by Onyinye Izundu
Hayley Orrantia is a multi-talented American actress, singer, and songwriter who has gained recognition for her work in film, television, as well as the music industry. Although she first gained recognition on The X Factor, Orrantia has been performing since she was a child.
She was born Sarah Hayley Orrantia in Arlington, Texas, on February 21, 1994. Although born in Arlington, she was raised in Grand Prairie and Highland Village. Orrantia is most famous among TV audiences for playing one of the siblings on ABC’s The Goldbergs. Here is a detailed timeline of Hayley Orrantia’s journey as an actress and singer.
She Has Mexican And European Ancestry
The American actress has ancestral roots from Mexico to diverse European cultures. Hayley Orrantia’s Mexican ancestry is from her paternal grandfather, whose parents were originally from Chihuahua, Mexico. Orrantia also has English, Welsh, French, German, Irish, and Swiss-French ancestry.
Hayley Orrantia Began Singing At 9
Singing has always come naturally for Hayley Orrantia. As a child, Orrantia loved to sing and make covers of songs. However, her singing talents and unique voice were noticed when she was nine. Seeing it was more than a pastime hobby, Orrantia Began singing professionally at 12. While she may have been too young to get signed and release a studio album, Orrantia chose to make cover songs instead. So, at 15, she recorded her first EP composed of covers of several popular songs.
Hayley Orrantia’s Early Musical Career
Around the time she was working and recording her cover song EP, she began writing songs with songwriter Jamie Houston. Houston is known for co-writing some of the hit songs in a few of Disney’s High School Musical films. Besides his work on the High School Musical movies, he wrote Tinkerbell and The Lost Treasure soundtrack song “Magic of a Friend.” The song was performed by Hayley Orrantia and is credited in the soundtrack album.
At 16, Orrantia provided background vocals for Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus in their respective Disney movies. For Demi Lovato, Orrantia sang the background vocals in Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010) soundtrack and Hannah Montana Forever (2010) soundtrack for Miley Cyrus. The exposure gave her the confidence to take her musical career more seriously.
Hayley Orrantia’s Musical Career And Fame
Hayley Orrantia decided to audition for the first season of America’s The X Factor in the summer of 2010. She made her submission through YouTube and was selected to audition in Seattle. Orrantia received four “Yes” votes from all four judges. However, one of the show’s hosts, Paula Abdul, decided to form a country pop group with three other female contestants.
Although she auditioned as a solo artist, she performed on the show as a country pop group, Lakoda Rayne. This isn’t unconventional, as solo artists can often be grouped together to keep them on the show. A good example was Simon Cowell forming the English-Irish pop boy band One Direction in the British The X Factor in 2010. Lakoda Rayne made it to the fifth week in the live shows before they were eliminated.
Orrantia released her first non-album single, “Love Sick,” in 2015. The same year, she released two more singles, “Until Then” and “Hasta Verte.” She released other singles until 2017 when she made her extended play debut. The Way Out EP was released on May 24, 2019, under the Snot Panda Music label. According to Orrantia, the EP is a “very intimate and personal look at her own life.” She released the music video of one of the EP’s songs, “If I Don’t” a month later.
Hayley Orrantia’s Acting Career
Hayley Orrantia’s first on-screen appearance as an actor came when she was 17. Like some actors, Orrantia Began her acting career starring in a 2011 commercial for Sprint telecommunications company, years before their acquisition by T-Mobile US. That same year, she made her film debut as Penny in the independent film Cooper and the Castle Hills Gang (2011). She didn’t appear in any feature film until 2016 when she played Brooke Thawley in God’s Not Dead sequel God’s Not Dead 2 (2016). In 2021, she played Emma Lockhart in the romantic comedy Christmas Is Cancelled (2021).
Hayley Orrantia has starred in more television productions than in film. In 2022, she made history as the youngest Runner-up on The Masked Singer. In 2013, she landed the role of Erica Goldberg on the period sitcom The Goldbergs. She played the role throughout the show’s 10 seasons, appearing in all 229 episodes. The show aired from September 24, 2013, to May 3, 2023. The Goldbergs is Orrantia’s most successful work in television. When The Goldbergs creator, Adam F. Goldberg, knew Hayley Orrantia could sing, he specially wrote episodes allowing the actress-singer to showcase her talent.
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Onyinye Izundu
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Onyinye Izundu (He/Him) is a writer at TVOvermind. With a particular interest in fantasy, including popular shows like House of the Dragon, The Rings of Power, and Games of Thrones, Onyinye enjoys watching movies and TV shows of various genres. Some of his all-time favorite films include Armageddon, Independence Day (starring Will Smith), Gladiator, and the movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 1-4 (still trying to wrap his head around the multiverse of Phase 5).