Simon Cowell Signs 10-Year-Old Canadian Singer To His Record Label After Viewing YouTube Performance

Thursday was a big day in the world of 10-year-old Canadian singers!

First, Lady Gaga threw her support behind Winnipeg resident Maria Lourdes Aragon’s YouTube performance of “Born This Way,” and now, Simon Cowell has added a different 10-year-old performer — Toronto native Heather Russell — to his record label.

The former “American Idol” judge/music mogul gave Heather a contract after viewing a YouTube video of the budding artist – shared with him by former “Canadian Idol” judge Zack Werner — according to Toronto’s The Star.

Heather has reportedly begun working with Rob Fusari (the produced who helped launch Lady Gaga’s incredible rise to fame), according to the Canadian paper.

A video posted on the chanteuse’s YouTube channel shows Heather (at age 8!) performing a song she penned. Her channel also features additional videos of the young musician accompanying herself on the piano while she sings. Her video performances have been viewed collectively over 250,000 times on YouTube.

It’s not surprising that Heather is musically gifted — her mother, Monica Cidade, is a vocalist who’s record over 50 songs and her father, James Russell, is reportedly a youth symphony member who comprised one half of Canadian rock duo Acosta/Russell.

As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, Lady Gaga was overcome with emotion on Thursday after a video of 10-year-old Maria Lourdes Aragon performing a flawless rendition of “Born This Way” hit the internet.

“This is just the beginning,” Maria told Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush of her musical endeavors, in a phone interview for “The Billy Bush Show” on Thursday. “So, I feel overwhelmed and excited.”

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, the Grammy Award-winning singer saw Maria’s video tribute less than 24 hours after the young fan posted it. Gaga then re-Tweeted the video to her followers early Thursday, writing, “Can’t stop crying watching this. This is why I make music. She is the future.”

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