Amanda Mena was bullied most of her childhood. What got her through all that is her love for music.

The 15-year-old hails from Massachusetts but she was born in Dominican Republic and spent the first four years of her life there. When her family moved to the United States, she did not speak a word of English which caused her to be unwanted and even bullied for being different.

When Howie asked her if music is just hobby, she answered, ‘’I feel like my experiences really connects me to music. I just love it.’’

The teenager said that two things got her through those very difficult time: music and her mom!

She added, ‘’I was raised in the Dominican Republic until I was 4 years old. When I came here, I did not know a word of English and I got bullied a lot so all that kinda gave me tough skin.’’

Amanda chose “Natural Woman’’ as her audition piece. When she sang, there was so much beauty and passion in her voice. The crowd can really tell that her music comes from a good place –one that is triumphant and joyous. Overcoming all those struggles during childhood really deepened her connection with music and it’s always an amazing thing to witness.

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