Girl Stuns Jury with ‘Forbidden’ Dolly Parton Song Cover

Four decades after Elvis Presley was denied the rights to Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” a 13-year-old girl from Austria delivered a stunning rendition of the ballad, making it her own.

Originally made famous again by Whitney Houston in 1992, this “forbidden” song was flawlessly performed by Laura Kamhuber during the blind auditions of The Voice Kids.

Her performance left the judges utterly speechless.

To discover more about this young girl’s remarkable audition, which has amassed 226 million views on YouTube, keep on reading!

In 1974, Elvis Presley tried his hand at Dolly Parton’s hit “I Will Always Love You,” a song she had just released.

If Parton had agreed to Elvis’s terms, she would have had to sacrifice half of the royalties from publishing the country song she wrote after ending her professional partnership with longtime collaborator Porter Wagoner.

Despite Presley being her idol, she ultimately couldn’t bring herself to agree.

“Something inside me said, ‘Don’t do it.’ So I didn’t,” she revealed in an interview with CMT. “But I always wondered how he would have interpreted it. I know he would have nailed it… He would have done it beautifully. But in the end, he didn’t. When Whitney [Houston’s rendition] came out, I made enough money to buy Graceland.”

1992 Chart-Topping Success

In 1992, Whitney Houston recorded a pop ballad version of the same song for the film The Bodyguard, where she starred alongside Kevin Costner. The track achieved global acclaim, selling over 20 million copies and becoming the best-selling single ever by a female solo artist.

To date, Celine Dion is the only other female artist with a spot in the top 10, thanks to “My Heart Will Go On,” which sold 18 million copies.

In 2012, upon Houston’s tragic passing, the “Jolene” singer paid tribute by stating in a statement: “I will always be grateful and amazed by her amazing performance of my song, and I can honestly say from the bottom of my heart, ‘Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.'”

‘Forbidden Song’

The next year, 13-year-old Laura Kamhuber stunned the audience with her rendition of “I Will Always Love You” during the blind auditions of The Voice Kids, leaving the judges in awe.

The young Austrian contestant on the German rendition of the popular singing competition received accolades from all three judges, who vied to mentor the high schooler.

After her captivating performance, German pop star Tim Bendzko informed Kamhuber that she had just tackled the “forbidden song.” Joking about Houston’s challenging vocal range, he quipped, “you’re not supposed to cover this song because it’s nearly impossible.”

Bendzko praised her, saying, “You performed it incredibly. It was phenomenal.”

Although Kamhuber, now 24, was later eliminated in the show’s knockout rounds, her unforgettable audition has garnered 226 million views, making it the most-watched YouTube video by an Austrian artist.

Since then, under the stage name Laura Lun, she has released three albums, with her latest in 2017 featuring a mix of pop, country, and ballads.

Take a moment to listen to Laura Kamhuber’s audition and share your thoughts with us!

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