Forbidden song, performed by 13 year old girl, has been watched more than 224 million time it is blowing peoples minds
Forty years after Dolly Parton turned down Elvis Presley’s request for the rights to “I Will Always Love You,” a 13-year-old Austrian girl took the song and made it her own.
The “forbidden” ballad – reintroduced to a new generation in 1992 by Whitney Houston – was powerfully performed by Laura Kamhuber during her blind audition on The Voice Kids, leaving the judges momentarily stunned.
Read on to discover the audition that has captivated 226 million viewers on YouTube.
In 1974, Elvis Presley expressed interest in recording Parton’s hit, “I Will Always Love You,” released that same year. However, accepting his terms would mean forfeiting half the publishing royalties on the song she had written to mark the end of her professional partnership with Porter Wagoner.
Despite her admiration for Presley, Parton couldn’t bring herself to sign over her rights. “Something in my heart said, ‘Don’t do that,’ and I just didn’t,” she later shared with CMT. “But I always wondered how he would’ve sounded. I know he’d have killed it.” Yet, years later, Whitney Houston’s version was so successful that Parton jokingly said, “I made enough money to buy Graceland.”
The song would go on to top charts globally. In 1992, Houston recorded her legendary version of the song for The Bodyguard, where she starred alongside Kevin Costner. The ballad became a record-breaking success, with over 20 million copies sold and solidifying itself as the best-selling single by a female solo artist. To this day, only Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” has rivaled it in sales, with 18 million copies.
When Houston passed away in 2012, Parton joined the outpouring of tributes, saying, “I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song, and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, ‘Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.’”
The following year, 13-year-old Laura Kamhuber took to the stage in a blind audition for the German edition of The Voice Kids. Her flawless rendition of “I Will Always Love You” left the judges speechless, with all three turning their chairs to vie for the chance to coach her.
German pop star Tim Bendzko marveled at Kamhuber’s performance, jokingly dubbing it “the forbidden song” because Houston’s exceptional vocal range had made the song almost untouchable. He praised Kamhuber, saying, “You sang it sensationally. It was incredible.”
Although Kamhuber was eventually eliminated in the knockout rounds, her unforgettable audition has since become the most-watched YouTube video by an Austrian artist, amassing over 226 million views. Now 24 and performing under the stage name Laura Lun, she has released three albums, her latest in 2017, showcasing her versatility across pop, country, and ballads.
Take a moment to listen to Laura Kamhuber’s stunning audition and let us know what you think!