Renee Ilene Sandstrom (born February 15, 1974) is an American singer and former child actress better known by her stage name Renee Sands. She is best known for her role as Renee on '' Kids Incorporated'', and as a vocal member of the American girl group

Wild Orchid (group) Wild Orchid was an American girl group consisting of Fergie (singer), Stacy Ferguson, Stefanie Ridel, and Renee Sands, Renee Sandstrom. Beginning under the name "NRG" in 1990, the group changed their name to Wild Orchid in 1992 and signed with R ...

Early life

Sands was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. Renee is the youngest of four children. She grew up singing and had a band with her family.

Career

In 1983, Sands starred in the pilot of the hit 1980s musical children's show '' Kids Incorporated. It was'' never released on television, but was released on VHS in 1985. She starred on the show's first four seasons from 1984 to 1987, where she eventually became the oldest female character. She started on the show at the age of 10 and ended at 13. Sands also opened for acts that include

Wayne Newton Carson Wayne Newton (born April 3, 1942) is an American singer and actor. One of the most popular singers in the nation from the mid-to-late 20th-century, Newton remains one of the best-known entertainers in Las Vegas. He is known by the nicknam ...

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

, and

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer, and businesswoman. Her career spanned almost 70 years. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her portra ...

. She sang on the children's chorus with other ''Kids Incorporated'' cast members on Martika's hit "Toy Soldiers". Starring on ''Kids Incorporated'' with Martika from 1983 to 1986. From 1990 to 2003, alongside her former ''Kids Incorporated'' costar (Tv sister), Stacy Ferguson, and her high school friend,

Stefanie Ridel Stefanie Jill Ridel (born May 17, 1973) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was a member of the girl group Wild Orchid, and was a co-host of the television show ''Great Pretenders''. Early life Stefanie Jill Ridel was born in Ho ...

, Sands was a member of the 1990s band Wild Orchid. She was a member through the band's entirety. Wild Orchid was an American girl group consisting of Stacy Ferguson,

, and Renee Sandstrom. Beginning under the name "NRG" in 1990, the group changed their name to Wild Orchid in 1992 and signed with

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...

in 1994. The group released two albums, earning

Billboard Music Awards The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by ''Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of t ...

nominations with their debut. In 2001, Ferguson left the group. Sandstrom and Ridel continued as a duo, releasing Wild Orchid's final album Hypnotic in 2003. In 2013,

Us Weekly ''Us Weekly'' is a weekly celebrity and entertainment magazine based in New York City. ''Us Weekly'' was founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986, and sold to American Media Inc ...

named the group number 18 of the 25 'Best Girl Groups of All Time'. Since then Sands has provided the singing voice for

Princess Fiona Fiona is a fictional character in DreamWorks' ''Shrek'' franchise, first appearing in the animated film ''Shrek'' (2001). One of the film series' main characters, Fiona is introduced as a beautiful princess placed under a curse that transforms ...

in (Shrek) ''Far Far Away Idol,'' played Young Darlene in ''California Indian,'' sang "Pump It Up", used as the theme song on the

Crystal Light Crystal Light is a line of powdered and artificially sweetened beverage mixes produced by Kraft Heinz. It was first sold in 1982 to a test market and released to the public in April 1984. General Foods, a now defunct company, were the original sel ...

commercials, according to

Kraft Foods The second incarnation of Kraft Foods is an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. in 2012 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz in 2015. A merger with Heinz, arra ...

, Inc.. She sang "Just Like We Dreamed It" with Ruben Martinez as the 15th anniversary theme for Disneyland Paris. She had a role in the

Disney Channel Original Movie Many television films have been produced for Disney Channel, an American family-oriented basic cable channel and former premium television channel since its launch on April 18, 1983. Until October 1997, films were released under the banner na ...

Camp Rock ''Camp Rock'' is a 2008 American musical television film directed by Matthew Diamond from a screenplay by Karin Gist, Regina Hicks, Julie Brown, and Paul Brown. The 73rd Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM), the film stars Demi Lovato, Joe J ...

'', providing the singing voice for Jasmine Richards' character Margaret "Peggy" Dupree, singing the song "Here I Am". She sang "Love from Afar" on the soundtrack for '' Just Friends''. Starred in the movie, Pink Ladies. As a child finished second to Scott grimes on a Boston talent show called, Community Auditions. In 2012, she sang "I Think I Like You" with the band Eagle Eye. The song was featured in season two of ''

Dance Moms ''Dance Moms'' is an American reality television series that debuted on Lifetime on July 13, 2011. Created by Collins Avenue Productions, the show follows the training and careers of children in dance and show business under the tutelage of Abb ...

''. In 2021, Renee sang the theme song for the new Disney Junior show '' The Chicken Squad''.

Personal life

On October 10, 2008, Renee was married in a private ceremony in Los Angeles, California to retirement investment expert Robby Welles. The couple has a daughter.Robby & Renee, October 10th, A Private Home, Los Angeles
High Society Wedding and Event Planning blog, July 17, 2009

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sands, Renee 1974 births Living people 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers American child actresses American television actresses American women pop singers Actresses from Worcester, Massachusetts Musicians from Worcester, Massachusetts Wild Orchid (group) members