A singing babysitter has been dubbed a real-life Disney princess after her stunning rendition of Part of Your World from the movie The Little Mermaid went viral on TikTok.
Delaney Wilson, 18, from Somerset, Massachusetts, was secretly filmed belting out the lyrics to the Disney song while playing Barbie dolls with Nicki Maher‘s daughter. With the teen’s permission, Maher, 43, posted the sweet video on TikTok, where it quickly went viral.
‘This is our babysitter,’ Maher whispered at the start of the clip, which has been viewed more than 12.1 million times since June 21.
Heartwarming: Delaney Wilson, 18, from Somerset, Massachusetts, was secretly filmed singing Part of Your World from Disney movie The Little Mermaid
So good: The teen was playing Barbie dolls with Nicki Maher’s daughter as she sang, unaware that her boss was capturing the moment
Going viral: With Wilson’s permission, Maher, 43, posted the sweet video on TikTok, where it has been viewed 12.1 million times and has received thousands of comments
The mom told Fox News that she had been aware of her babysitter’s incredible voice, explaining that one of her friends taught Wilson at the local school and mentioned how talented she is.
‘I am trying to encourage her to put her voice out there more,’ Maher captioned the video of Wilson singing.
‘But she gets discouraged about the way she looks in her videos. And all I see is beauty. So do my kids. Let’s show her some love so I can get her to sing for us more!!!
‘Her voice legit makes me cry!!’ she added.
Nearly 100,000 people have commented on the footage, with many praising Wilson for her immense talent — something the teen needed to hear after struggling with the negative criticism that she has received online about her singing.
Surprise: Maher (pictured) was in the other room when she filmed Wilson, saying the teen’s beautiful voice makes her cry
Voice of an angel: Fans dubbed Wilson a real-life Disney princess as they gushed about her talent in the comments
‘Y’all hired your own Disney Princess!’ one person wrote, while another added: ‘She should work as a Disney princess.
‘THAT’S A DISNEY VOICE IF I EVER HEARD ONE,’ someone else agreed.
One fan requested that Wilson sing ‘Reflection’ from Mulan, and Maher posted a follow-up video of her performance.
Wilson’s singing went viral just a few months after she learned she had been accepted to her dream school: Berklee College of Music.
Wilson documented the moment she found out she had gotten in and shared the heartwarming video on TikTok. Maher said she cried after she watched it.
Dream come true: Wilson’s singing went viral just a few months after she learned she had been accepted to her dream school: Berklee College of Music
Support system: Maher said she has been encouraging Wilson to post more videos of herself singing online
Fans: One fan requested that Wilson sing ‘Reflection’ from Mulan, and Maher posted a follow-up video of her performance
The mother of two told Fox News that she had previously asked the teen why she didn’t post more videos of her singing on social media.
‘That’s when she said to me, “I just overthink it and I never feel like I sound good enough and I just don’t always feel confident in the way I look,”‘ she recalled. ‘And it just broke my heart.’
Wilson explained to Fox News that she has received ‘a lot of negative comments’ about her singing voice and persona, which had affected her confidence.
‘I was definitely holding myself back after a really hard year,’ she said.
Heartbreaking: Wilson explained that she has received ‘a lot of negative comments’ about her singing voice and persona, which had affected her confidence
New outlook: The footage made Wilson realize how differently she performs when she isn’t aware of the camera on her
Happy: ‘So it’s really helped my confidence and it makes me super happy to know that people do want to hear my voice,’ she told Fox News
The recent high school graduate said she had no idea Maher was filming her at the time, and the footage made her realize how differently she performs when she isn’t aware of the camera on her.
Both Wilson and Maher were admittedly surprised that the video went viral the way it did, but it’s been life-changing for the teen.
‘It’s been absolutely crazy,’ Wilson said. ‘I’ve gotten so many amazing, like, opportunities and just, I’ve met so many amazing people that have reached out and been so kind to me.
‘So it’s really helped my confidence and it makes me super happy to know that people do want to hear my voice.’