2-year-old brings 'chills' as she belts out all the words to national anthem from memory
At 2 years old, Amelia Bubenik is taking the internet by storm this Independence Day with her passionately-performed rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner."
"She loves to sing," said her mother, Amy Bubenik.
The young girl’s natural talent for singing and affinity for the anthem have been unmistakable, Bubenik said.
"She had been singing it all the time," Bubenik told ABC News on Thursday. "She would sing it any time a sporting event would take place. She would stop anything she was doing and sing it."
Both Amelia's father and grandfather are Navy veterans.
"We want to instill the values of being an American into our children," Bubenik said. "Some have sacrificed their lives and we want our children to honor that."
A few months ago, Amelia's grandmother suggested that the toddler, from Granite Bay, California, learn all the words to the entire song.
"We decided to give her a little challenge and started singing the national anthem," Bubenik said. "We gave her two lines a day and about two weeks later she knew the whole thing."
Bubenik captured Amelia's debut concert on video and posted it to Facebook on Memorial Day.
Standing on top of a rock, wearing a patriotic red, white and blue dress, with a microphone in hand, the 2-year-old could be heard belting out each word with gusto, delivering a flawless solo performance from memory.
"She sang it on the first try. I had chills the second I saw she sang the whole thing," her mother said.
Since it was posted, the video has been viewed by nearly 17 million people and has become a viral sensation.
"It’s amazing -- the comments, the love of the song itself and Amelia's ability to sing it," Bubenik said. "Really positive and heartwarming to see so many people touched by the song and a tiny little girl like her singing it."
