Amira Willighagen
| Amira Willighagen | |
|---|---|
 Willighagen in November 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Born |
March 27, 2004 Nijmegen, Netherlands |
| Genres | Classical crossover |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Website | Official Facebook page |
Amira Willighagen (born March 27, 2004) is a Dutch child classical crossover singer who won the sixth season of Holland's Got Talent in 2013 at the age of 9.
Holland's Got Talent
Willighagen auditioned for Holland's Got Talent and impressed the judging panel with her version of "O mio babbino caro" from Puccini's opera Gianni Schicchi.[1][2] Her performance rapidly became a YouTube hit with over 36 million viewers as of June 2015. Despite suffering from a cold in the days before she was scheduled to perform in the semi-finals, she managed to perform, advancing to the finals after performing Gounod's "Ave Maria".[3] In the finals, she sang "Nessun dorma" from Puccini's opera Turandot. She won the competition with over 50% of the viewer vote.[4]
Career
In February 2014, Willighagen recorded her debut album, Amira.[5] The album contains ten tracks including the songs she performed during Holland's Got Talent. The album was released in the Netherlands on March 28, reaching a Gold status only two weeks later.
Willighagen's first international performances took place at the Starlight Classics Concerts in Somerset West, South Africa on February 28 and March 1, 2014. On April 30, Willighagen performed in Las Vegas as part of the prize she received when winning Holland's Got Talent'. With half of the revenue she makes by performing and her album sales, Willighagen supports her own charity project to build playgrounds for poor children. In March 2014, she opened the first playground in Ikageng, a township near Potchefstroom, South Africa.[6]
On November 8, 2014, Willighagen visited the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome to receive the International Giuseppe Sciacca Award 2014.[7]
In November 2015, Willighagen released her second album, Merry Christmas. Besides a selection of well-known noëls, the album contains various famous arias.
Discography
Albums
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NET | BEL | US Classical[8] | ||
| Amira | 2014 | 1 | 115 | 7 |
| Merry Christmas | 2015 | 69 | 200 | – |
References
- ↑ Siddique, Haroon (30 October 2013). "Amira Willighagen, nine, sings opera and stuns Holland's Got Talent judges". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
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.
- ↑ "Nine-year-old blows judges away", Stuff.co.nz, 30 October 2013
- ↑ "The New Jackie Evancho: Amira Willighagen Sings 'Ave Maria,' Advances to Finals of 'Holland's Got Talent'". Classicalite. 2013-12-22. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
- ↑ "Breaking: Amira Willighagen, Better Than Jackie Evancho, Sings "Nessun Dorma" to Win Holland's Got Talent", Classicalite, 28 December 2013
- ↑ "Amira's first CD is coming!", AmiraFans, 5 February 2014
- ↑ "Star shines for township playground", Cape Times, 24 February 2014
- ↑ "Amira, giovanissima soprano, Premio Sciacca Musica", premiosciacca.it, 8 November 2014 (Italian)
- ↑ "Classical Music: Top Classical Albums Chart". Billboard.
External links
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