{"id":96944,"date":"2021-06-09T00:01:04","date_gmt":"2021-06-09T10:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/?p=96944"},"modified":"2021-06-07T16:08:01","modified_gmt":"2021-06-08T02:08:01","slug":"meili-caputo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/meili-caputo\/","title":{"rendered":"She’s Got the Power"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

The future is exciting for 15-year-old Meili Caputo, the Hilo native who co-stars alongside Katy Perry (and Pikachu) in the pop superstar\u2019s latest music video, \u2018Electric.\u2019 Photo courtesy Astania Caputo<\/p><\/div>\n

The future is exciting for 15-year-old Meili Caputo, the Hilo native who co-stars alongside Katy Perry (and Pikachu) in the pop superstar\u2019s latest music video, \u2018Electric.\u2019<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The bright young star who plays a teenage Katy Perry in the video for her latest single, Electric<\/em>, gets a noticeable charge when thinking of the pop princess.<\/p>\n

\u201cKaty, she gives good hugs,\u201d says Meili Caputo.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a statement that demonstrates the type of person Meili is. She\u2019s grounded enough to see through the glamour to the person beneath the persona, yet, the fact that she\u2019s received a hug from Perry indicates that she\u2019s accomplished something out of the ordinary.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Meili and her mom, Astania, were part of a \u201cfun environment\u201d during the taping of Electric<\/em>, Katy Perry\u2019s newest music video. Photo courtesy Astania Caputo<\/p><\/div>\n

Extraordinary experiences seem par for the course for the rising Wai\u0101kea High School junior. The latest \u2014 her co-starring role in Perry\u2019s music video \u2014 just happens to be the most high-profile. Indeed, at last check, the video had 23.6 million views on YouTube.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom got a call from her friend on O\u2018ahu saying they were looking for a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes that could play the guitar,\u201d recalls the Hilo native.<\/p>\n

Just one \u2014 or three \u2014 problems: she is a brunette; she has green eyes; and she can\u2019t play the guitar.<\/p>\n

However, one thing you learn about Caputo after chatting with her is that she is as driven and professional as she is charming. The problems could be dealt with \u2014 a hair color change, contacts and some guitar lessons from dad Mike.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe sent ahead and submitted what we needed to submit, then they called me and said, \u2018Your daughter\u2019s the front-runner,\u201d says mom Astania.<\/p>\n

They knew it was a music video, and later came the news that it would be for one of popular music\u2019s biggest stars.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I found out it was Katy Perry, I was shocked,\u201d Meili says.<\/p>\n

\u201cSix days from finding out, we were on set,\u201d Astania adds.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Meili says that she and Katy Perry have more than looks and a knack for performing arts in common. Both were nicknamed \u201cturtle\u201d by their mothers. IMAGE COURTESY ASTANIA CAPUTO AND THE POK\u00c9MON COMPANY INTERNATIONAL<\/p><\/div>\n

Once on O\u2019ahu, Meili\u2019s days were filled with fittings and a trip to the hairstylist to get those golden tresses to match Perry\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Filming took two 12-hour days, with just occasional breaks for lunch and hair and makeup touch-ups.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn set, it was a very fun environment. It was nice to spend time with everyone. I got to know the cast really well. They were all college students (and) they told me about the jobs they\u2019d done,\u201d Meili recalls.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The song and video commemorate the 25th anniversary of Pok\u00e9mon. Pikachu, along with its younger counterpart, Pichu, make cameos in the video. IMAGE COURTESY ASTANIA CAPUTO AND THE POK\u00c9MON COMPANY INTERNATIONAL<\/p><\/div>\n

Everything about the video, which was filmed at Kualoa\u2019s Moli\u2018i pond (Perry also filmed scenes at Diamond Head Lighthouse), was a tightly held secret; Meili still had no idea what the song would be, as it hadn\u2019t been released.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually had to learn the song in an hour,\u201d she explains. \u201cI was in hair and makeup on the second day and they walked up to me, asked if I had headphones. I said \u2018no,\u2019 so they brought me headphones and they said, \u2018Can you learn this song in an hour?\u2019 I was iffy at first, but I got it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The video, which commemorates Pok\u00e9mon\u2019s 25th anniversary, features Perry and Pikachu going back in time to nudge the younger Perry (played by Caputo) toward her future musical success. Younger Perry is busking at a farmers market \u2014 she\u2019s singing along with the lyrics to Electric <\/em>\u2014 with Pichu (a pre-evolved form of Pikachu) by her side.<\/p>\n

The empowering message in the song is similar to the wisdom Perry shared with the 15-year-old.<\/p>\n

\u201cHanging out with Katy Perry was really nice,\u201d notes Meili. \u201cShe told me about the industry and asked my mom about her job. She said that the industry\u2019s hard, and you have to believe in yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

A pivotal scene in the video shows Perry putting a leopard print jacket in Meili\u2019s line of sight to ensure she\u2019ll pick it up. She goes on to perform at a talent show with her new coat, and ostensibly, on to her destiny.<\/p>\n

Apparently, the scene does have some truth to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe gave me a gift \u2014 that leopard jacket I wore in the video. She gave it to me because she hopes it gives me luck,\u201d Meili explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn her teenage years, Katy\u2019s mom gave her a leopard jacket and it brought her luck.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Among Meili\u2019s goals are to attend New York University, work on Broadway and maybe do some TV acting or launch a singing career. She\u2019s already a veteran of community theater productions and has even toured China.<\/p><\/div>\n

