LAPD A woman some people think could be homeless was captured on video singing opera.
A mystery homeless woman was captured on video singing opera in a metro station in Los Angeles, and the incredible sound has caused the video to go viral. You can watch the video later in this article. It was shared by the Los Angeles Police Department on Twitter. The woman sang Puccini with a voice so beautiful that it could easily stop a person in their tracks.
She has now been identified as Emily Zamourka.
“4 million people call LA home. 4 million stories. 4 million voices…sometimes you just have to stop and listen to one, to hear something beautiful,” the LAPD wrote with the video, which had been viewed more than 200,000 times since the police department posted it on September 26, 2019. It’s a Susan Boyle-esque story – or it could be.
“why do ppl think she’s homeless? is this confirmed? when i lived in NY i was always shlepping a lot of things through the subway,” a man pointed out to other commenters on the LAPD’s comment thread. Others thought she was. “She’s far more talented than the majority of Hollywood and she’s homeless. I pray this is her deliverance. Raw talent!” wrote one woman on Twitter. Multiple people wrote that they have seen the woman on the metro and in Glendale, feeding pigeons and singing. Some even know a first name.
Here’s the video:
4 million people call LA home. 4 million stories. 4 million voices…sometimes you just have to stop and listen to one, to hear something beautiful.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Woman Is Known for Feeding Pigeons & Playing the Violin
The mystery woman singing.
Beth Bennett told Heavy in a phone interview that she has been acquainted with the woman for years. She said she is not sure whether she’s homeless but has known for some time that she has “amazing talent,” and she’s hoping the media attention will help the woman, whose name she says is Emily.
She said the woman would come to a local mall and would get dog food and bird feed to help animals. “She feeds pigeons,” and once showed Bennett a wounded pigeon she was helping. “I knew she could play the violin,” said Bennett, who added that the woman would sing on the sidewalk outside.
“She would look for places where people couldn’t bother her, and she could sing,” said Bennett, who added that the woman is also frequently seen at a bus stop in Glendale to go to downtown LA, but “you never know where she is going to be.” She is hoping that people will help the woman and that the media attention will be the start of something great for her.
Others were equally blown away by the woman’s talent.
“This is one of the reasons I take Metro. There so many people that help me stay centered, humble and positive,” wrote another person on Twitter.
Many people were on a quest to identify the woman to get her more attention, perhaps on national television shows or just any help she might need. In the video, the pigtail-haired woman appears to be pulling a blanket covered shopping cart behind her while toting a number of shopping bags. Some people think the whole thing is fake (but the LAPD has verified one of its officers took it), but it’s clear from Bennett and others that the video the LAPD captured is representative of the woman they know.
A Police Officer Recorded the Video, LAPD Says
The singing woman in the Metro.
Sgt. Hector Guzman, a spokesman for LAPD, told the Los Angeles Times that an officer spoke to the woman while working at the Wilshire and Normandie Purple Line station and decided to record the video.
“It was powerful the first time we saw it, and every time we see it again, it’s still powerful,” Guzman told the newspaper. “The message for us was simple: Remind ourselves to take a moment to look around and listen.”
The officer was not allowing interviews, and the Metro System spokesperson said to the Times that they weren’t aware of the woman’s identity.
Other people told KABC-TV that they had seen the woman walking around Glendale, California before. “She’s walking around with her cart and when you see her you thought she’s homeless,” said one woman to the TV station. Others told the television station that they’ve seen the woman playing violin or feeding bread to birds. However, no one’s figured out the woman’s full name yet.
“It doesn’t matter if she’s homeless or if she’s rich…she’s a very elegant person,” a person who’s seen the woman told KABC.
The social media reaction was full of praise in many corners but some questioned whether it was all fake. “Sadly that looks like a fake set up. Beautiful voice, nice thought behind it, but with her clean clothes, skin, and her pigtails and the perfectly placed rips in her bag etcetera, it just looks like a fake,” wrote one man on the LAPD’s thread. But another person countered, “This is no fake, I know her, she is a great person, very kind!”
Another man wrote: “Me and my wife know her…she plays the violin as well as she sings.” Another person tagged the Ellen Show. Others who think the woman might be homeless wanted to help her. “beautiful! can we find this angel and help her please?” wrote a woman.
“I’ve seen her for years on the Metro. I heard her once singing ‘Ave Maria’ and thought it was a radio at first. Everyone has a story…this woman does too. I don’t know why she’s been homeless all these years, but she’s a human being…that’s all that matters,” wrote a woman on Twitter.
“I had notice this lady several times while riding Los Angeles Metro train and seeing her feeding birds on the streets. Never in a million years I would had imaging she has such beautiful voice…” wrote another. “She’s from Glendale. She loves animals and sings Like a Bird. She is multi-talented and very friendly and kind,” wrote another woman.