Malinda Herman is no stranger to internet fame. She’s been serenading the world with acoustic YouTube covers for the last nine years, often with her tiny pup, Jiw Jam, nestled between her chest and her guitar.
But this month, Malinda dared to switch things up by ditching her guitar for a piano, ready to send Jiw Jam to puppy heaven with one of the sweetest lullabies you’ll likely hear this year. The moment has already dazzled more than 18,000 fans, and Music Man readers can watch the magic unfold in the brand-new viral clip below…
With her pipsqueak chihuahua sitting on her lap, Malinda plays a soft, graceful cover of Hank Williams’ country classic, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” – a song re-popularized countless times by the likes of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, The Everly Brothers and Jerry Lee Lewis, amongst many more legends.
Now, Malinda joins the ranks as she holds her YouTube fans and chihuahua spellbound, transforming the tune into a sweetly simple lullaby while showing off a brand new side to her musical talent.
Aged somewhere in her mid-70s, the Bangkok-based musician carries the vocal melody with heartwarming effect, her gentle, comforting voice carrying a bittersweet sense of joy as Jiw Jam appears to get sleepier and sleepier, watching her hands dance across the keys.
Fans can’t get enough of Malinda’s cover, made even sweeter by the fact that this Thai grandmother doesn’t post her clips for fame, but to spread her pure and deathless love for music around the globe, blessing listeners with a moment of calmness and respite from the world’s chaos.
Yet it’s her heartwarming connection to her tiny dog which has viewers in a trance, with Jiw Jam’s serene personality seeming the polar opposite to the snappy, ratty traits infamous in most chihuahuas.
There’s one more thing which makes Malinda Herman absolutely admirable. She uploads at least one new cover a week – sometimes even four or more per week – showing how, even in later life, she’s still learning new songs, new skills, and developing her love for performance in ways some other musicians simply wouldn’t bother. She’s not set in her ways, playing the same old tunes, but constantly challenging herself through her living room renditions and an upload schedule that would put other YouTubers to shame. She’s an inspiration, to say the least.