Amanda Joy Michalka (/miːˈʃɑːkə/ mee-SHAH-kə;[1] born April 10, 1991)[2] is an American actress, musician and singer-songwriter who is best known as one half of the musical duo Aly & AJ (briefly 78violet), alongside her older sister Aly Michalka.

She has appeared in films such as The Lovely Bones (2009), Secretariat (2010), Super 8 (2011), Grace Unplugged (2013), Weepah Way for Now (2015), and Support the Girls (2018).

She is also known for voicing a lead role as Catra in the Netflix animated adventure series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018–2020).

[6][7][8] Michalka was in a number of musical productions at her school in Milwaukee as a young woman.

In 2009 she was featured in the Peter Jackson film The Lovely Bones, released widely on January 15, 2010.

She was cast as a recurring character on The CW series Hellcats[11] starring Ashley Tisdale and her sister Aly Michalka.

[12] She also played the Lainey character in a lead role on the spinoff series Schooled, which ran for two seasons.

Michalka also made references to her nephew and Aly & AJ's upcoming album.