Anyone remember Charlotte Church? She was that little British girl in the 90s who sang some popera and some classical music and sang on records with titles like “Voice of An Angel,” etc. She eventually damaged her voice because she was singing, as a 13-year old girl, pieces written for 35-year old women.

Well, America, meet your own Charlotte Church — 12-year old Julia Dale. She’s small, but she’s got a good voice for a little girl. She’s the one who’s been singing the national anthem at Miami Heat games for the past few months. The problem is, her vocal folds and throat and larynx are not developed enough for her to be trying to sing like a diva. I hope this is not the case, but she may be hurting herself in the long run with such poor technique.

That’s the most important issue regarding Miss Dale. Following in a close second in issues of importance, though, is that if she keeps up imitating Whitney and Mariah, she may one day end up performing with the kind of wonderful stage presence we see in this classic Maya Rudolph national anthem rendition.

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