Even if you haven’t heard of her, you need to listen to Helene Fischer’s gorgeous rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. You won’t be disappointed. Originally born in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, Helene and her family moved to West Germany when she was three.
When she completed her education, she attended Frankfurt Stage & Musical School and amazingly managed to work at the same time at Staatstheater Darmstadt. This work ethic allowed Helene to earn a spot on television in 2005, and she recorded her first album in English in 2010.
Since then, she has built a loyal fanbase worldwide, in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, the UK, the US, Canada, and New Zealand. She has also duetted with some of the biggest names in music, including Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams and Michael Bolton.
She was on her own in this performance, singing live in Vienna. The venue is beautiful, and Helene looks perfectly at home there. She is dressed simply in a stunning white dress that perfectly compliments her blonde hair.
Neither the venue nor her looks are what makes this performance so incredible, though. Hallelujah is not an easy song to sing, particularly live. It is a song that must be dripping with emotion, but at the same time, the singer must hit each note perfectly. Helene did this without batting an eyelid. Every word is crystal clear, doubly impressive as English is not her first language. She gets every note spot on, and throughout, her voice quivers with passion and feeling.
Hallelujah has been covered many times since its initial release in 1984. Jeff Buckley, K.D Lang and Alexandra Burke have all made very successful versions, so Helene had quite a lot to live up to when she picked this song.
Luckily for us, she smashed it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime performance, and it’s impossible to watch without having an emotional reaction to the song. Perhaps that’s why it has been viewed almost 21 million times on YouTube. The comments are in many different languages, which proves that Helene’s performance is terrific regardless of whether you speak English or not. Take the time to listen; you’ll be glad you did.