There’s a lot of emerging talent on TikTok, and Harv Villaester provided just one example this week.
On Monday, Villaester posted a TikTok that shows a child holding a mic and vibing along with the acoustic guitar accompaniment. The lyrics are somewhat indecipherable but you can make out a “Yeah.” Still, the range of his vocal journey made a lot of people emotional.
“You can hear the pain in their voice,” said one commenter.
“This ate fr,” said another.
@harvvillaester ♬ original sound – Harv Villaester
The TikTok now has more than 9 million views, and the performance drew a variety of comparisons: “Frank ocean at the end of ivy,” “kinda reminds me of Bon Iver,” “Mitski does it every time.” It was also posted to Twitter, where it got more than 1.2 million views and more Bon Iver comparisons.
In the comments of the TikTok, Villaester says the child was “only 16 months old when I handed him the microphone.” We reached out for comment.
People are now duetting the song, and really driving home its power and relatability.
@zeerakchishti #duet with @Harv Villaester ♬ original sound – Harv Villaester
@cassiewieland #duet with @Harv Villaester ♬ original sound – Harv Villaester
Update 8:56am CT, July 19: Villaester tells the Daily Dot that the video is an older one, and kid singing is his grandson, Cameron, who is now 8 years old and “interested in learning piano.”
“I have always loved guitar and music my whole life,” he says, “so Cameron grew up always being around me playing and always wanted to join me in my music room during my jam sessions.”
