What if it was possible for you to switch the tone and sound of your singing voice to sound like all of the greats throughout a single song?
Sounds nearly impossible for most people, but this clip shared on the Talent Recap YouTube channel showcases Merissa Beddows, a contestant on America’s Got Talent, and how this voice talent is actually her strange yet really lovely reality.
Merissa is a 23-year-old opera singer who studies music at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
After her introduction, Merissa has a production staffer hand AGT judge Heidi Klum a large die containing the names of some well-known singers.
“So, Heidi, I would like to play a game,” Merissa explains as Heidi examines the large game piece. “This die has six of my most favorite impressions that I do on it. I’m going to begin singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and I’m going to ask you to give me a name.”
When Merissa begins singing the classic tune from the 1939 musical The Wizard of Oz, she sounds alarmingly like the film’s star, a young Judy Garland.
But shortly after she starts singing, Heidi yells out “Ariana Grande,” and Merissa’s voice rapidly changes to sound very similar to the “Thank U, Next” singer with her exaggerated and hypnotizing tone. Even judge Simon Cowell, who looked remarkably uninterested at first, begins to smile at the voice shift.
Next up is an impression of “my grandma,” and Merissa quickly gets out a pair of glasses to cheekily put on and a sheet of paper to read the lyrics all while changing up her voice to sound like she’s magically aged about 50 years.
To see Merissa impress the judges and impersonate everyone from Siri to Céline Dion, watch the video.
