The next Jackie Evancho?
mainLaura Bretan, 13, sang Nessun Dorma.
Laura is from Bucharest. She was recruited from Romania’s Got Talent.
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Oh, no, not more of these over-trained child singers with a child’s vocal cords to make sound, not a grown man of 30!.
While Laura Bretan’s performance of Nessun Dorma on AGT was too heavy of an aria for her, her “Pie Jesu” last night was beautiful, clear and controlled. It was the best performance of her three thus far. Folks need to stop comparing her to Jackie Evancho, who is also very talented and possesses a beautiful voice. Jackie has a lighter voice and there is a place for both of them in the music world. Laura’s teachers, however, should be careful to select age appropriate songs for her voice. Lloyd Webber’s Pie Jesu was such a piece. Very lovely.
She was badly out of tune and nowhere near in control. She was flat in several places and that hideous over powered vibrato could have caused an earthquake. Jackie is always in tune and in total control. Jackie uses dynamics and artistry. This kid just sounds like a Banshee.
Trust me it was wretched. Heidi Klum, no longer a “10” according to Donald Trump was, as she usually is by these things, overwhelmed and gushingly enthusiastic. She really should be on the music staff at the NY Times….
More kiddie porn for the masses.
Please no.
NOT AMERICAN! Shocker
She’s from Chicago! She’s been all over Youtube for several years.
Even the Daily Mail knew this. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3619157/Simon-Cowell-joins-America-s-Got-Talent-gives-high-praise-teenage-opera-singer-Laura-Bretan.html
What I don’t understand is why she went to Romania’s Got Talent.
Seriously, doesn’t anybody do their homework?
As for her voice, it’s interesting to hear coming from a child, but I’ll be more interested to hear her when she’s 30.
Probably won’t be singing when she’s 30!
You should do your homework! She’s Romanian that’s why she went to”Romania’s got talent”. It was her grandfather’s wish to see her on Romania’s got talent, but he passed away before her auditions.
Exposing a child to the mass media does help develop their talent and may have very negative implications on their emotional growth. I am tempted to call this child abuse.
Oops, I meant to write that premature exposure to the mass media does not help.
And then we have the whole new season of So You Think You Can Dance – – The Next Generation…
Don’t any of these little angels know anything except Nessun Dorma and O Mio Bobbino Caro?
I tend to agree with the above characterisation of child abuse. I daresay Jackie E has been supporting her family for years.
This is such a sham. Like Simon doesn’t know exactly who she is? He OWNS the “Got Talent” business. She was on Romania’s Got Talent not long ago, no doubt sent there by his people as a warm-up for this one (somehow her viral video from that competition seems to have disappeared from Youtube, though). It’s not the first time some act has moved around the Got Talent circuit, readying for the big ones in the UK or US.
Maybe culturally she’s Romanian but born and bred in Chicago? Just guessing.
Yes, but evidently Mr. Lebrecht and his minions didn’t actually watch the video, where her American English would have made clear she’s not from Bucharest, though she did go there for Romania’s Got Talent, evidently as a warmup for the American version.
My minions are too busy upgrading the site…
She deleted the lines between splendora and the first vinchero; in an earlier youtube she replaced splendora with vinchero … innovation?
Whatever words she sings, there is something quite not right about any of this scenario.
Funny, Romanian as a Romance language is close to Italian but the pronunciation is pure Chicago. At least some of the meaning of the words should have been understood. After all, if “no one shall sleep”, “Nessun Dorma” sung in that way would be enough to wake up the whole city, together with the overly trilled r’s as though the streets were being ripped up with a power drill.
Definitely not for kids, and not just from the vocal point of view.
@ CJ
Do you agree she’s stressing much more than Jackie and threatening her future?
Not only stressing but screeching at times. She sang many of the notes badly out of tune and her performance had 0 nuance. Jackie Evancho has real talent and seeing this girl compared to her makes me want to vomit. Why were the judges gushing over this kid? Has Simon gone deaf?
It is all about the ratings. Jackie’s appearance on AGT resulted in the largest viewing to date at that time. They probably expect this young lady to do the same. While she sang with emotion, her voice did not compare well to Jackie’s; and, I believe Jackie was 11 when she first sang Neesun Normal on BGT and AGT. I agree with an earlier comment – there must be other arias that can showcase their “talent.”
I think it will backfire on them. What they are doing borders on child abuse. They are building this kids hopes up that she will be the next Jackie and that isn’t going to happen. This kid needs years of professional voice training before she will be 1/100th the singer Jackie Evancho is. Screeching with an extreme amount of vibrato is not singing. Jackie’s voice moves people to tears from it’s sheer beauty. This poor kid made me want to reach for a set of earplugs to make the noise stop.
