It’s remarkable how a few stanzas, a couple of bridges and a chorus can be strung together to create a song that resonates with millions of people from countries around the world. This process is how all the songs come to life, and how many become hits that we continue to listen to even years after its initial release.
It was producer and actor Kevin Costner who plucked the 1974 “I Will Always Love You” out of country-rock oblivion, and chose Whitney Houston to sing it. Without Kevin insisting this song be in the film “The Bodyguard” and Whitney being the star to sing it, the song wouldn’t be on the best-selling soundtrack of all time, selling 45 million copies worldwide, reaching the far corner of the planet. This is the perfect example of how music truly is a universal language.
Probably one of the most loved and covered songs of the past 25 years, it’s no surprise that contestants on shows like “X-Factor” love to take on the challenge of singing the song that launched Whitney’s career, in hopes of launching their own.
This is Julia, and it’s her moment to shine on “X-Factor Ukraine.” From the moment she says what song she’s singing, the look on the faces of the judges and audience is something along the lines of, “…here we go again… another wannabe Whitney….” However, even in the face of doubt, Julia delivers an outstanding performance, raising the eyebrows of her new found believers in disbelief. We can’t blame the judges for their outlook because it’s hard to live up to the hype of this song and what Whitney was able to do with it. But, it’s also rewarding to see that they appreciate fine talent when they hear/see it and they’re not afraid to take their comments back.
Going back to Julia, this girl knocks her act out of the park, her voice is deep and robust, yet still managing to grasp those hard-to-reach notes. Julia reaches the apex of the song and has the judges singing along with her, their faces surprised and happy to be proven wrong.
Have you seen Julia in some of her other performances? If so, which one is your favorite? I think mine has to be this classic performance of “I Will Always Love You.”
Click below to see Julia tackles a hard song giving it all she’s got.
