Child Singer Elizabeth Hughes Made Famous from Microphone Mishap (video)

8-year-old Elizabeth Hughes is not just another YouTube video sensation of the moment, with page views that have doubled to over 4 million in two days. She is a talented child singer who, while singing "The Star-Spangled Banner," had a recent microphone mishap. It is both her response and that of her audience that has garnered national attention as a feel-good news story.

The talented Miss Hughes sang the national anthem at a Norfolk Admiral's Game at Scope Arena on Jan. 7 when her microphone malfunctioned, as first reported by WAVY News 10,

First silence, then a heart-sinking, ear-bleeding cackle erupts from a woman in the audience.

For a moment, it's easy enough to feel heartache for the child, not knowing if she heard the potentially demeaning sound.

Yet, within seconds, Norfolk fans hesitated not to help the girl. The spirit of "the show must go on" is evident in the video. As Hughes continued singing unheard - and looking a bit confused - the crowd finished the remaining stanzas and achieved a wining finale.

(View the Elizabeth Hughes Video on YouTube)

"Had the mic not have gone out we would not have had an event," her grandfather, Ralph Hughes, told reporters.

"She would have sung the National Anthem and people would have appreciated it, but it would not have made the news ... but when the crowd joined in when the mic went out, that sent a message that was most appealing to most Americans, and due to the times we are in, it was probably amplified more that it would have been at some other time. It was a good news story," reports The Daily Reflector.

If you are unable to view the Elizabeth Hughes video, it is worth noting that her voice, while beautiful and mature, was a bit pitchy in parts, possibly due to nerves. This just adds to the drama of the scene. It's easy enough to sympathize for adults who endure a rough moment in the spotlight; when it happens to a child, it can be quite emotional. In this case, it is emotion we can be proud of.

Sources:

Video of Local Girl Singing Goes Viral, WAVY News 10 (January 8, 2011)
http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_news/video-of-local-girl-singing-goes-viral

Singing Granddaughter Strikes Chord, The Daily Reflector (January 15, 2011)
http://www.reflector.com/news/singing-granddaughter-strikes-chord-242176