When 17-year-old America’s Got Talent finalist Putri Ariani teamed up with EDM hitmaker Alan Walker, no one knew quite what to expect. It turns out they cooked up something very special, as the Indonesian teen with the angelic voice was there to sing “Hero (Restrung),” an intimate version of Walker’s collab with Sasha Alex Sloan. The stripped-back arrangement was the perfect way to show off Ariani’s vocal talents, as she opened with a delicate vocal with plenty of divine falsetto runs.
Ariani had a lot more up her sleeve though, as in the second verse she opened up the floodgates and showed off the full power of her voice. Her vocal control and range are just off the charts – check out her vocal runs over the bridge from 2:25 onwards. Walker didn’t skimp on the production, as he performed the arrangement with a 10-piece orchestra, creating a lush soundscape to complete the memorable performance. The Music Man is definitely ready to hear more from Ariani after this beautiful collab!
Walker and Ariani performed together at TikTok Awards Indonesia, and their collab has gained 3.8 million views on YouTube. Indonesians came out in force below the video to support Ariani, adding comments such as “Puteri indeed has the most extraordinary vocals in the business right now” and “Every song that Putri sings she elevates with her soulful voice, and makes the listener really feel the song too.”
Ariani charmed America’s Got Talent during her 2023 audition with her bubbly personality. She has been blind since birth due to a condition known as retinopathy of prematurity. She wasn’t going to let that get in the way of her big dreams, though, and cited artists such as Stevie Wonder and Andrea Bocelli as inspiration for her development as an artist. Her audition on America’s Got Talent was such a hit that Simon Cowell asked her to sing a second song, and she went home with the golden buzzer as well!
Putri Ariani, now aged 19, was born on December 31, 2005, in Bangkinang, Indonesia. The Music Man readers might be interested to know that she became a star in her homeland at a young age, winning Indonesia’s Got Talent at just eight years old. Ariani long dreamed of making it stateside to sing on America’s Got Talent, and finally made that a reality at age 17 with her hit appearance on season 18 of the show. She impressed with both her vocal and piano abilities and eventually placed fourth overall in the competition.