They should all watch this before they seek any limelight. Julie at age 12:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV2-YGGn0y4
And three years later:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_7nlVqR6KA
🙂
She’s way better than Jackie actually. Her nervousness was affecting her some here, which caused more vibrato because she was going a bit too fast to breathe deeper, but a much richer and better trained tone, she’s going for technique rather than popular pathos. I hope this win just brings her money for training rather than co-opting her on to the circuit.
Anyone remember this:
They should all watch this before they seek any limelight. Julie at age 12:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV2-YGGn0y4
And three years later:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_7nlVqR6KA
🙂
@ jansumi
I find her high range stronger than Jackie’s but not as sweet tone/timbre; in spite of pushing her limit and sounding screechy to some viewers, she had surprising control pitch-wise throughout.
She has some of Jackie’s charm and enthusiasm, more important than most other elements in a performance when it comes to crowd pleasing.
But messing up lyrics in two of her youtubes — Jackie in her brilliance never failed with lyrics in any language.
https://youtu.be/MiVbwYXqg0A
Here’s her OMBC Romanian performance, a bit more enjoyable than the AGT spectacular.
“Way better than Jackie” you’re insane.
BTW jansumi you suck at being a music critic. Please stop.
Your insane thinking she is better than Jackie!! Jackie has a much sweeter sound and better pitch. Not screeching when reaching the high notes. Also Jackie was 10 when she first performed on AGT and 11 when she did ND on BGT.
One big difference between Laura and Jackie is that Laura seems to characterize herself as an opera singer whereas Jackie has regarded herself as a classical crossover singer. Makes a big difference in their singing styles, I think.
This girl sang very well, but there is something about Jackie: it’s her perfect pitch, her stage presence, but it’s mostly that her voice is ethereal, that of an angel. I have loved her since I first saw her in 2010.
Lauran Betan in Finals of Romania’s Got Talent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXyOLgTB2_o
Laura’s final note in Pia Jesu was an out of sync power surge … her style is stiffly formal, headed for opera for sure and all the publicity will help get her there; Jackie’s in a class of her own making — not to be compared, with her only long-term flaw her arm movements.
YES!!!! Why the grand note at the ending. No need for that. I hate her vibrato.
I listened to Jackie’s version on AGT and even though she was much younger there
is so much purity and no forcing like Laura. If she is headed to the MET or La Scala it’s
way to early. The female voice matures much later. I did NOT vote for her and I will not vote for her.
Grace Vanderwaal won AGT tonight. Jayna Brown was my choice. As for Laura, I believe her voice will improve on the other side of puberty as Jackie’s voice did. I think Laura should apply to Juilliard for instruction and coaching. She has the power and the operatic “sound” but everything else needs improvement.
Julliard won’t want her. She can’t even sing in tune. Her singing makes me want to reach for hearing protection. All these people raving over her are the same type that will go to a snooty party and rave over the delicious snails being severed. They hate the snails and are trying not to retch but they still praise them to seem like they are cultured.
Well they might reject her but she has to at least TRY. She has to have instruction if she wants to make it in opera. Like you I hear all her imperfections but they can be overcome.
I love your snails analogy LOL. 😀
You are right that she should try. She is very young and has years to improve. She needs a good voice teacher to start. Someone who will take her back to the start and teach the basics all over again. I do wish her well. She seems like a nice kid. I just get frustrated that America seems to want to enshrine her as the next Jackie Evancho when she is nowhere near as talented.
Yes good teachers which abound in Juilliard. And if her voice cannot be set to opera levels, she’ll have to find another genre.
I totally agree about her voice needing to be “deconstructed” and start over with basics. I must confess I turned her off less than halfway through her audition. My ears literally could not stand what they were hearing. And I never listened to her again.
The best thing is Laura didn’t win. If she had won there’s no telling how big her head would have gotten…I hope this loss is a wakeup call not only for her but for her parents so they see they need to get her the vocal training she so desperately needs.
I don’t think she needs Julliard just yet. Maybe when she is 19 years old if she can improve. There are a lot of great voice teachers at the High School level in the USA. That would be all she needs for now. This may sound crazy but if I were her teacher I would send her out to buy a flute and then send her for flute lessons. It would teach her to be a musician. It would also teach her subtle breath control and how to modulate a vibrato. It would also teach her that the solution to every problem isn’t screaming out a note. I think all singers should also play a wind instrument.
Jackie Evancho is the best singer today my opinion. You can’t. Compare anyone to Jackie.
Both Jackivand Laura are great singers. Its cruel to compare them. Each has their own personal appeal. Its like trying to compare two angels. Laura has a a voice that appealed to me when I watched America’s got talent. Of course they each sing differently and some songs better than each other. Both angelic in their iwn way. Jacki appealed to me initially an Laura later. Something anout Laura’ smile that got me. I guess her total package appealed to me. Jacki has that same appeal. I Guess we are lucky to see such talent in our life time.