This 7-year-old girl with a big voice dreams of singing at the Super Bowl
For such a small girl, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja has an enormous voice. The 7-year-old singer has performed the national anthem at a Major League Soccer game, at NBA games, and her voice even rose above the din at the NHRA Drag Racing championship final.
But Malea Emma has yet to realize her biggest dream, which the second grader revealed to USA Today. “My biggest dream is to sing at the Super Bowl. I’m always nervous though. If I get something wrong it’s going to be bad because it’s a special song for America.”
It’s been a whirlwind few months for Malea Emma and her family, who are based in Los Angeles. In September she won an online contest that gave her the chance to sing the national anthem before a LA Galaxy game. Her big voice and intensity won everyone over instantly, and even earned her the approval of Galaxy star Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
It’s not hard to see why everyone fell in love with her. Once her performance went viral, her parents, Arman and Esther, were fielding offers from everywhere. Malea Emma sang the anthem at a Clippers game, a Warriors game, and a Lakers game. She appeared on “Good Morning America” and sang with legend Jennifer Holliday. She even auditioned for “American Idol,” and the judges gave her a golden ticket to Hollywood — which she can use as soon as she turns 15.
Malea Emma is enjoying all the new opportunities, and has even spared a thought about her future. But she still has her eye on what’s most important. Via USA Today:
“Of course I want to be a singer one day,” she says. “But I love singing the anthem at sports events. I like staying to watch the game, too. But only if it finishes before my bed time.”
On Saturday, Malea Emma will get a little Super Bowl practice. She’ll be singing the national anthem at the MLS Cup Final at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, which is where the 2019 Super Bowl is being held. She’ll sing in front of 73,000 enthusiastic fans, her largest audience yet.
The anthem singer for the upcoming Super Bowl hasn’t been announced yet, so Malea Emma still has a chance. But if she doesn’t land that plum assignment, maybe the Super Bowl planners would be open to another idea. Just imagine Malea Emma and her big voice singing the Spongebob Squarepants song “Sweet Victory” at halftime, backed by a full band. She would absolutely bring the house — or the stadium — down.
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