Guinness Book of World Records Youngest Opera Singer & AGT Top Finalist "Victory Brinker" is A Star!

 Interview by: Gina Sedman

Guinness Book of World Records Youngest Opera Singer & AGT Top 10 Finalist Victory Brinker is a star! It is no secret that Victory Brinker is one of the most prominent classical singing sensations in the world. She is the first ever Group Golden Buzzer winner and a finalist on America's Got Talent, in addition to being the youngest opera singer in the Guinness World Records. My opportunity to interview this amazing, beautifully spirited singer was amazing. The following is what she shared with me.

Victory, thank you for allowing me the pleasure of interviewing you today. Thank you.

 You're welcome. Where do you currently live, and where are you initially from? Latrobe, PA. is where I live, and I was born in a city near Latrobe.

That's awesome! Would you say it's a great place to live? Yes.

Cool beans! California has amusement parks like Disneyland, Universal Studios, Knott's Berry Farm, and Magic Mountain. What amusement parks do you have in Latrobe, PA.? Yes, we have Kennywood. Kennywood is a small amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, just southeast of Pittsburgh.

That sounds like fun! If I'm ever in Pennsylvania, I'll have to visit. Speaking of fun, what are some of your favorite family activities? My favorite activities with my family include swimming, playing games, and singing for them. I also enjoy hiking and riding bikes with them, among other things.

That’s so cool! It sounds like a lot of fun and a great way to make memories. In keeping with our family discussion, Victory, how many siblings do you have? I have four sisters and six brothers.

Growing up, my mom cooked chicken drumsticks and set them on the table for my siblings and me. All of us would assemble for dinner and share equal portions. At least two pieces of chicken were always left over after we were served, reserved for the one who finished first and remained hungry after eating their portion. When I saw that my oldest sister was close to finishing her meal before me, I grabbed a drumstick, licked it, and put it back on the plate. That's so good! (laughs) 

 Disclaimer: I'm sharing these memories not to suggest you or any other child with siblings do the same. Instead, I'm just recounting some of my childhood memories. (laughs) So, if any children are reading this interview, don't do what I did. It's wrong to be greedy and selfish.

From what I shared previously, I'm sure you can tell I loved chicken as a child; however, as an adult, I no longer eat it. Which of your mom's meals is your favorite? She makes excellent spaghetti, fried rice, and lots of other things.

Oh my! That sounds delicious! Does she make homemade spaghetti sauce as well? Yes, it's the best I've ever tasted!

Awesome! I love homemade spaghetti too. My husband makes fantastic “Spaghetti Bolognese.” He makes his spaghetti sauce from scratch, also. Victory, you talked about your favorite food; now tell me about your favorite subject in school. My favorite subjects are language and spelling. While math is okay, out of the three, spelling is my favorite.

Have you ever participated in a spelling bee? No, I haven't participated in any spelling bee contests.  

Not only would you do well in a spelling bee, but I believe you're intelligent enough to win one too. Thank you. 

photo by: NBC

You're welcome. I'd like to know where you enjoy vacationing most. I enjoyed my visit to Paris, France.  

While I have never been to Paris, I have seen fantastic pictures of it. While there, what did you learn about the culture? I learned many things during my visits to "The Louvre Museum." While there, I saw "The Mona Lisa." It was cool. I also learned that the food there is delicious. (laughs)

Wow, that's amazing! Do you realize that so many young ladies your age will never be able to visit Paris or see the famous portrait of "The Mona Lisa?" Victory, you are truly blessed. Yes.

Your voice is so beautiful. At what age did you begin singing? I began singing nursery rhymes at two years old. When I was six, I asked my mother if she could show me someone who could sing the highest note, and she showed me an opera singer. My dream was to sing opera after that. So, I started at six. 

Why did you decide to become an opera singer? What made you choose that style of music over others? I love opera because I like singing all the runs and high notes. I also enjoy singing songs in various languages, especially French.

What other languages do you sing in? English, Italian, Latin, Ukrainian, French, German, Spanish, and Korean. I sing in eight languages in total.

Wow! You’re awesome! I'm glad to hear that! To keep your voice in pristine condition, how often do you need to practice? I practice every day for one hour.  

The discipline and determination you possess are admirable. Are your parents also musically inclined, and do any of your other family members sing or play instruments? My mom and I are musical people, as are my brother and my younger sibling; we all play piano.

It sounds like you have a talented family. That's awesome! Victory, how many octaves do you currently have? I have a three-and-a-half octave range.

Your accomplishments are impressive for someone as young as you. You're following in the footsteps of Marian Anderson, an incredibly talented contralto. In 1955, she became the Met's first Black soloist when she played Ulrica at the Metropolitan Opera in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera. And Minnie Riperton. Although she was not a singer who used her voice in the opera genre, she had the voice of an angel and a 5-octave range. Can you tell me who your favorite opera singer is? My favorite opera singer is Diana Damrau. She sings “Queen of The Night,” which is a difficult song to sing. (Diana is a German soprano who reached international fame for her performances in opera, concert music, and lieder. As a coloratura soprano, she succeeded in her early career and gradually transitioned into heavier 19th-century Italian bel canto roles.”)

Photo Courtesy of: The Brinker family

Can you sing "Queen of The Night?" Yes, I can sing it.  

I must find a video of you singing that gorgeous song on the internet, Miss Victory. Your delivery will be excellent, I'm sure. Which opera is your favorite, and have you ever seen one live? I've seen "Queen of The Night," which is inside the magic flute. 

Have you ever seen the live presentation of "The Phantom of The Opera?" Yes. I saw" The Phantom of The Opera" with my older siblings in New York.

