LYNN — Lynn native and accomplished performer Amanda Mena can add singing Aretha Franklin works during this year’s National Women’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony to her ever-growing résumé.
On Thursday, Dec. 10, the 18-year-old St. Mary’s senior will sing two of Franklin’s songs during the organization’s semi-annual event, which will be held virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There’s something about her that just pierces you,” said Audrey Jiménez, Director of Multicultural Affairs at St. Mary’s.
Jiménez has been one of Mena’s biggest champions since Mena first began singing as a young student in Jiménez’s after school program.
“She had a really strict work ethic even then,” Jiménez said. “She would learn the lyrics quickly, and she had a beautiful voice.”
Mena first garnered international attention when she won Spanish-language singing competition, La Voz Kids, in Miami, Fla., in 2014 at just 11 years old, and her voice has since carried her to Broadway to sing “I Feel the Earth Move” in the Carole King musical, Beautiful, and earned her an invitation from producer Kenny Ortega to perform a tribute to the late Aretha Franklin at the 33rd annual Imogen Foundation Awards at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.
In 2019, she was asked to audition for acting roles with Ortega and the legendary movie director Steven Spielberg, who invited Mena to audition for the lead role of Maria in his film version of West Side Story.
She also released her first two singles and a music video, Dime Como, which have been enthusiastically received by her 116,000 followers on Instagram and Facebook.
Now, Mena said she’s proud to sing two of Franklin’s songs during Thursday’s ceremony, which will posthumously honor six historic Black women — Toni Morrison, Franklin, Barbara Rose Johns Powell, Henrietta Lacks, Mary Church Terrell, and Barbara Hillary — and feature inductees Dr. Angela Davis, an author activist, and scholar, and Deborah Turner, MD, JD, an OB-GYN and League of Women Voters president.
The tribute, which was pre-filmed at a gospel church in Dorchester in a nod to Franklin’s early career, was directed by fellow Lynn resident and St. Mary’s alum, Claude Exama.
“When it reached our hands, we wanted to make sure we did (Franklin) justice and gave credit where it was due,” Exama said. “She paved the way for artists like Amanda, and even people behind the scenes — directors, producers. We wanted to make her proud.”
He said the two met several times beforehand to meticulously plan out filming logistics, and the result was a stunning short film that highlights a soulful, seamless medley of iconic Franklin songs A Natural Woman and Respect.
“I am so honored and blessed that the National Women’s Hall of Fame selected me to pay tribute to Aretha Franklin at her induction into the Hall of Fame at their 2020 induction ceremony,” Mena said. “This is an unbelievable honor for me personally. At the virtual ceremony, I’ll pay tribute to Aretha and sing two of her very famous songs — with her family and many prominent people in attendance. (It will be) a memory I never forget.”
As her high school years come to a close, the young talent is still deciding what her next chapter will look like, with Jiménez adding Mena has set her sights on possibly attending Berklee College of Music in the fall.
“She has the opportunity to change the direction of the whole next generation,” Jiménez said. “No matter where she goes, people just feel like they know her.”
The virtual ceremony begins at 7:30 p.m. Those interested in attending can register online at eventinterface.com/NWHFVirtualInduction2020/.