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Jordyn Yarker wants to see her name up in lights. And just like Miley Cyrus or Hillary Duff, the pint-sized Gold Coast 10-year-old is singing, dancing and acting her way into fame with the world stage in her sights.
Bright-eyed Jordyn Yarker is just like any other 10-year-old kid. She loves fashion, makeup, sports and going to the movies. Only this little girl has something special. She has fame and fortune in her sights and is well on her way to a successful career as a performer – so much so, she’s hoping to become the next Miley Cyrus. “I’d love to become like a Hannah Montana, or even Hillary Duff, she’s so cool,” the little girl says excitedly.
And with a life already consumed by school, training, rehearsing and acting lessons, Jordyn is used to the limelight. “I hope the show will go off, and then I’d like to start my own fashion label because people will know me, so they’ll buy the clothes,” she says of her current project – a tween-based TV show.
The homegrown young talent has already recorded six of her own tracks here on the Gold Coast, ‘Vivid’, ‘Candy Dance Floor’, ‘Boom, Crash, Bang’, ‘Ain’t Gonna Catch me’, ‘Inner Glow’ and ‘Rock Dat Beat’ with music videos, and a pilot for her own TV show titled Accord’n to Jordyn currently in production. “We’re going to pitch it to the networks shortly,” says her dad Cameron. “There’s nothing out there for kids her age, so we think it should be well-received.”
And all-too-aware of the pitfalls of young fame, mum Lisa says it’s important she and her husband keep a handle on Jordyn’s career. “We are marketing to the 5-12 year olds. There really isn’t anything for that market. You’ve got Gaga for the over 16s or the Wiggles for the toddlers. There’s nothing in between. We want to convey positive songs and a clean, good message to these young girls,” she says. And, Lisa’s quick to add, stardom is something her little girl is chasing off her own bat. “It’s still very innocent. Her time is certainly condensed but these are her own desires to sing and create, this is what she wants to do. I’m very positive – and we all are as a family – about her following her dreams.”
Cameron believes his daughter is a role model her peers can relate to and with the help of Abbe, she won’t have her spirit broken by fame. “Abbe and Jordyn spend a lot of time together and she has this mentor in Abbe, who’s been in the industry a long time so she knows all the pitfalls of fame and the hard work that needs to be put in.” Abbe Bradbury is Jordyn’s singing coach, songwriter and choreographer. “I was in a show when I was 14. I had to help the younger kids record their songs so I know how important it is to have someone who knows their craft and has a positive attitude when it comes to young talent. With Jordyn, I can guide her in the right direction. But we don’t want to force her to grow up too quickly at the same time, that’s crucial to her personal development.”
Jordyn will perform her songs in a live show at Dreamworld (April 19-20) and isn’t fazed by large crowds. “I love it, it’s so much fun,” she says, adding she rarely suffers pre-show nerves.
And like any young girl playing dress-ups, the pretty tween is obsessed with fashion design – expressing her desire to one day visit the world’s style capital. “I’d love to go to Paris! They have really cool clothes there and I want to see the Eiffel tower. It all just looks so cool. I’ve got this book with stencils where you trace and make new designs. I do it with my friends,” she says as she flicks through her folder with all her outfits laid out like minature catwalk dolls. Reading tomes that would impress even a grown-up’s literary inventory – Dreaming of Chanel and Dior – Jordyn’s passion for all things style is clear.
As is her ambition for success. Jordyn would love to one day become the next Demi Levato or Selina Gomez. And she’s already used to a hectic schedule with her time split between dance, singing, performing, soccer and even acrobatics which means she doesn’t usually wind up her day until later in the evening. “We always make sure she gets in her homework. It’s important to have her education and performance balance correctly,“ her father adds.
Lisa – who grew up in Thailand and moved to Australia when she was six – says it’s important her daughters (they also have an older daughter, Erinn, 13) are exposed to all the opportunities in life that she missed out on. “You grow up wanting a normal life. Going through what I did when I was young (we weren’t allowed to speak Thai at home and so it became difficult for us to fit in) I wanted to ensure I had a strong family unit and give my kids all the opportunities I didn’t get. I look at Jordyn, and what she does, and I think it’s so amazing. I would be so petrified. I’m so very proud of her and what she’s done so far.”
Lisa’s adamant Jordyn will never be exposed to harm or the overtiredness that can often burden young performers. “There has been the odd occasion where she’s been worn out. We’ll pull her out and stop filming immediately, we don’t want to pressure her and we have to remember she’s just a 10-year-old kid.”
http://www.jordynyarker.com/ Words: Adrienne Porter
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