Not that Meili will need luck. She\u2019s been performing for years now as a singer, dancer and actor in community theater productions. In addition to singing for audiences on a tour through China, she\u2019s starred as Princess Jasmine in Center Stage Dance Alliance\u2019s production of Disney\u2019s Aladdin, Jr.<\/em> at University of Hawai\u2018i at Hilo\u2019s Performing Arts Center. She also played Dainty June in Palace Theatre\u2019s production of Gypsy<\/em>. Both productions were directed by Larry Reitzer, a television writer for such shows as Ugly Betty<\/em> and Melissa & Joey<\/em>, and someone whom Meili views as a mentor. <\/p>\n

\u201cI saw Meili perform in a talent show at the Palace Theatre and was immediately impressed by her incredible voice and women and her desire to work hard and push herself \u2014 and then, push herself even further \u2014 impresses me every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now that the video\u2019s out there, Meili\u2019s been pleasantly surprised by the reception.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got a lot of support from the fans, too \u2014 the KatyCats were great. I don\u2019t know how they found out it was me, but they knew before it was out.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for her future goals, Meili wants to continue performing. She\u2019s taking college classes this summer with plans to graduate with her associate\u2019s degree when she finishes high school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to go to NYU to study performing arts and get my bachelor\u2019s \u2026 I really want to do Broadway, but afterwards, I see myself doing movies or TV shows or possibly a singing career,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s little doubt she\u2019ll get there, given her focus and the support from her family, which also includes younger brother Cashton.<\/p>\n

\u201cHone in on your craft and don\u2019t chase stardom,\u201d Astania says, relaying the advice she gives her daughter. \u201cStardom will be there for you, if you hone in on your craft.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the short-term however, the Hilo girl plans to keep busy as a regular teenager (she loves going to the skate park and hanging out with friends at the beach), while indulging herself in other activities, including dance and martial arts classes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just started boxing,\u201d says Meili. \u201cI wanted to protect myself when I\u2019m older.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The future is exciting for 15-year-old Meili Caputo, the Hilo native who co-stars alongside Katy Perry (and Pikachu) in the..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":96949,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover-story"],"yoast_head":"\nShe's Got the Power - MidWeek<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/meili-caputo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"She's Got the Power - MidWeek\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The future is exciting for 15-year-old Meili Caputo, the Hilo native who co-stars alongside Katy Perry (and Pikachu) in the..\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/meili-caputo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MidWeek\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-06-09T10:01:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2021\/06\/katy-selfie-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"828\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/meili-caputo\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/meili-caputo\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"She’s Got the Power\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-09T10:01:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/meili-caputo\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1289,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/meili-caputo\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/12\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/katy-selfie-2.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"MW Cover Story\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/meili-caputo\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/meili-caputo\\\/\",\"name\":\"She's Got the Power - MidWeek\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/meili-caputo\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/meili-caputo\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/12\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/katy-selfie-2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-09T10:01:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/meili-caputo\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/meili-caputo\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/meili-caputo\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/12\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/katy-selfie-2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/12\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/katy-selfie-2.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":828,\"caption\":\"Meili says that she and Katy Perry have more than looks and a knack for performing arts in common. Both were nicknamed \u201cturtle\u201d by their mothers. IMAGE COURTESY ASTANIA CAPUTO AND THE POK\u00c9MON COMPANY INTERNATIONAL\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/meili-caputo\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"She’s Got the Power\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/\",\"name\":\"MidWeek\",\"description\":\"Hawaii's Favorite Newspaper\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/author\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"She's Got the Power - MidWeek","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/meili-caputo\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"She's Got the Power - MidWeek","og_description":"The future is exciting for 15-year-old Meili Caputo, the Hilo native who co-stars alongside Katy Perry (and Pikachu) in the..","og_url":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/meili-caputo\/","og_site_name":"MidWeek","article_published_time":"2021-06-09T10:01:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":828,"url":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2021\/06\/katy-selfie-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/meili-caputo\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/meili-caputo\/"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"She’s Got the Power","datePublished":"2021-06-09T10:01:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/meili-caputo\/"},"wordCount":1289,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/meili-caputo\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2021\/06\/katy-selfie-2.jpg","articleSection":["MW Cover Story"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/meili-caputo\/","url":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/meili-caputo\/","name":"She's Got the Power - MidWeek","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/meili-caputo\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/meili-caputo\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2021\/06\/katy-selfie-2.jpg","datePublished":"2021-06-09T10:01:04+00:00","author":{"@id":""},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/meili-caputo\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/meili-caputo\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/meili-caputo\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2021\/06\/katy-selfie-2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2021\/06\/katy-selfie-2.jpg","width":800,"height":828,"caption":"Meili says that she and Katy Perry have more than looks and a knack for performing arts in common. Both were nicknamed \u201cturtle\u201d by their mothers. IMAGE COURTESY ASTANIA CAPUTO AND THE POK\u00c9MON COMPANY INTERNATIONAL"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/meili-caputo\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"She’s Got the Power"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/#website","url":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/","name":"MidWeek","description":"Hawaii's Favorite Newspaper","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"","url":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/author\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/73"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96944"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96944\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}