At only 16 years old, singer Serena Rigacci has already amassed a long list of accomplishments.
Originally from Pisa, Italy, Serena began her musical career on the 4th season of Ti Lascio Una Canzone (I’m Leaving You A Song)— an Italian musical variety show. Here’s a clip of her performing “Silent Night” along with her castmates:
After those early days, Serena continued to achieve great success, winning a variety of musical competitions, like Punto su di Te (Point on You).
During the span of her career, however, there was one momentous performance that catapulted her into viral fame.
When Serena was 11 years old, she participated in Next Star Romania, another television talent series. During her time on the show, she used her delicate voice to wow the crowd and judges with ballads such as “Tell Him” and “Come Saprei”.
In this video, you see the specific moment Serena caught the world’s attention, choosing to sing “I Will Always Love You”, a notably difficult song popularized by Whitney Houston
Standing on the Next Star Romania stage, clad in an angelic white dress, Serena’s 11-year-old voice sings the opening lyrics with a mesmerizing clarity.
From the first few moments, the judges are already blown away. Serena has such amazing control of her voice, the judges are prompted to shout “Bravo!” By halfway through the performance, the crowd has risen to their feet.
Then, when she hits the most powerful chorus, the audience roars with applause.
After Next Star, Serena auditioned for X-Faktor, the Hungarian version of the X-Factor series. When all was said and done, the teen came in second place— later going on to date fellow finalist Gulyás Roland.
Although the two were in the competition together, they didn’t start dating until after the series. Gulyás even wrote a song describing their newfound love. “Serena is a special girl I got when I didn’t expect it anymore,” he told Cosmopolitan Hungary.
“When I moved to Budapest, I wanted to experience the great moments with an important person, so I first went to the Citadel with Serena. I looked into her eyes and felt like I had to kiss [her].”
Serena’s come a long way since her Next Star Romania days. Her Facebook page reveals: “She is currently working on a very important project” while guest-starring on Italian and European stages and being employed as a brand influencer.
Despite all the teen’s recent performances, her rendition of “I Will Always Love You” has remained a clear fan favorite. Comments on the video read:
“Absolutely amazing. Never have I head anything so perfect.”
“I think Whitney herself would be awed at this girl’s talent.”
“Whitney is known as one of the best voices in history. Move over Whitney, little momma’s got this! Bravo!”
Watch the spine-tingling performance below!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
