Blind Piano Prodigy From South Korea Only 5 Years Old, Can Play Any Song 'After Just One Listen' (VIDEO)

A blind five-year-old pianist from South Korea has stunned the music world after a video of her performance received more than 27million hits.

Yoo Ye-eun, who was born blind and adopted in 2002, has never had a formal piano lesson but can play any song after just one listen.

And now her remarkable talent is set to propel her to stardom as clips of her amazing performance have attracted millions of viewers to Korean website Pandora TV. A similar clip on YouTube has so far received two million hits.

Her display on 'Star King', a Korean talent show, earned the youngster £500 in prize money and moved the studio audience to tears.

Keep reading here.

Or

Watch a clip of Yoo Ye-eun.

Comments

[Meadowlark]

10:32 PM on 07/15/2008

Not to diminish her gift, the only blind from birth musician I've ever known, also a pianist, could do this. He was about 10 or 12 at the time. He could also imitate the singers he heard on the radio as he played their songs. It was pretty uncanny. Like Stevie Wonder, he swayed from side to side as he played and sang.

[Tivette]

06:56 PM on 07/17/2008

Science explains much about this in a program on Radio Lab done by some researchers. For a free download of the program and to listen to this whole show as it has lots of interesting insights into musical ability and the mind/consciousness around it and the link to the Chinese language--way cool! It's called Musical Language, show #202:

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2006/04/21

She truly is a blessed child and we have much to learn from her in her lifetime. She truly lifts humanity's consciousness and spirit!

[CCW4ME2]

12:44 PM on 07/15/2008

Beautiful. We pray that the doctors, with God's help, will be able to restore Yoo Ye-eun's sight. Sighted or not, she is surely blessed by God's love and here parents' love too, and now the World's love is hers as well.
- - - - John & Yeonhee in Florida, U.S.A.

[Kevbo68]

03:58 AM on 07/15/2008

Impressive ability that will likely improve when her hands get bigger. I look forward to hearing her then.

That said, she's no Mozart.

It's a delightful natural ability that comes from the way her brain is wired, not some magical gift from a "God." That same "God" sure is a bastard though. "Hey kid, you'll have a great ear for music but damn if I'll let you get away with that! Poof! You're a blind orphan!"

If there were a god, he'd smack the producers of the show for all the weird "oohs" and "woos" they dubbed in.

Just doing my part to rain on everyone's parade!

[damnadamson]

03:09 PM on 07/14/2008

past life as a pianist ... no doubt about it. check out other child prodigies on youtube .... try and explain this by the simple word 'gift' ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFt4tmz_Kag

[Nyland8]

05:36 PM on 07/14/2008

Or Rupert Murdoch's morphogenic fields.

8

[johnb3950]

07:57 PM on 07/15/2008

Murdoch -oh, that's funny! You mean Rupert Sheldrake.

That said, it's an intriguing error....I guess Murdoch's empire does operate in some ways as a morphogenetic field! An abstract force that shapes reality with instant communications across space and time...hmm.. ..(For those interested, Sheldrake's fascinating book is"A new Science of Life."

[protagonia]

07:04 PM on 07/15/2008

Evolution takes many fascinating forms. For all that is bad in the world, a little ray of light goes a long way.

I wish her a safe passage through all this.

That gos for the rest of us too.

[funwithwarcrimes]

01:53 PM on 07/14/2008

wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow

[mrmemory]

10:07 AM on 07/14/2008

She has a musical gift that I hope she nurtures beyond tv game shows. Although she made me cry when she started singing, we have to be careful with the Mozart comparisons. If you are familiar with Mozart's music and talent, you will know something so far beyond the abilities of this precious girl that it, too, will bring you to tears.

[protagonia]

10:06 AM on 07/14/2008

The Indigo Children are here.

[DCinFrance]

03:47 AM on 07/14/2008

I too was moved to the point of tears. Such little hands. I'm a musician myself, and I know what this type of ability means. She's been given a gift. That being said, she is no Mozart. There will probably never be another Mozart...the world is a much, much different place. However, she is no savant either. This is a real talent.

[MRb1000]

03:46 AM on 07/14/2008

We all have a GOD given talent. This is her talent from GOD to the world. Me GOD bless her and her family.

[Vinca]

06:18 AM on 07/14/2008

She does have a God given talent, I ,myself play the guitar, somewhat, That was a great video

[Zentomato]

03:42 AM on 07/14/2008

A blessed innocent child. Let's just hear her and rejoice over such a gift.

[ZimboChick]

03:30 AM on 07/14/2008

*wipes away tears* STUNNING

She is something of a Mozart

[Fernando]

02:03 AM on 07/14/2008

This cutie pie made me cry. Wow. I hope her adopting parents nurture, and not exploit, her amazing talent. Wow.

[Boadicea]

12:37 AM on 07/14/2008

Get that girl some music lessons! She's a genius!

[protagonia]

07:14 PM on 07/15/2008

Her retention appears to be almost digital in it's accuracy. It is only tiny hands and a not yet formed-to-peak-performance musculature holding her back from being a world class performer. The time will pass quickly for a little gem like her.

She even seems to be able to echo-locate the keys in front of her.

It's great to read about something like a child with remarkable capabilities. It fills me with hope for the next generation.

[RaraAvis17]

11:49 PM on 07/13/2008

She has more talent in one of her tiny fingers than I do. She is lucky to have found loving parents to nuture her. The best to her and her family.

[cruisepuppy7452a]

11:10 PM on 07/13/2008

The first thing that came to my mind was is she also with ausbergers syndrome? I ask that as kids who have this mimic what they see and hear. My nephew also has this and this has attributed to his ability to play the same way this kid does. I am not knocking her, don't get me wrong here. If she really has ability to read music, and yes, with proper tools, even the blind can read notes in braile, this ear for melody will transfer to actual ability.

[Fernando]

02:05 AM on 07/14/2008

She can't read music because she is five, blind and at this point too young to have learned braille notation! : )

Some people have this gift, but she has perfect pitch but is also blind. This is amazingly rare.