A nine-year-old Dutch girl has won the hearts of the nation – and the global internet masses – after a stunning rendition of an operatic classic on a televised talent show.
Amira Willighagen's performance of O Mio Babbino Caro from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi on Holland's Got Talent amazed judges and audience alike and won her a "golden ticket" that will take her straight to the competition's live show.
"Are you really nine years old?" judge Chantal Janzen asked. "This is incredible."
The disbelief at the powerful voice emanating from such a small girl was compounded when Amira revealed that she had not had any singing lessons but was self-taught, using YouTube tutorials.
"My brother Vincent plays violin, and I also wanted to do something … so I thought, I'm going to sing … and then I heard opera songs, which I found very beautiful and that's when I started singing," she said.
One YouTube clip of her performance, posted online on Saturday, has already been viewed more than one million times.
