A. J. Bridel

Amanda Jeannette Bridel (born March 26, 1994), known as AJ Bridel, is a Canadian actress and singer. She first rose to prominence as a finalist on Over the Rainbow, where she finished in third-place. Since then, Bridel starred as Lauren in the Canadian premiere of Kinky Boots at the Royal Alexandra Theatre and has appeared in several regional productions across Ontario. In 2022, Bridel started voicing the main character Pipp Petals in the My Little Pony series. Early life and education Bridel was born in Calgary, but raised in Kitchener, Ontario. Bridel was first drawn to musical theatre after listening to the music for Les Misérables from a CD owned by her parents. As a teenager, Bridel was a member of the Kitchener Waterloo Musical Productions, a non-profit community theatre organization. She performed in the organization's productions of Fiddler on the Roof, Annie, Footloose, and 13. Bridel attended Eastwood Collegiate Institute, in Kitchener. An honours student in high school, Bridel enrolled in the musical theatre program at Sheridan College but withdrew to appear on Over the Rainbow. Bridel has since completed courses through Queen's University. Career In 2011, at the age of 18, Bridel was cast in her first professional production as Mary in The Little Years, a play by John Mighton. The play was performed at the Stratford Festival between July 13 and September 24, 2011.