Amanda Michalka often credited as AJ, is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and instrumentalist. Amanda Michalka used to be a model prior to becoming an actress, and was best known as one-half of the duo 78violet with her sister, Alyson.

Amanda Michalka recently recorded the theme song for the film Secretariat, entitled It`s Who You Are. A video was released along with the single. She lived and grew up in Seattle, Washington and Southern California with her sister.

Her father, Mark, owns a contracting company, and her mother, Carrie, is a musician and performed with JC Band, a Christian band. Amanda Michalka has been playing the piano since she was four and started playing the guitar in her early teens.

She started acting when she was five years old, mostly in church play productions. Amanda Michalka was raised as a Christian and continues to practice the faith. She was in a number of musical productions at her school in Milwaukee as a young adult.