Her brother and mother played the violin and her father played the piano, but Amira did not play an instrument. So she sang. Before she had ever taken a singing lesson, she taught herself opera arias by watching tutorials on YouTube. Even her mother was surprised the first time she heard her.
In 2013, at just nine years old, Amira walked onto the stage of Holland’s Got Talent and sang “O Mio Babbino Caro,” from Puccini’s opera Gianni Schicchi. Within seconds, the judges were staring in disbelief. She went on to win the whole competition with more than half of the votes.
One person who saw her audition online was a member of André Rieu’s orchestra. Rieu invited Amira to a masterclass in London. Then, in July 2014, the 10-year-old stood on stage in Maastricht with Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra and sang the aria that had made her famous. That is the performance in the video above, and it has been watched more than 100 million times on André Rieu’s YouTube channel.
But here is the part of Amira’s story that may touch you most.
When she was seven, while visiting her grandmother in South Africa, she saw children who had no proper playground. “If I ever get any money,” she told her mother, “I’d like to come back here and help these children have something to play.”
She kept that promise. In March 2014, she opened her first playground in Ikageng, a township in South Africa. By 2019, her foundation had built 13 of them.
A big voice, and an even bigger heart.
Have you ever heard a voice this big from someone so young? Share this with a friend who loves beautiful music.