Arabic version: ريك بياتو يشيد بأغنية الظهور الأولى لمراهقة من سيدني

According to ABC News, influential US musician and producer Rick Beato has praised Sana, the debut single by 13-year-old Sydney performer Niko Karolia. Beato, whose YouTube channel has more than 5.7 million subscribers and 2.06 billion views, was asked to analyse the song during an interview with Hamish Macdonald on 702 ABC Sydney Mornings.

Beato described the track as having a “very strong melody” and said it had a natural resolution. He said the melody was strong enough to be sung without accompaniment, adding that this was a key quality he listens for. He also identified antecedent and consequent songwriting in the sections he heard, a technique in which one phrase poses a musical question and the next answers it. Beato said strong melodies have those qualities.

Karolia said she wants to become “a global pop star that people can resonate with”. She said the idea of releasing music came to her at the start of last year. Her father, Imz Karolia, joined her for the radio interview and said he was initially hesitant about a music career, but changed his mind after seeing her effort. He said her musical and performing ability had been apparent from an early age and that she was enrolled in performing arts programs when she was about four.

Karolia writes her own songs and collaborates with several people, including fellow performers Tanisha and Jess Jade, her cousin Jake Sta-Maria and her father. Beato is scheduled to visit Australia in October for live shows, including an upgraded Sydney date. The shows will feature a live version of his What Makes This Song Great? segment, in which he examines songwriting, production and musical techniques behind well-known songs.