erica

South Jersey's new and growing star; growing because she is only 24 years of age with a wealth of talent and experience way beyond her years.Possessing a sophisticated and soulful voice, Erica is destined to leave her mark in the world of music. Erica Marie Gagliardi was born on February 21,1985 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At age 4, Erica won her very first of many vocal competitions performing “Wind Beneath My Wings”. “I knew right then and there, with everyone standing and applauding, that this is what I wanted to do.” At age 5, Erica made her television debut on “Al Alberts Showcase”, a long-running variety show featuring talented children. Erica was featured as a regular performer for six years, also performing at “live” Showcase revues in the Philadelphia and Jersey Shore area. In December of 1993, at the tender age of 7, Erica sang the National Anthem, for the very first time, in front of a crowd of 17,000 eager Philadelphia 76’rs fans. What followed for the next eleven years was a stint with all the professional sports teams in the area as a “crowd favorite” anthem singer. “ My favorite was performing at the World Cup of Hockey series held in my home town of Philadelphia. I started to get emotional at the end of the anthem.” With style and energy, Erica delivers a rendition of our National Anthem that even Francis Scott Key would be proud of! In September of 1995, Erica was accepted to one of Philadelphia’s renowned music schools, Girard Academic Music Program (GAMP), where she was a member of the Concert Choir and “Select Voices” ensemble. “Music class was my favorite, then History and Chemistry, in that order.” In years to follow, Erica’s many musical accomplishments would include performing at many noteworthy events. She received a standing ovation while performing at the National Congressional Medal of Honor ceremonies in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Among the guests were Meg Ryan and Denzel Washington, who were attending to promote their film, “Courage Under Fire”. Erica’s theatre experience has included, “The Wizard of Oz” at Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre, an appearance with Peter Nero and The Philly Pops at the renown Academy of Music, her high school’s production of “FAME” and , “The Sound Of Music”, in which she portrayed a very convincing “Mother Abbess”. “I loved speaking with an English accent and singing “Climb Every Mountain”; it was pretty cool!” In April of 2003, Erica landed the coveted lead role of "Mame Dennis" in her high school's production of "Mame". In what would be the highlight of her Senior year, Erica's theatrical and musical performance would bring her standing ovations after every show. Erica has also done voice-over and singing media work for various corporations, including Campbell’s Soup and Ovaltine. Erica’s biggest thrill was being selected to appear on the “Jenny Jones Show”, broadcast nationally on ABC-TV ON Christmas Eve day of 1996. Erica’s performance was chosen from among one thousand videotaped auditions competing to appear on a “Talented Kids” segment. Needless to say, Erica delighted the Host and her audience with a rousing rendition of “Santa Baby”. In 1999, Erica recorded her first single called "Lookin’”, which was independently released and received airplay locally on Q-102 radio. In November of 2002, Erica auditioned for "Philadelphia Idol", Fox television’s local version of "American Idol". Erica was chosen out of three hundred contestants to become one of two finalists in the contest. In June of 2004, she was runner-up in “Gimme’ the Mike Philadelphia”, which aired on UPN-57. Erica is currently writing, arranging and recording her own songs, which she describes as “Pop and R&B flavored”. She currently is performing with the band, “The Business”. She also recorded a voice-over for KFC, which is currently airing on national TV and on radio. Erica’s favorite singers include Mariah Carey, and Christina Aguilera. She has also had the chance to work with Scott Storch back in 1999,who has since worked with many talents such as Beyonce, Ciara, Christina Aguilera and The Roots, just to name a few. Erica singing "I Will Survive"