Petrina Amsden came to America from England nearly five years ago. In addition to a new country, she discovered something else: herself.
“When I moved here, I didn’t know if I was going to sing anymore,” said the popular entertainer in The Villages known simply as Petrina. “I thought I was going to have a career in photography.
“But something happened to me in America. People, especially in The Villages, believed in me and encouraged me. I sort of found myself. You’re always on a journey, that’s what life is all about. My journey brought me to America, and this is where I fit in.”
This July 4 is special for Petrina. She was sworn in as a citizen on March 14. And now the buoyant and high-energy performer — who bears a resemblance to the singer known as Pink — is proud to wear the red, white and blue.
“For the first time on July 4, I’m an American in America,” Petrina said. “I’m proud, honored and blessed.”
For Petrina, the journey to a Green Card for permanent residency in the United States started about 13 years ago in her hometown of Grantham, England. It’s the same place where the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was born. Petrina’s mother, father and sister had come to America and she began the arduous task of immigrating here around 2000.
Petrina spent her teen years during the 1980s, listening to popular music that included such acts as Queen, Bon Jovi, and ABBA. She liked to wear her platinum blonde hair in a short, spiked cut, and continues that style until today. Another personality trait about her that hasn’t changed is percolating energy.
Attend a Petrina show, and you will see her dance and romp on stage. She likes to mingle with the audience and will jump off stage to direct and join in on line dances. Her stage outfits range from outrageous to elegant to funky. The wardrobe includes jeans, flag dresses and also a wedding gown. Petrina (known as Pet to her friends) constantly banters with fans will do just about anything to get the joint jumping.
“She’s always on the go and never slows down,” said Michael Amsden, her husband of four years. He works at the front desk of the Tuscany Day Spa and Salon here and met Petrina in The Villages. The couple lives in Duval. “People love to come and see Petrina because she makes them happy,” he said.
Ironically, Michael is sort of the opposite of his wife: quiet, a bit shy and avoids the limelight. “But like the song says, ‘He made me love you,’” Petrina sings in a deep voice and trademark English accent.
She arrived in The Villages about five years ago. Her sister Jules is a performer and helped bring her here. Petrina’s mother and father, Marian and Roy Whitehead, owned the Plantation Tea Room in The Villages. Petrina would help out there and one day started singing. Michael Amsden noticed her picture on poster outside the tea room and contacted her by computer.
That was the start of a romance and also when her singing career started to blossom. Eventually, her parents sold the tea room but Petrina starting getting gigs all around The Villages. “She’s unbelievable,” Stan Swies, entertainment director of the Michigan Club in The Villages, wrote on Petrina’s web site. “She had the crowd singing and dancing the whole show.”
“People here tell me these things and they are so genuine, it makes me feel so good,” Petrina said. “I’m still in awe of the people here.”
Petrina’s effervescent stage personality and willingness to take chances is part of her allure. “Some people tell me I act like a child and that’s great, because I feel like a big kid. I like to dress up and have fun. I don’t take myself too seriously.”
But the comparisons to Pink can be a downer.
“It’s a bit weird, I think she copies me,” Petrina said with her loud and boisterous laugh. She will often sing Pink songs in her shows. “Pink is an amazing performer and I have tremendous respect for her, but I’m me.”
One style of music Petrina has struggled with is country. “I just don’t have the twang,” she said. “I didn’t hear much country music when I was growing up in England.”
Petrina, as usual, has a busy schedule of shows. She performs at Lake Sumter Landing on July 7 from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. One of her biggest gigs will be July 19 at 6 p.m. in the American Legion Post 347, 699 W. Lady Lake Blvd., near Rolling Acres Road. It’s called a rock and roll video show and Petrina will be singing to videos from Elvis to Billy Idol. Tickets are $10; for information call 352-205-4892.
As for July 4, Petrina will perform starting at 2 p.m. in the Bonifay Country Club, 1033 Pinellas Place, The Villages. “I told her, she’s an American now, and sometimes Americans have to work on the Fourth of July,” her husband said.
But the hectic lifestyle is typical for this couple. “Living with Petrina can be pretty crazy, but I wouldn’t want her to change, because that’s who I fell in love with,”Michael Amsden said.
Petrina has another love affair going with her adopted country and it has added meaning on the holiday. “When I became a citizen, I cried,” she said. “America means so much to me. This is where I belong.”
