most qualified for the job, also commenting that it was "a strategy for marketing The Wiggles into the next generation".[5]

Lisa Tolin of the Associated Press called Watkins a strong role model for girls, and reported that her fans came to concerts dressed like her and that they gave her homemade bows, which had become part of her signature look.[6] Because of her popularity, she starred in the children's program on ABC Kids titled Emma!, consisting of episodes that are five minutes long, that premiered on 1 June 2015.[7]

Personal life

Watkins and fellow Wiggles performer Lachlan Gillespie were married on 9 April 2016 at Hopewood House in Bowral, New South Wales.[8][9] On 3 August 2018, Watkins and Gillespie announced their separation.[10]

Videography

  • Emma! (2015)[11]
  • Dial E for Emma (2016)[12]

Discography

  • Emma! (2015)[13]
  • Dial E for Emma (2016)[14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Meet the next generation Wiggles". wiggletime.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  2. ↑ Birth date references:
    • Twitter acknowledgement confirming 21 September: Emma Watkins [@Emma_Wiggle] (22 September 2013). "Onstage in Chicago on my birthday! #wiggleschicago @TheWiggles @Anthony_Wiggle @Lachy_Wiggle @Simon_Wiggle" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 September 2015 – via Twitter.
    • Chicago Rosemont theater concert date: "The Wiggles – 21 Sep 2013". Chicago-Theater.com. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
    • Birth year: 1989 based on Daily Telegraph article.Domjen, Briana (4 May 2015). "We're engaged! Purple Wiggle Lachy Gillespie pops the question to yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 April 2016. Lachlan “Lachy” Gillespie, 29, and Emma Watkins, 25, have taken their wiggly romance one step further, with Gillespie popping the question over the weekend.
  3. 1 2 Cuneo, Clementine (18 May 2012). "Emma Watkins is Ready, Willing, Able for The Wiggles". Herald Sun. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  4. ↑ Sams, Christine (29 June 2014). "Emma Watkins may be known as the Yellow Wiggle but she also has a hip side". Daily Telegraph.
  5. ↑ Shedden, Iain (19 May 2012). "The Wiggles: Split the band, save the brand". The Australian. Retrieved 27 April 2013. (subscription required)
  6. ↑ Tolin, Lisa (15 August 2013). "Newest Wiggle Inspires an Army of Wiggling Girls". Valley News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  7. ↑ ABC Kids [@abckids] (31 May 2015). "Not long 'til @Emma_Wiggle teaches us a song about the corroboree frog and the sound it makes in her new show, Emma!" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 September 2015 – via Twitter.
  8. ↑ Ward, Mary (5 May 2015). "Purple Wiggle to marry Yellow Wiggle after weekend proposal". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  9. ↑ Domjen, Briana (9 April 2016). "Purple Wiggle Lachlan Gillespie and Yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins tie the knot in royal-inspired wedding". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  10. ↑ Genevieve Rota (3 August 2018). "The Wiggles' Emma and Lachy split after two years of marriage". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  11. ↑ http://www.sanity.com.au/products/2299811/Wiggles_-_Emma_The
  12. ↑ http://www.fishpond.com.au/Movies/Wiggles/9398700041326
  13. ↑ https://shop.abc.net.au/products/emma-emma-the-wiggles-cd
  14. ↑ http://shop.abc.net.au/products/wiggles-dial-e-for-emma-cd
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