 How nice! I saw "The Phantom of The Opera" at a movie theatre some years back. It was a showing of the live play but on the big screen. Like the live show, there was a break in the middle of the opera, and we returned to finish viewing it after the pause. If the live presentation on the big screen was that spectacular, I can't imagine how amazing it would be to witness the live show in person. I hope to experience that one day just as you have, Victory. You’re a blessed young lady, indeed. Keeping with the subject of live performances, are you comfortable singing in front of large crowds? Yes. It's not a problem for me. Singing in front of large crowds is something I am comfortable with.

During your first performance on "America's Got Talent," you became the youngest contestant to receive the golden buzzer and reached the top ten as a finalist. You were only nine years old at the time; what an accomplishment! I want to congratulate you again. Thank you 

 My pleasure. Can you tell us about your experience as an "AGT contestant," Victory? It was a lot of fun! Also, I enjoyed the other contestants. They were fun too! Aside from getting the golden buzzer, my favorite thing about it was spending six weeks in warm weather.

How did you like working with Simon Cowell? It was so cool!

Who was your favorite contestant on “America's Got Talent,” and did you make friends? Yes, Aiden Bryant was one of my favorite “America’s Got Talent contestants.” He came in second but was the 2023 “AGT” All-Stars winner. Still today, we regularly keep in touch with him, his mom, and my mom.

Forming lifetime friendships with so many creatives across a wide range of art forms is such a wonderful experience. It's lovely to hear that. The talent you possess, Victory, is extraordinary, and it is a scarce gift for a child to possess at such a young age. So much so that you've set a record. Can you tell me about that? I've set a world record for the youngest opera singer. The funny thing is, I held that title for about three years without knowing it.

So, when we went to Italy to do a show, I learned I was in the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest opera singer in the world. My mom knew but didn't tell me. The announcement was in Italian, and I could not understand what they were saying because my earpiece fell out of my ear. So, yes. 

A Guinness World Record! This is an incredible honor! Congratulations to you, your parents, and everyone in your family who believed in and supported you. I believe you can have talent, but it isn't easy to reach your highest goals if you don't have the support of those you love. So, congratulations to the entire "Team Victory!" Thank you.

You are so welcome. Can you share with me what other doors God has opened for you by way of your beautiful operatic voice? Well, I met Dr. Bernice King, whose father was Martin Luther King Jr. I love Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. It was so cool! 

Christine Brinker (Victory’s mother): “They built a special monument for Coretta Scott King for what would have been her 96th birthday, and they invited Victory to come down and sing for that occasion. They didn't know what a colossal inspiration Dr. King was to her.

She has read practically every book in the biography and written papers on Dr. King. I also learned that Coretta Scott King was also an opera singer. In Boston, she won a scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music. She met Martin Luther King Jr. while studying singing at that school. That's how she met him. We only knew of this once we were there.”

Thank you for sharing that information about the King family, Christine. I learned something today that I didn't know before. To have a daughter who achieves such monumental and memorable triumphs, how does it make you feel as a mother?  

Christine Brinker (Victory’s mother): "It's surreal. Because we are the parents of eleven children from many different backgrounds, we want to discover what motivates and inspires them. We are blessed with children who are all amazing and gifted in their own ways. Victory and I share a love and passion for music.

Even though all of our children learned how to play music, watching one of them take off with it has been a wonderful experience.

What a blessing!

Photo by NBC

Christine Brinker (Victory's mother): Yes. She memorized "entire CDs" word for word between two and three years old. So, I knew she would be a singer because my other kids had yet to do that. They loved music, but not like Victory. 

I remember Victory approaching me and saying she wanted to sing “opera.” I told her, "Ok, someday you can sing opera," and she said, "No, I want to sing opera now, and you have to teach me now." So, we taught her "Ave Maria." Then, she immediately said, "I have to be in a talent show." Three weeks later, she won her first talent show. Ever since then, I've been trying to keep up.

Your story about Victory discovering her God-given gifts and passion and your family's support is inspirational and commendable. Victory, how do you plan to move forward? Do you plan on recording a CD or performing in an opera one day? Ultimately, I want to sing worldwide and create CDs in other genres. So far, I have made a CD Christmas album.

That’s great! Your talents are many, Victory. Aside from your beautiful operatic voice, I hear you have another hidden talent. What is the other skill you have? Can you tell The Indie Post readers about it? Oh yes. I act. 

Have you appeared in any films? I was in one movie with Academy Award-winning actor Adrian Nicholas Brody when I was seven. 

Christine Brinker (Victory's mother): Yes. She played his daughter in an independent film that he made. She also appeared in two additional short films. Recently, she signed up with an agency and now has a manager working on getting her cast into additional films. As far as theatrical, she's done two stage shows and was in an opera for Christmas. 

That's super awesome! I'm so proud of you! Victory, it has been an absolute pleasure interviewing you. You are undoubtedly victorious! Do you have any words of inspiration for aspiring opera singers before we close this interview? Yes, I would tell anyone aspiring to become an opera singer to chase their dreams like I did!

You couldn't have said it better. Victory, and Christine, it was a complete honor to interview you today. You are both super dynamic, and you rock! Thank you for sharing slices of your life with me. My prayer is that God will bless you and your beautiful family. I pray that God will bless the works of your hands, be it done according to God's will. I also pray that He will protect you and your family and keep you safe in these sometimes-trying times in our world. Lastly, I want you to know I'm proud of you and rooting for your success. All of you! I can't wait to see all the amazing things God will do for you and your family. I'm humbled and grateful. Thank you again. God bless you and shine on you too.

Thank you so much. Take care. 

Thank you. Bye-bye.

Bye now.

End of Interview

https://www.victorybrinker.com/

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photos are by photo by Memories as Art, NBC, and courtesy of The Brinker Family. 

END OF INTERVIEW