Boy Starts Singing "Hallelujah," But Audience Is Stunned When Two Girls Join Him

Feb 09, 2021 by apost team

Though it's beautiful when it's sung all year round, Leonard Cohen's classic song "Hallelujah" carries extra weight during the Christmas season, a time where everybody undoubtedly thinks about the beauty in life and what it means to be close to those who you love. It has captured hearts around the world for its deep lyrics and incredible composition, so it's no wonder that it is among the favorites for contestants on talent shows. Three young contestants, Simon, Helene, and Patrizia took on the song and made it their own in 2014 on the German version of "The Voice Kids". Their hauntingly beautiful rendition is sure to make your day. 

Talent shows have a knack for bringing out the cream of the crop when it comes to people's skills and gifts. We have been awed time and again by singers, artists, performers, and other talented individuals whose performances are akin to magic. However, we are even more amazed when children come to show off their skills! To be so young and full of potential is a beautiful thing to see. So, when three children got up on stage at Germany's "The Voice Kids" show, the audience knew they were in for a treat.

This part of the show was the "Battle" round, which is where contestants who already passed the blind auditions face-off against each other. Two or three contestants all sing the same song and are judged on their talent, and only one is chosen to move on to the next round. In this particular Battle round, three kids, Simon, Helene, and Patrizia all competed with Leonard Cohen's classic masterpiece "Hallelujah."

Simon, the boy who began singing first, started solo, showing off his incredibly developed voice that really understood the words of the song. When Simon hits the chorus, one of the girls joins in and adds splendid harmonies to the song before going into the dazzling second verse. What is even more incredible about this version is that they don't just sing the song with great voices, but they sing the words with such conviction.

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It's rare that you hear someone sing the song with so much passion that you think they truly understand the lyrics, originally penned by a then-nearly-50-years-old Leonard Cohen. That's why hearing those wonderful lyrics sung by children is even more impressive, as they can really communicate a song that took Cohen decades of living to understand himself. As the second girl begins her solo part of the song, the other two help to harmonize the song for her as she uses her deep and soulful voice to bring the song to life. It is enough to give any listener goosebumps! 

Their voices join together — each an individual powerhouse of talent — to give the song a new power through their combined effort. Their slow start makes way for a strong chorus and climax as their voices rise up. Finally, the third girl takes her solo part and sings beautifully enough to make Simon smile, because we believe he too must be feeling the joy of this song! As all three voices come together again for the final verse, we can't help but be blown away by the sheer amount of talent between these three amazing kids. 

However, the best part is the ending. After building up to a loud finish, the kids belt out a beautiful last chord, which is wonderfully harmonized. For their "Battle" round, all three of the kids had been sitting on a stool while they sang, but as their finish was going to be quite powerful, all three stand up together and walk next to each other while they end the song. Their arrangement also features incredible voice leading and types of harmonization that let their talents truly shine. If it were up to us, we weren't sure whom we would choose to go to the next round! All three kids were superb.

The choice of this particular song made this video truly stunning, as Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is a beautifully versatile piece that fits any occasion or mood. Interestingly, while today Leonard Cohen has become famous due to the widespread fame of "Hallelujah," it almost didn't come to be and was even overlooked for a few years until a few other renditions in the 90s brought the song to its prominence today. 

USA Today reports that Cohen "spent years banging his head on the floor because he couldn't solve this song," according to Alan Light, who wrote the book "The Holy Or The Broken." It ultimately took Cohen five years to finally write the song, but even longer for an audience to recognize the genius of it. It was first introduced to the CBS record label in 1984, but it was passed on only to be picked up by independent record label Passport Records. Unfortunately, it did not make any ripples in the music industry as that iteration of the song "was kind of turgid" according to Light. This led to Cohen making changes to some verses, as well as transforming the song into a darker and longer piece. 

When musician John Cale heard Cohen perform a live version of the song in New York, he liked it so much that he made his own version of the song and added it to a Leonard Cohen tribute album titled "I'm Your Fan." "Cale is really the one who cracks the code of Hallelujah, according to Alan Light," Malcolm Gladwell said. One of the few people to buy this album was a young woman who crossed paths with Jeff Buckley, whose own version of "Hallelujah", recorded in 1994, propelled to fame in 1997 after Buckley's tragic death. Gladwell noted to USA Today that it took around 15 years for the song to actually become recognized! 

We are certainly grateful that today there are so many poignant versions of this incredible song available to us. Out of all the covers out there, we think this one by these talented kids is one of the best yet! Don't just take our word for it, though—take a look for yourself and hear their beautiful rendition of "Hallelujah"!

What did you think of this breathtaking performance? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and be sure to show this video to someone else who might appreciate it, too!