Heather Youmans is a singer-songwriter, stage performer, publicist and journalist currently based in the Los Angeles area. Youmans was featured in American Songwriter magazine in 2019, and performed for Parade magazine's, She Rocks Spotlight Series in 2020, her work has been featured on soundtracks for feature films Moondance Alexander, Flicka 2 and . As a journalist, Youmans began writing professionally in 2011. She has contributed to the Los Angeles Times, and written for the Orange County Register's entertainment section. Youmans is a publicist for Fender guitars.
Early life
Youmans began landing theatre roles at age ten, such as Amarylis in The Music Man, Marta in The Sound of Music in 2003, as well as Nellie in Annie Get Your Gun in 2004 at the Welk Resort Theatre. In 2004, she won first place in the Del Mar TV Idol Contest, Junior Division, at age twelve. On November 30, 2005, Youmans performed an opening solo at the UNICEF Snowflake Ball at the Regent Beverly Wilshire. Headlining acts for the evening included, Sting, Chris Botti and Natalie Cole. Youmans attended Rancho Buena Vista High School and was active in the Associated Student Body, dance and drama programs. In 2009, she won the MACY Award for Highest Achievement and Best Supporting Vocal-Female for her role as Rusty in Footloose, and Best Vocal Female in 2010 for her role as Jo in Little Women.
Education
Youmans holds a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication with a music minor. She graduated magna cum laude from California State University, Long Beach in 2013, and graduated with an MBA at CSULB with an emphasis in marketing. During her undergraduate studies, Youmans created and hosted Heartbreakers: The Women of Rock, a radio format program on KBeach.org.
Career
In 2005, Youmans earned a voice-over part, playing Becky Thatcher in Disney's Tom Sawyer's Island and the following year, won the part of Shana the Rock Star in a pre-production musical Teen Witch the Musical. These accomplishments led to featured artist performances on the soundtrack for Moondance Alexander. Youmans' single, "Girl to Change Your World", was a hit on Radio Disney, and it is one of the two Youmans songs included in the film Love by Design, starring Giulia Nahmany, David Oaks and Jane Seymour. The Teen Witch the Musical project was successful in its primary goal of reproducing the missing soundtrack for the Halloween classic film Teen Witch. The musical stage-play never made it out of workshop and has yet to achieve the secondary goal of becoming a viable Broadway offering. This association with Weir Brothers Productions led to additional soundtrack features in the films Moondance Alexander, Flicka 2 and . She also worked at Legoland CA Resort as leader singer in the Character Dance Party show in 2013. While concurrently studying journalism and music, Youmans auditioned and stacked up credits in Southern California regional theater, wrote for national and regional newspapers on entertainment topics, and has held a long term performing artist relationship with Legoland California. She has produced and hosted an entertainment format radio show, interviewed entertainment industry legends, and ran a marketing campaign for Jon MacLennan'siBook, Melodic Expressions: The Art of the Line. She works as a communications professional in Los Angeles.
In 2012, Youmans performed "Some Kind of Wonderful" at the American Idol San Diego competition and won a golden ticket after a unanimous decision from the judges, which advanced her to the Hollywood Week competition. Youmans was eliminated during Hollywood Week in Season 11. She attributes the elimination to nerves and an ambitious music selection, Heart’s "Crazy on You".
Recorded and broadcast
In addition to performing in nationally televised commercials, Youmans has been involved in several cutting-edge media projects. In 2005, Youmans played the part of Becky Thatcher in Disney's Tom Sawyer's Island, a voice-over project. The performance was delivered via hand-held computers issued to visitors on Disneyland's Tom Sawyer's Island. A pilot project, titled "Available Light", was one of the first to test Sony Blu-ray camera technology. In 2012, she became involved in editing and promotion for Melodic Expressions: The Art of the Line an interactive iBook and iPad instructional publication for experienced guitarists.
