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It's not often talent show contestants escape from Simon Cowell's sharp tongue. It's even rarer when a contestant leaves the notoriously tough judge so awed, he's at a loss for words.
But seven-year-old Briton Connie Talbot did.
At British television show 'Britain's Got Talent' last year, the child singing sensation captured the hearts of millions with her rendition of The Wizard of Oz's 'Over the Rainbow'.
The performance moved English actress Amanda Holden, who was a judge on the show, along with millions of viewers tuned-in via television and later on on video sharing website Youtube, to tears.
While probably too tough to cry, Cowell however, described the seven-old-old as 'pure magic', and said he was 'impressed' and thought she was 'fantastic'.
Amazingly, the child prodigy has had no formal voice training but she was deemed 'pitch-perfect' by Cowell.
The then six-year-old had a notable smile with two missing front-teeth, but it did nothing to hinder her singing capabilities and instead, added to her adorable factor.
"I thought (her) absolutely brilliant," British tabloid editor Piers Morgan had said.
Although the pint-sized songstress lost to opera singer Paul Potts in the finale and lost her chance to sing for the Queen, she was signed on by the Rainbow Recording Company and released her first album, appropriately named ‘Over the Rainbow’.
Connie is currently on an Asian tour with her mom, Sharon Talbot, to promote the album in cities such as Seoul and Hong Kong, and was recently in Singapore.
Dressed in a hot pink qipao which she bought locally, Connie told Channel NewsAsia that she loves singing because it makes her happy, and also brings joy to people listening to her.
And happy, it made her family too, who said that Connie’s singing had helped tide them through difficult periods.
Although there have been critics who have commented that seven years old is too young a age to be in the music industry, Connie’s parents said that they will stand behind Connie all the way as long as she is doing what she loves.
“(We’ll allow her to continue) as long as she is happy," said Mrs Talbot. "If there comes a time when she isn’t happy or she comes under pressure, then I’ll try to talk her out of this music scene until she is older."
"But at the moment she is more than happy, she is excited so it’d be a shame to stop her.”
Connie's album 'Over the Rainbow' consists of 12 tracks of evergreen favourites, including 'Somewhere over the Rainbow', 'I Have a Dream', 'Silent Night' and 'Smile'.
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