After four decades since Dolly Parton turned down Elvis Presley’s request for the rights to “I Will Always Love You,” a 13-year-old girl from Austria took the song and made it her own. The song, which was famously brought to a new audience by Whitney Houston in 1992, was performed perfectly by Laura Kamhuber during the blind auditions on The Voice Kids. She left the judges momentarily speechless. Keep reading to find out more about this young girl’s audition that has garnered 226 million views on YouTube! Back in 1974, Elvis Presley sought to get his hands on Dolly Parton’s hit song “I Will Always Love You,” which she had released that same year. If Parton had accepted the offer, she would have had to give up half of the publishing royalties for the country song she wrote when she ended her professional relationship with her long-time partner, Porter Wagoner. Even though Presley was her idol, she couldn’t bring herself to agree.
“Something in my heart says, ‘Don’t do that.’ And I just didn’t do it,” she shared in an interview with CMT. “But I always wondered what it would sound like. I know he’d kill it…He would have killed it. But anyway, so he didn’t. Then when Whitney [Houston’s version] came out, I made enough money to buy Graceland. Leading the charts in 1992.
In 1992, Whitney Houston recorded a pop ballad for the movie The Bodyguard, where she acted alongside Kevin Costner. The song became a worldwide hit, selling over 20 million copies, making it the best-selling single ever by a female solo artist. As of now, Celine Dion is the only other woman in the top 10, with 18 million copies sold of “My Heart Will Go On.” When the pop diva passed away in 2012, the singer of “Jolene” expressed her sorrow along with other stars, stating, “I will always be thankful and amazed by the incredible performance she gave on my song, and I can honestly say from the bottom of my heart, ‘Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.’” ‘Prohibited song’ The following year, 13-year-old Laura Kamhuber took the stage for a blind audition on The Voice Kids, and after delivering a flawless rendition of “I Will Always Love You,” she left the judges in shock. The young Austrian, who was competing on the German version of the popular singing show, received accolades from all three judges, who turned their chairs to have the chance to mentor her.
After her breathtaking performance, German pop artist Tim Bendzko told Kamhuber that she had just performed “the forbidden song.” He humorously remarked about Houston’s vocal range being tough to replicate, saying, “you’re not really supposed to sing this song because it’s unsingable.”
Even though Kamhuber, who is now 24, was eliminated during the knockout rounds of the show, her memorable audition has garnered 226 million views, making it the most viewed YouTube video by an Austrian artist.
Since then, the artist known as Laura Lun has put out three albums, with her most recent one released in 2017, showcasing pop, country, and ballads. Check out Laura Kamhuber’s audition and share your thoughts with us!
