This story originally appeared at American Web Media by Robert Winthrop.
The Voice Kids has shown us that just because someone is young, it doesn’t mean they’re less talented than adult performers on the regular edition of The Voice. Song selection for this age group can be tricky, especially when a child wants to show off a powerful voice but in an age-appropriate way.
The song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz” proved to be the perfect choice for a girl named Anna, who wowed the judges during the blind audition phase of the show.
From the very first note, Anna captivated the audience and the judges, smoothly sliding into the song with a vocal maturity well beyond her years. The song was, of course, sung by the legendary Judy Garland and became popular over the years, with many artists covering the song since it was first performed.
One of the most well-known versions was sung by Israel Kamakawiwole in 1993, a beautiful rendition played with ukulele accompaniment. The song is a classic and almost everyone knows it around the world.
Anna worked hard to prepare for her performance on The Voice, and worried as any contestant on the talent show does, but took to the stage like a professional. If she was nervous in any way, you would never have known it.
During the blind audition segment of the show, performers sing their song while the judges are seated with their backs to the hopeful contestant. They listen without seeing the person so that they judge them solely on their voice, without their physical appearance or performance to color the judges’ decision-making. If they are interested in working with the person as a contestant on the show, the judge hits their button which rotates their chair.
In Anna’s case, it took virtually no time to get everyone interested. Before she even finished the word “somewhere,” one judge hit his button and turned immediately as her family and the host cheered her on backstage. The judge, upon laying his eyes on her, was absolutely smitten with Anna, mouthing along with the words as she sang.
Once all the judges had turned around, they soaked in Anna’s beautiful performance of this song. By the end, the judges were in absolute awe as they rose to their feet while the audience cheered the young performer for her stunning rendition of the classic tune.
Among the many people who weighed in with comments on the video were those who were truly blown away by her talent. One person remarked: “thank you for this video… Anna has an extraordinary voice and is so young. We wish her a long musical career, she is is very talented.”