One of the nicest surprises in music is when a stupendous song is followed by an equally fantastic cover. It’s unbelievable when another incredible cover comes along. That’s what Emily Linge has achieved. She has made a beautiful cover version of Procol Harum’s Whiter Shade Of Pale, and in the biggest twist, she is only fifteen!
It takes quite something to make a cover as good as the original song, but she has also gone toe-to-toe with the incomparable Annie Lennox, who released a version in 1995. It reached the top 40 and received positive reviews.
One critic, Steve Baltin, said, “Sans the psychedelic feel that Procol Harum had on the original version the song metamorphosizes in Lennox’s distinctly elegant hands.” So how did Emily’s version fare?
It has achieved an impressive 6 million views on YouTube in less than a year. It’s been liked 96,000 times, and there are lots of positive comments. One particularly lovely comment comes from Emily herself.
In the blurb of the video, she pays tribute to the writer, “I’d like to pay tribute to Gary Brooker with this timeless masterpiece by Procol Harum.” Of course, we can all agree this track is undoubtedly a masterpiece. However, there is plenty of praise for Emily’s version too. As one fan exclaims,
“Damn Girl FLAWLESS!!!!!! I’m 70 and had forgotten about this song many years ago, Your rendition is the BEST interpretation of any song I’ve ever heard. You recreated a scene and with true professionalism and perfect artistry, Neither over singing nor under singing you weaved a spell I will never forget. Blessings to you <3” If you’ve never heard Emily sing, this video is a perfect place to start.
Emily was born in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on August 11th, 2007. She’s not the only singer in her family. Her mother is British and also a talented singer. Her father is Norwegian, but his profession is unknown. Although neither of her parents comes from Dubai, they raised Emily and her brothers there.
Emily’s brother Christian often appears on her channel performing duets with her, and although we don’t know the names of her other two brothers, she confirms on her website that they are both musicians. So it seems she was destined to take this path in life. Emily studies the piano and the guitar and often plays them in her videos. She’s a young lady of many talents.
She started her YouTube channel in 2019 when she was twelve. She has built up 189,000 subscribers in just three years, and her videos have been viewed 45.7 million times. She is a beautiful girl with a wonderful voice who surely has much more to achieve in the future. If you want to hear her tackle a more modern hit, check out her version of Camila Cabello’s Havana. It’s a stunning acoustic version and she substitutes the rap with a piano solo. It’s mellow and soothing to listen to, you won’t be disappointed.
If you would like to see more from Emily Linge, you can subscribe to their YouTube channel or follow them on Facebook.