By Lyndsey Parker, March 10, 2014

It's a common complaint among diehard reality-watchers that when a young singing-show contestant takes on an older artist's material, the wannabe's lack of life experience makes it impossible for them to bring enough true grit to the stage. But when tiny "Norway's Got Talent" hopeful Angelina Jordan took on Billie Holiday's "Gloomy Sunday" this week, she not only somehow tapped into the world-weary song's raw emotion, but she seemed to be channeling Billie herself.

And she's only 7 years old.


Angelina's audition rendition of the late jazz legend's 1941 maudlin ballad — a song about social injustice and personal heartache so deeply depressing, it was reportedly banned by the BBC for being damaging to wartime morale and has been linked via urban legends to multiple suicides — brought to mind a baby Billie. Or at least a baby Amy Winehouse. And Angelina's performance elicited both tears and a standing ovation from the stunned judges. But just how much did this sweet child grasp the gravity of what she was singing?

Angelina Jordan channels Billie Holiday in an incredible performance