Teen finds time to shine on stage

Staff Writer Award-winning singer, songwriter, dancer. It is a résumé most adults would be proud of.

But Stephanie Marie Hanvey of Howell has a way to go before she even reaches legal age. She’s only 13.

You can find Stephanie on YouTube, belting out her new song, “Turn It Up.” The video was filmed at Jenkinson’s Pavilion and on the beach at Point Pleasant Beach on Memorial Day.

Stephanie wrote the words and music and auditioned her fellow dancers.

“When I was 13, I was just riding my bicycle,” jokes her mother, Tanya.

At home and at school, Stephanie, a diminutive teenager who stands 4 feet, 10 inches tall, is quiet, almost shy. All that changes once she gets up on stage. Her clear, sweet “mostly an alto” voice is stunningly powerful.

“When she goes up on stage, she lights up and she touches so many,” Tanya says. “She just wants to sing.”

Stephanie Marie Hanvey, 13, of Howell, is continuing to make strides in the world of entertainment. Her new song, “Turn It Up,” can be viewed on YouTube. “I feel like a different person,” Stephanie said. “I connect with people. I like making people smile. That’s what I really like about performing. It makes me feel like flying and it’s really cool.”

It all began when Stephanie was 9. She told her mother she wanted to compete in a talent show sponsored by New Jersey 101.5 FM and hosted by Big Joe Henry at Jenkinson’s Pavilion. She selected Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors” for her song.

“She said, ‘Mom, can you take me out and buy me a skirt?’ ” Tanya recalled. “She ended up winning. She used to sing all the time when she was little. We didn’t think anything of it.”

Stephanie then went on to win top spot in an amateur night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, N.Y. She sang John Lennon’s “Imagine.”

“She stood in line for over 10 hours,” her mother said. “She won at the age of 11.”

Stephanie does own up to a touch of stage fright before she performs.

“Yes, I get nervous before a show,” she said. “Me and my dancers, we go out in a circle and we just pray. I’m always going to be a little nervous.”

Stephanie has trained with Ankh Ra, a well-known singing coach who has appeared on MTV’s “Making the Band 4,” and Sal Dupree, another vocal coach. But she also has several local voice coaches closer to home.

“They all help me and support me,” she said.

She also recently recorded a number of Spanish songs with record producer Sergio George.

“She had to learn Spanish in three weeks,” Tanya said. “He [George] first heard her on YouTube. He gave us a call and flew her out to Miami. She recorded 11 songs.”

Stephanie has written a number of her own songs, including “Turn It Up,” “I’m That Girl” and “Your Own Superstar,” which she wrote while working with producer Eddie Galant. She wrote the song in 30 minutes, her mother said.

“He [Galant] turned and looked at me,” Tanya recalled. “He said, ‘I’ve dealt with the best, but your daughter is just amazing.’ I was amazed. I was in shock. She just blew me away.”

Stephanie lives with her mother, father, Kevin, and brothers, Kevin, 21, and Christian, 17, in the Ramtown section of Howell. She started the eighth grade at Howell Middle School South on Sept. 2.

“She’s our little girl,” her mother said. “We have two boys. She’s the only girl.”

Stephanie will spend a week in school, then head to California for the Video Music Awards show and to finish up some work.

And where Stephanie goes, Tanya goes. Her mother accompanies her on every trip. Stephanie is home-schooled during the times she is on the road.

“My mom goes everywhere I go,” the teenager said.

Stephanie was also recently selected as a semifinalist in Six Flags’ “Fame, Fortune and Flags” competition. She is one of nine child performers from around the country to make the semifinals, which were slated for Aug. 30.

With so much going on, Stephanie hasn’t had time to ride the new bike her parents bought her back in the spring.

“It’s brand spanking new,” her mother said. “We are just playing it by ear.”