Homeless woman goes viral for her amazing opera singing. Now she’s been offered a major recording contract.
Emily Zamourka, the homeless Russian woman, captivated the hearts of many with her stunning voice. She was singing Puccini’s opera O Mio Babbino Caro in the Los Angeles subway. Her magical performance is captured on camera by an LA police officer who posted the video on the LAPD official Twitter account.
4 million people call LA home. 4 million stories. 4 million voices…sometimes you just have to stop and listen to one, to hear something beautiful. pic.twitter.com/VzlmA0c6jX
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) September 27, 2019
Her mesmerizing singing quickly went viral.
Not only because of her angelic voice, but also for her heartbreaking story.
When Emily was 24-years-old, she started living in the United States. She learned to play violin and piano, as well as singing opera by watching and listening to performers on television. The opera sensation used to play violin on the streets of LA to make ends meet.
Sadly, someone stole her violin three years ago, and she wasn’t able to pay her bills any longer. Since then she was struggling to find a place to live, so she was forced to become homeless. Her treasured instrument was the only thing that provided her profit. In an interview for ABC, Emily Zamourka confessed:
“That’s when I became homeless. When I could not actually pay any of my bills and could not pay any more of my rent. I am sleeping actually on the cardboard right now, in the parking lot, I am sleeping where I can sleep… I have people that feel sorry for me, but I don’t want to be a burden to anybody.”
Although Emily’s precious violin was gone, nobody could steal her incredible voice. The popularity of the video helped the street singer to get noticed by the grammy-nominated music producer Joel Diamond. He is offering the subway opera singer a recording contract for a classical-EDM crossover. What is more, the city councilor Joe Buscaino has offered Zamourka to perform this weekend at the opening of Little Italy in San Pedro to celebrate Italian heritage.
Since the video went viral, Emily became a local celebrity. Her angelic voice is attracting crowds of amazed viewers and news reporters.
Her touching story even led to the creation of a fundraising campaign by GoFundMe to help the singer get back on her feet.
Moreover, she caught the attention of people on social media, and many of them are hoping and praying for the opera songstress to be able to get off the streets and start a musical career.