Emma Watkins facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Emma Watkins
Emma Watkins in 2018
Born	Emma Olivia Watkins (1989-09-21) 21 September 1989 (age 35) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Other names	Emma Wiggle Emma Memma
Occupation	Children's entertainer, dancer, television presenter
Years active	2010–present
Spouse(s)	Lachlan Gillespie ​ ​ (m. 2016; div. 2018)​ Oliver Brian ​ (m. 2022)​
Musical career
Genres	Children's
Instruments	Vocals
YouTube information
Years active	2022–present
Subscribers	55 thousand

Emma Olivia Watkins (born 21 September 1989) is an Australian children's entertainer. She is a talented dancer, singer, author, and television presenter. Many people know her as the first female member of the popular children's group the Wiggles. She was part of the Wiggles from 2013 to 2021. Because she was so popular, she even had her own TV show called Emma!. After leaving the Wiggles, she created her own special character, Emma Memma, in 2022. Her first solo children's music album came out in September 2022. It won an ARIA Award for Best Children's Album in 2023.

Emma has also appeared on TV shows like The Masked Singer. She was also on The Amazing Race Australia and a Christmas special of Lego Masters Australia. She narrated the children's series Reef School. In 2024, she hosted Teenage Boss: Next Level.

Emma's Early Life and Training

Emma Watkins started learning ballet when she was four years old. She loved watching the Wiggles perform Irish dancing. This inspired her to study many other dance styles. These included jazz, hip hop, tap, and contemporary dance. She went to The McDonald College, a special school for performing arts. Emma also won a scholarship to the Sydney Film School. She completed a certificate in musical theatre at ED5 International in Sydney.

Emma continued her education, earning a master's degree. This degree was in Media Arts and Production from the University of Technology Sydney. She has been teaching dance to children since she was in high school. Emma has also performed in Bollywood films. She learned to play drums and other percussion instruments. In 2009, she was crowned Miss Granny Smith Apples. By 2012, she was learning Auslan, which is Australian sign language. In 2021, she was even doing research for her PhD. Her research focused on sign language and dance.

Emma's Career Journey

Becoming a Wiggle (2010–2021)

In 2010, Emma Watkins began working with the Wiggles. She first performed as Fairy Larissa. Then she played other characters like Wags the Dog and Dorothy the Dinosaur. She also worked as a Wiggly Dancer. Emma used her film skills during tours. She helped the group by making and editing videos.

In May 2012, the Wiggles announced big news. Emma Watkins would become the first female Wiggle. She would replace Greg Page as the Yellow Wiggle. The original Wiggles members said they chose Emma because she was the best for the job. They also felt it would help the Wiggles reach a new generation of fans.

Lisa Tolin from the Associated Press said Emma was a great role model for girls. Her fans would come to concerts dressed like her. They often gave her homemade bows. These bows became a special part of her unique look. Because she was so popular, the Wiggles created a new TV show. It was called Emma! and featured Emma as a solo performer. This show started in 2015. At Wiggles concerts, up to 80% of the audience would wear yellow. They would also dress like Emma. By 2021, about half of the Wiggles' merchandise was related to the "Emma" brand.

In September 2019, Emma started hosting weekend shows. These were on the radio station smoothfm in Sydney and Melbourne. In October 2020, Emma appeared in a music video. It was for the song "Back 2 Back" by Samantha Jade. In November, at the 2020 ARIA Music Awards, she joined other Australian singers. They performed "I Am Woman" to honor its singer, Helen Reddy.

Emma announced she was leaving the Wiggles in October 2021. Tsehay Hawkins then took her place as the Yellow Wiggle.

Emma Memma and Other TV Work (2022–Present)

In early 2022, Emma Watkins hinted at a new children's character. She called her Emma Memma. This new character would combine song, dance, and sign language. A company called Headspinner Productions partnered with Emma in July 2022. They planned a new TV show for preschoolers. It would be called Emma Memma: Sing. Dance. Sign. Emma became an executive producer for the series. Her company, Apricot Sea, would produce it. The show was expected to start filming in early 2023.

The Emma Memma character and her design were officially shown in July. Music videos were then released on YouTube. In February 2023, Emma released a book for her Emma Memma character. It was called Hello, Emma Memma.

During this time, Emma also appeared on TV. She competed on the fourth season of The Masked Singer as "Zombie." She also appeared on the 2022 Lego Masters Australia Christmas special. Emma narrated the ABC children's series Reef School in 2022. In June 2023, she released another children's story book. It was titled Emma Memma: How Are You?. She also released her first activity book, Emma Memma Sticker Activity Book.

Later that year, Emma competed on The Amazing Race Australia with her sister, Hayley Watkins. They tied for first place with two other teams. In October 2023, she released her third kids' story book. It was called Emma Memma's Alphabet Day. This book has a fun story and shows each letter of the alphabet in Auslan. She also released her second activity book, Emma Memma Craft Book. In late 2023, Emma won an ARIA Award for Best Children's Album for her first solo album, Emma Memma.

In February 2024, Emma released her first solo EP (Extended Play) as Emma Memma. It was called Days of the Week. In March 2024, she released her third album as Emma Memma, titled Twirly Tunes. This album was nominated for best children's album at the 2024 ARIA Awards. Later in the year, Emma hosted the third season of Teenage Boss. In December 2024, she released a Christmas story book called Emma Memma: Christmas Lights.

Emma's Personal Life

Emma Watkins and fellow Wiggles performer Lachlan Gillespie were married on 9 April 2016. They announced their separation on 3 August 2018.

In April 2018, Emma had to miss some shows. She was in pain from a health condition called severe endometriosis. She had surgery after being diagnosed with Stage IV endometriosis. Her specialist, Professor Jason Abbott, believes Emma speaking out about her condition helped raise awareness.

On 5 April 2021, Emma announced her engagement to Oliver Brian. He is a musician who also worked with the Wiggles. They started dating in December 2019. Emma and Oliver were married on 2 May 2022.

Emma's Music Albums

Studio Albums

Extended Plays

Emma's TV Appearances

Awards and Nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (AIR Awards) celebrate the success of Australia's independent music artists.

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are annual awards that recognize great achievements in Australian music.

Australian Women in Music Awards

The Australian Women in Music Awards celebrate amazing women in the Australian Music Industry.