Justin Bieber is the teen sensation who conquered the pop world after he was discovered singing on YouTube, and now 10-year-old Heather Russell is set to follow in his footsteps.
The Canadian schoolgirl’s self-penned song, Every Step Of The Way, which she performs with her father James, has racked up almost 100,000 views on the video sharing site and caught the attention of celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher, who tweeted about her to Demi Moore.
Now she has Lady Gaga’s mentor, Grammy-winning producer Rob Fusari, knocking at her door.
Writing about her on his official website, he says: “At eight years old Heather wrote her first song called ‘beautiful’ on the piano.
“At nine, Ashton Kutcher tweeted about her to Demi Moore, Ellen Degeneres wants her on the show and Grammy winning music producer Rob Fusari has taken her under his wing.
“Stay tuned for more from Heather.”
Her mother confirmed the collaboration to the Daily Mail, saying: “We are currently recording Heather’s record for she has already signed a record deal.”
Singer/ songwriter Heather, whose soulful vocals have been compared to Mariah Carey, has said she takes inspiration from artists such as Prince, Justin Timberlake, Queen and Alicia Keys.
Her story is remarkably similar to Bieber’s, who was discovered by his manager, Scooter Braun, in 2007 after videos of him covering R’n’B songs became YouTube sensations.
Three years, multiple singles and a 3D biopic later, he’s now the most famous teenager on the planet.