Mahlea Hunt

MAXTON — Mahlea Hunt can be heard belting “Amazing Grace” in the new trailer for “Shake Off the World.” A rising ninth-grader at Purnell Swett High School, the Maxton teen has been wowing people with her voice since she was a toddler.

“When she was 3, the choir director would put her on a stool and she would sing during church,” her mother, Celeste Hunt, said. “We realized at an early age that she could listen to music and pick it up very easily.”

On June 26, Mahlea was named first runner-up during the National Junior Beta Club Talent Competition in Nashville. She advanced to the competition after taking first place at the North Carolina Junior Beta Club Convention, which was held in Greensboro earlier this year.

During the state convention, Mahlea topped 62 other contestants with her rousing rendition of Beyonce’s “Listen.”

“Shake Off the World” will mark Mahlea’s screen debut, but the 14-year-old is no stranger to the stage. Some of the pageant titles she’s held include Little Miss North Carolina and Junior Miss Lumbee.

Celeste says her daughter is looking forward to the movie, which is expected to premiere in Robeson County before being released to DVD in August.

“She’s very thrilled and excited about being in a faith-based film,” she said.