Meet the nine-year-old from Alberton with the voice of an angel

It was a Friday evening like any other in the Engelbrecht household in Alberton, Gauteng. The family watched the doccie One Chance, about tenor Paul Potts who won Britain’s Got Talent in 2007.

The next morning, over breakfast, Kobus and Caryn’s son Scott (then 6) suddenly started singing a made-up opera aria.

“We were gobsmacked,” Kobus recalls about that Saturday morning.

“That following Monday afternoon the piano tuner was at our home and Scott repeated his made-up opera aria for her.”

The woman was so impressed with Scott’s voice that she referred Caryn and Kobus to Julia Patrascoiu, a Russian opera singer and teacher who lives in the south of Johannesburg. Julia immediately took Scott under her wing.

“Scott just wants to sing from dawn to dusk,” Kobus says of his talented son.

In the past few weeks a video of Scott singing went viral on social media.

“When I sing, time stops,” says Scott, a learner at Orion Primary School in Alberton, of his passion for music.

His great love is Italian opera and at the moment his favourite piece is O Mio Babbino Caro from Puccini’s opera Gianni Schicchi.

Scott says he wants to become a professional singer. “Singing is my life.”

“We’ve actually always been a sporty family,” Kobus says. Scott, who attends singing lessons two or three times a week, also enjoy squash and golf and sometimes goes horse-riding on his mom’s horse.

The youngster also loves jumping on the trampoline, cycling and swimming, his dad says. But he reckons Scott is a born musician.

“Ever since he started talking Scott’s always asked for some or other musical instrument for Christmas. He’s gone through a few keyboards and he also play guitar, drums and harmonica. He plays the piano and has completed his Grade 2 exam,” Kobus says proudly.

“He makes up his own songs and hopefully he’ll write his own music someday,” he adds.

Scott, who plans to release his debut album next year, has three brothers – Timothy (12), Mitchell (6) and Riley (4).

“As a parent it’s wonderful to see your child waking up with a song in his heart each morning,” Kobus says. “Scott discovered his passion at the age of six.”