Nine years old, Amira Willighagen was when she entered the TV talent show ' opera arias' in 2013.Holland's got talent' won. Her Puccini aria 'O mio babbino caro' still attracts millions of viewers on YouTube. What makes Amira so immensely popular? Is it her singing skills or is it her adorable childlike appearance? In Huizen, a village in the Gooi region, she gave a concert with a wind band. It was a messy evening of music in a village atmosphere.
Who is Amira?
Amira Willighagen (2004) was born in Nijmegen. She grew up with classical music and sang in a church choir. When opera arias were put on at home - preferably by Maria Callas - she would sing along with an operatic voice. Amira took pleasure in imitation. She found arias on YouTube, with her brother Fincent writing out the lyrics.
She had the dream that many children today have: to become famous by appearing on television. That dream came true on the RTL-4 TV programme 'Holland's got Talent'.
But participating in this commercial programme does mean that you, the contestant, give up your privacy. Conditions are all attached to participation to boost ratings. If, as a contestant, you have an imperfection: you are too fat, you live in poverty, or you have always been bullied, you are extra attractive to real life TV. Because with a sad personal story, viewers can identify.
Amira's compelling story: ,,My mother is from South Africa and a friend of hers lives in a slum with houses made of corrugated iron. When we visited there once, I saw that there was no playground; Fincent and I thought that was very strange. I wanted to have playgrounds made there and so I Lucky Kids Foundation established. With singing, you can make money and that's why I joined HGT." She has since installed three playgrounds; a noble deed.
Loud
In a packed church in the Gooi town of Huizen, Amira gave a concert in early December. She was musically supported by Harmonieorkest Prinses Irene Huizen. Amira in concert became a messy evening of music with amateurs in a village atmosphere. With a brass band playing opera arrangements loudly in the slightly too small church. A stage on which you could only see the front row of musicians and barely see the harpist (Marjan de Haer). That was in the back. For variety and addition, there was a professional singer (tenor Ben Heijnen). But the audience was also treated to a presenter (Esther Apituley) who liked herself more than the guests.
You almost felt sorry for Amira. Because that same afternoon, she had had her first fan club meeting. Time was set aside for the fan club president to thank members of organisation with flowers on stage. The audience also needed to know that fans had raised money for Amira's foundation. It took forever.
Opera arias imitation
Amira sang arias such as Voi che sapete, Ombra mai fu and Ave Maria By Caccini. It is difficult to put Amira along the yardstick by which I normally judge professional singers. What to say about such a sweet girl with an angelic aura imitating arias? Amira has an untrained singing voice. The deep notes sound pure, but the phrasing of the notes and the great vibrato she displays sometimes sound unnatural. She has not learnt to read notes and her pronunciation also leaves much to be desired. Classical music lovers will therefore appreciate her singing skills less. Admiration comes from a different audience.
http://https://youtu.be/y9j_j38-sio
Thus, at the concert there were YouTube fans from faraway countries: Texas, Venezuela, Columbia and closer by from England, Germany and Belgium. There were also other fans like people with visible disabilities, there was a pastor with a white collar, and a man in a clown costume who was interacting with a Barbie doll that looked like Amira.
Basic sense
Amira, especially in her princess dress, looks like innocence itself: an angel. She appeals to a basic feeling in many people. Her melancholic voice subconsciously evokes feelings of longing in people. She is an adult in a child's body.
At the end, together with the ever-enthusiastic Ben Heijnen, she sang the song Time to say Goodbye in the arrangement that made Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman so popular. A fine song better suited to Amira's small voice.
Amira, if I may give you some advice: step away from imitating opera arias! Save your voice. You have achieved your goal: to be famous. Do you still want a singing career? Go learn notes and take real singing lessons!
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