STUDENT BELTS OUT WORLD TITLE
A MURWILLUMBAH student has progressed from belting out nursery rhymes as a toddler to conquering the karaoke world in the US.
Emmagen Rain, 12, was last month crowned junior champion at the 2019 World Karaoke Tour World Singing Championships.
The competition was held at Vince Neil’s Tatuado bar in the Circus Circus Casino on the Las Vegas strip.
Emmagen performed Rolling in the Deep and Hopelessly Devoted to You to advance through to the semi-finals and belted out Somethin’ Bad by Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood in the final.
Emmagen’s mother, Justine Christian, said her daughter was speechless when she was named junior world champion.
“It was the first time I had seen her so emotional, it was hard for her to even speak,” Mrs Christian said.
“It meant so much to her.”
Emmagen’s performance earned her an all-expenses paid trip to Canada where she will record an original song and music video.
She will also be the face of the 2020 WKT World Singing Championships and will have six months of vocal coaching.
“They’re making her a belt, like in boxing, and people can challenge her for her title,” Mrs Christian said.
Emmagen has her sights on a career in singing and the Year 6 student has accepted a scholarship into the Music Excellence Program at Palm BeachCurrumbin State High School next year.
Mrs Christian said Emmagen wanted to “fill arenas” like her idols Lady Gaga and Carrie Underwood.