Hamilton girl's version of Disney hit from Frozen a Youtube sensation
Adam Carter | CBC News | Posted: January 21, 2014 5:19 PM | Last Updated: February 3, 2014
Annelise Forbes is passionate about performing, her mom says
She’s only in Grade 4, but Annelise Forbes is captivating Disney fans all over with her cover of Let it Go from 2013’s Frozen.
The nine year old from Hamilton recorded the song in her uncle’s home studio as part of a Christmas CD for her family, which she does every year. In just over a week, a video of her singing has more than 155,000 views on YouTube.
“It’s really remarkable. As a parent, you hear your child do something like that and it touches you on a very emotional level,” said Annelise’s mother, Tamara. “Frozen was a big hit with other kids and a big hit with our daughter. She’s been playing it pretty much on repeat since she saw it.”
Though Annelise does an admirable job on a song that features some vocal gymnastics in the upper register, she only had her first formal voice lesson on Monday.
Wherever her vocal talents come from, it’s not from her parents, Forbes laughed. “Neither of us can carry a tune,” she said. “It’s pretty horrendous when it’s someone’s birthday and we have to sing.”
Though there was a “great aunt Olive” somewhere in the family tree who could sing, she said. “Maybe she gets it from her.”
Annelise is really excited about the attention the video has generated online, but because she’s young, she’s “having a hard time wrapping her head around it,” Forbes said.
“She’s not coming home and Googling herself,” she said. “She was more excited about singing with her choir at a Bulldogs game.”
And though she loves Disney like many nine-year-olds, Annelise’s musical tastes run far deeper — she loves Jack White, Vampire Weekend the Black Keys and Arctic Monkeys, too.
Now, her parents are focusing on giving her a comprehensive arts education, because that’s her passion, her mom says.
“She just loves performing.”