11-Year-Old Girl's Raspy & Mature Voice Moves Judges During Folk Song Performance

Mar 27, 2023

Greatness comes in many forms. It isn’t exclusive to a specific gender, race, or even age. While many people expect or think adults have much more to offer than young people, there have been quite some instances and encounters throughout history that debunked the said notion among younger generations. 

In the case of music and entertainment, there has been plenty of singers who started out when they were younger and have changed the game since. These are the likes of Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Brandy, LeAnn Rimes, and even Celine Dion, to name a few. 

And to this day, greatness still comes from children. An 11-year-old named Georgia Balke floored all four coaches of “The Voice: Kids” Season 10 in Germany for her outstanding performance of the song “The House of The Rising Sun” on her Blind Auditions. 

At first, her demeanor onstage was reminiscent of a young girl performing in front of many people for the first time, but as soon she sang the first note of the traditional folk song, it shook everyone to their core. 

Balke, who wore a simple white shirt and jeans on her auditions, held tightly to her microphone, looking shyly and seemingly taken over by nervousness. However, her performance had everyone shocked – cheering in disbelief that such a rich and powerful voice came out of a small body. 

Just before Balke finished the first few lines of the show, she immediately got the attention of everyone in the crowd, including the four judges who she needed to wow in order to move forward in the competition. 

Initially sung as a traditional folk song, “The House of the Rising Sun” was performed popularly by the British rock band The Animals. Lyrically, the song narrates how a person’s life has gone wrong in the city of New Orleans in the United States. 

“There is a house way down in New Orleans they call the Rising Sun, and it's been the ruin of many a poor boy – and God, I know I'm one,” Balke sang with a raspy voice sounding like an already matured singer.

When the German hip-hop duo Michi Beck and Smudo turned around, Balke's family was moved; even her younger brother was moved to tears because of what was happening at the time. 

As she sang the rest of the song, she continuously shocked the audience, and the other coaches, including Álvaro Soler, Wincent Weiss and Lena Meyer-Landrut. Balke finished the song and received a standing ovation from everyone, including all of the coaches. 

Eventually, she chose Michi and Smudo, which got her until the very end of the competition, where she was hailed as “The Voice Kids” Season 10 winner in Germany. 

In an Instagram post celebrating her big win, Balke thanked everyone for their support in her caption of a photo of her holding the trophy with her two goofy judges in the background. Her post garnered more than 7,000 likes on Instagram, while her audition video already racked up almost 3,000,000 views. 

Before winning “The Voice Kids” Season 10, Balke was the runner-up in Season 13 of Das Supertalent, the German version of the “Got Talent” franchise. 

Wasn’t Georgia Balke's performance amazing? What can you say about her incredible voice and talent? Do you think she will go far in her music career? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends, and other loved ones!