My post about sixteen-year-old singing sensation Charice Pempengco five days ago led me to discover other young, talented singers whose abilities defy belief. Watching these youngsters perform is tremendously inspiring. They seem to be channeling a force greater than themselves. I know that you’ll enjoy their performances!
Let’s start with eleven-year-old Bianca Ryan‘s June 28, 2006 audition on the first season of America’s Got Talent. One word: Whoa!
And here is Bianca (who is now fourteen) singing I Am Changing on the finals of America’s Got Talent. She walked away with the $1 million grand prize.
And here is the announcement and presentation of the $1 million grand prize.
Three years later, on June 23, 2009, eleven-year-old Haben Abraham and her sisters—fourteen-year-old Salina and fifteen-year-old Lianda—stole the show on the season’s first episode of America’s Got Talent.
Shaheen Jarfagholi of Wales turned twelve a week before his April 18, 2009 audition on Britain’s Got Talent. His audition didn’t start well. In fact, it was awful. I’ve never seen Simon Cowell do this before, but he stopped Shaheen just a few lines into the song Valerie by Amy Winehouse, telling the boy that he got it wrong and asking if he had another song to sing.
And that’s when the magic happened.
Just one week later on Britain’s Got Talent, on April 25, 2009, ten-year-old Hollie Steel brought down the house when she broke from a nondescript ballet performance—just as it appeared that Simon was about to buzz her—and burst into song.
Ten-year-old Natalie Okri was the latest adorable little kid to emerge as a contender on Britain’s Got Talent after singing No One by Alicia Keys on May 16, 2009.
Next up, ten-year-old Charlie Green, who has got to be the reincarnation of Frank Sinatra! Here is his memorable audition for Britain’s Got Talent.
And here are Charlie and Charice singing Nat King Cole’s Smile on Entertainment Live on July 26, 2008, in the Philippines. Charice is a native Filipino while Charlie has a Filipino mother.
A Charlie Green bonus! Here he is crooning Fly Me To The Moon on Pinoy Dream Academy.
Here is thirteen-year-old Andrew Johnston, a shy, quiet boy with an angelic voice. This is his performance in the finals of Britain’s Got Talent.
Allow me to introduce you to Declan Galbraith, a British singer with Scottish and Irish heritage. Declan is now seventeen but he was only ten when he made this video for his first album, Declan, in 2002. There are plenty of talented young kids who can sing, but few can match his authenticity and soulfulness. Click here for more on Declan.
Meet twelve-year-old Gresyon Michael Chance, a sixth-grader at Cheyenne Middle School in Edmond, Oklahoma. Greyson’s recent performance of Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi at Edmond’s Sixth Grade Festival, a district-wide talent show, immediately catapulted him into the national spotlight and netted him an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
At the ripe old age of ten, singer Zara Larrson won Talang, Sweden’s equivalent of America’s Got Talent, in 2008.
I’d wager that when eleven-year-old Anna Graceman walked out on stage to audition for America’s Got Talent on June 21, 2011, you didn’t expect her to play piano and sing like a seasoned professional.
Ten-year-old Jackie Evancho stunned the audience of America’s Got Talenton Tuesday, August 10, 2010, by singing O Mio Bobbino Caro, an aria by Giacomo Puccini. “Stunned” is the right word because Jackie is preternaturally mature for her age, not only vocally but also in terms of her stage presence and ability to express herself. Judge Piers Morgan called Jackie’s performance a “Susan Boyle moment.”
Fourteen-year-old Liam McNally won over the Britain’s Got Talent judges in 2010 with his stirring rendition of Danny Boy.
Lica de Guzman from the Philippines was just eight years old when she sang What a Wonderful World at Les Coups de coeur d’Alain Morisod, Television Suisse Romande (TSR), on December 17, 2005.
Click here to view the best acts from The X Factor, America’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent.
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Tags: America's Got Talent, Bianca Ryan, Britain's Got Talent, Charice Pempengco, child prodigies
December 15, 2008 at 7:59 AM
Charice can probably thank Bianca Ryan – at least in terms of the TIMING of her rise to stardom. You see, when Bianca Ryan blew everyone away on America’s Got Talent a couple of years ago, a YouTube channel called “falsevoice” in the Philippines who was one of Charice’s biggest fans from watching the TV singing competition Little Big Star, saw all the fuss over Bianca and decided it was time everyone knew about Charice who, he felt, was at least equally as good, if not better, than Bianca. So he uploaded that video of 12 year old Charice singing “I Will Always Love You”. That video started to pick up an unbelievable number of views (the original one posted by falsevoice had millions of views before it was removed from YouTube) and some people in the music industry in Sweden contacted Charice and flew her there to do some recordings. One thing led to another, and the next thing we knew, she was singing on Oprah … and the rest,as they say, is history.
I consider myself one of Charice’s original international fans because it was when I was searching for videos of Bianca on YouTube that I stumbled across the one of 12 year old Charice, posted by falsevoice. I was dumbfounded, and sent the link off to some friends. I have since contacted falsevoice on YouTube and thanked him for sharing Charice with the world.
December 15, 2008 at 8:04 AM
Thanks, charicefan! I hadn’t included falsevoice in the post on Charice because I was concentrating on finding and adding the best videos. But you’re right, I should add a little bit about him since he was instrumental in introducing Charice to the world. Actually, he is shown in the six-part mini-series about Charice’s life at the end of my blog.
Per your suggestion, I added Bianca’s song “I Am Changing” to the post.
December 15, 2008 at 8:08 AM
Bianca Ryan – This song “I am Changing”, which she sang at the final of AGT, is mjy very favorite performance of Bianca’s. It is hard to beleive she was only 11 when she sang this song, which won her the AGT title!
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=TPjbkuD08J0
April 20, 2009 at 10:20 PM
[...] like me, you hadn’t. If you can’t get the HD version I’ve embedded here, go to http://bolstablog.wordpress.com/2008/12/15/prodigies/to see Andrew and more, much more. These kids are bringing through something very [...]
April 20, 2009 at 11:05 PM
How absolutely amazing! I cannot say enough about them! Thanks for the link!
My heart is singing!
April 20, 2009 at 11:08 PM
Sing away, Gena! Thanks!
April 21, 2009 at 10:29 AM
[...] be a glaring omission not to mention eleven-year-old Bianca Ryan, who blew the roof off during her 2006 audition for America’s Got Talent, a contest she eventually won. Incidentally, Piers Morgan, who was a [...]
September 23, 2010 at 9:05 PM
They are absolutely amazing !!! That’s what i can say.. (“,)
September 23, 2010 at 9:12 PM
There’s not much more to say than that, Izan!
September 1, 2011 at 8:28 AM
One of the best examples of triumph of the spirit is a young lady that no one (except some hard core YouTubers) ever heard of. In 2007 Elmira Fawn Southworth broke onto the country music scene after taking guitar lessons and performing in the guitar classes recitals. By 2009 at 11yo she got to meet her country idol, JJ Grey while sitting in as a stage guest on a local TV show called WoodSongs. She so impressed everyone that JJ Grey had her perform at his concert a few days later. Her rise to fame began but was stopped cold when her mother was found beaten unconscious and near death the night before their planned move to Nashville to promote her career. Her mom died the next night. Her father was arrested and will be tried in January 2012. So Almira disappeared from public view. But on August 20th 2011 she returned to the stage with a small performance at the Nashville Hootenanny. If you want the best treat of the year. look her up on YouTube.
September 1, 2011 at 2:40 PM
Wow, what a tragic story, Ernie. I did watch a few of Almira’s videos and was very impressed with her mature presence and performances. I will add one of her videos to this post soon. Thank you!