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This seven-year-old singing sensation from Birmingham is already performing in Nashville

Birmingham’s Evan Riley Lofthus does not know cursive yet, but people are already lining up to get her autograph.

Lofthus, 7, is a second grade student at Shelby County’s Mt. Laurel Elementary School.

As reported by the Shelby County Reporter, Lofthus first found her love for — and natural talent in — music when she saw “The Greatest Showman” at age five. She liked the movie so much that she asked to see it over and over again. During one of these replays, she stopped watching — and began singing. That is when her mom knew Lofthus possessed a special gift.

“She didn’t really sound like a child,” her mother, Heather, told the Shelby County Reporter. “She was standing on the coffee table singing, and I got chills.”

Lofthus subsequently began taking weekly voice lessons at her kindergarten. She would then perform “Never Enough,” the first song she ever sang from “The Greatest Showman,” at her school Christmas recital.

The audience was reportedly blown away, but Lofthus soon topped that feat with her school-wide performance of LeAnn Rimes’ “Blue” in front of approximately 1,000 people. A video of that cover found its way to local voice coach Steve Pennington, who has now been working with Lofthus the past six months.

It was Pennington who set up Lofthus with three separate performances at prominent Nashville venues last weekend: Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and Kid Rock’s Big Honky Tonk and Steakhouse.

The rising star was a big hit in what was her first times performing with a band. However, while greater successes seem on the horizon, Lofthus and her family are focused on remaining grounded.

Keep up with Lofthus and watch videos of her performances here.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

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