Teen prodigy Karolina Protsenko is no stranger to going YouTube-viral. But when she invited her mom Ella to join her busking set, accompanying her rendition of one of pop music’s most infamously difficult songs, the family duet took the internet by storm, racking up more than three million views to date!
Music Man readers can check out the moment Karolina and Ella shocked the city streets in the viral clip below…
Multi-instrumentalist Karolina first shot to internet fame as a street violinist playing on the streets of California. But in this viral clip, she ditches her instruments to focus on vocals alone, inviting her mom, a pro pianist, to accompany her in this heartwarming family performance.
Karolina amps up the hype, revealing how the upcoming track is “my mom’s favorite song,” holding a special place in each of their hearts. Then, Ella steals the first lyric, flawlessly pulling off the vocal run which opens Whitney Houston’s megalithic hit, “I Will Always Love You,” fully a cappella.
Countless passersby stop and stare, amazed, listening to Ella’s magical rendition unfold. But as Karolina takes hold of the chorus, she nails every impossible high note in her soft, emotional voice while Ella lays a piano track akin to a Disney movie soundtrack, watching on proudly as her daughter shines.
The eldest child of two musical parents, Karolina isn’t the only young prodigy of her family. Her YouTube channels feature countless busking duets with her two younger brothers, Nicholas and Leo Protsenko, aged seven and four, who sing and play the violin and piano.
But as fans stumble across Karolina’s Whitney Houston cover, they can’t help spreading their love for the Ukrainian-born internet star. One top commenter even wrote to the tune of over 500 likes, “First time I’ve heard Karolina sing. She sings so beautifully and with so much feeling, just like her incredible violin playing. She is too much. Can’t be human. Must be an angel from heaven. And her mother also has a beautiful voice.”
While viewers call Ella “the heart and soul of the family,” countless have been left spellbound by her parenting skills, with one fan of the Protsenkos commenting, “This mom did something amazing with her children; she showed them they were made for more.”