Warner Bros.; Dario Leon/AFP/Getty Images
Justin Bieber had better watch his back. The 17-year-old Canadian pop superstar could have some serious competition in the form of 12-year-old singer -- and fellow Canuck -- Cole Armour. Though Armour is not quite a teenager yet, he has the easy smile and buttery-smooth voice that teen pop idols are made of. And following his television debut on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Tuesday, a legion of adoring young female fans probably isn't far off. Watch below as Armour belts out the Eric Carmen power ballad "All by Myself" on Ellen!
So, just who is Cole Armour? As we already mentioned, like Biebs, Armour is a preternaturally talented young singer who hails from Canada -- specifically the small town of Langley in southwestern British Columbia. The bio on Armour's official site tells us that he discovered his considerable musical talent ("a vocal ability that shatters all age barriers," according to the bio) at the ripe old age of 9, and soon began to appear in local music festivals and competitions.
According to Canadian newspaper The Vancouver Sun, Armour hit the big time when he became the first child to win Canada's prestigious Red Robinson Talent Showdown since its inception in 1961. He accomplished this feat by singing Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" aria -- in Italian, no less!
Meanwhile, video footage of Armour's many ovation-worthy performances was attracting plenty of attention on YouTube. (Sound like anyone else we know? Ahem, Justin Bieber.) Knowing Ellen DeGeneres' fondness for up-and-coming talent, avid fans began inundating the Ellen site with links to these clips. And, just like that, young Cole Armour was whisked off to America to sing for millions of viewers.
Judging by the ovation Cole received, the live studio audience sure liked what they saw. Bieber mentor Usher has yet to contact the musical prodigy (at least that we know of), but having Ellen in his corner is a pretty good start.
