Teenage daughter of Kenyan immigrants developed her incredible voice by singing in a church choir at the age of FIVE.
Sarah Ikumu, stole the show with her knock-out voice on Saturday night’s Britain’s Got Talent.
Now it has emerged Sarah Ikumu, from Milton Keynes, has had a remarkable rise to stardom from her humble beginnings of singing in church as a child from the age of five.
The teen star has been encouraged every step of the way by her father Alex Gatoto, a pastor, and her mother who is a carer.
The 15-year-old, whose parents are Kenyan immigrants, wowed the BGT judges with a masterful performance of the Dreamgirls hit And I Am Telling You – and Simon even hit the golden buzzer.
Now MailOnline can reveal how her family have helped drive her to achieve her success and masterminded her social media presence.
The starlet is in Year 11 and studying for her GCSEs but with the help of her parents she has taken part in a string of singing competitions.
Simon Cowell presses the golden buzzer for BGT singer Sarah
The first of the season: Sarah Ikumu, from Milton Keynes, has had a remarkable rise to stardom from her humble beginnings of singing in church as a child
Unlike most teens her own age, she has a number of social media pages including an official Facebook page dedicated to her budding career.
There are also glossy and professional-looking music videos of her online performing Aretha Franklin’s Think and Adele’s When We Were Young.
With help of her parents she has previously taken part in Milton Keynes Young Musician of the Year and an under-18s ‘Youngstars’ showcase in London.
Her proud parents even took to the stage after her success on Saturday night after sitting in the crowd to cheer on their talented daughter.
At the age of 14 she won the talent show at her school Hazeley Academy called ‘H-Factor’.
When she was young, Sarah relocated for two-and-a-half years with her parents to Kenya where she continued her passion for singing.
Thrilled: Sarah’s proud parents were watching in the audience with her sister
She has previously won Milton Keynes Young Musician of the Year and at the age of 14 she won the talent show at her school Hazeley Academy called ‘H-Factor’
Simon added a final word of wisdom before Sarah went off with her family to celebrate her achievement: ‘Enjoy this, I’m thrilled for you and your family!’
Sarah has performed in singing events in both Kenya and the UK.
On Saturday, Simon slammed his palm onto the golden buzzer when he heard the starlet sing.
Simon explained his decision: ‘It’s like you were possessed! I have heard that song loads, but you nailed it, you made it yours!’
Co-judge Amanda added: ‘I am thrilled for you! It was mind blowing… I can’t believe it!’
David Walliams nonchalantly joked: ‘It was alright!’
Buzzed: Sarah, who is only 15, was the final act to appear at the London Palladium auditions shown on ITV on Saturday evening
On Saturday, Simon slammed his palm onto the golden buzzer when he heard the starlet sing
He then added: ‘It was fantastic, well done!’
Simon added a final word of wisdom before Sarah went off with her family to celebrate her achievement: ‘Enjoy this, I’m thrilled for you and your family!’
Elsewhere on the show, double act called DNA – comprising Darren, 29, and Andrew, 43 – took to the stage, and performed a spooky mind reading routine.
Meanwhile, Impressionist Jess Robinson sailed through with a variety of skits involving Simon’s X Factor colleagues Sharon Osbourne and Cheryl.
Friends and family of the singing sensation took to Twitter to praise her performance
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Co-judge Amanda added: ‘I am thrilled for you! It was mind blowing… I can’t believe it!’
Viewers were absolutely blown away by the teen sensation’s singing.
Rachel Newton said: ‘Gobsmacked – those vocals!! Sign her now!!! WOW!!!’
Mason Smith added: ‘Damn she was GREAT.’
Claudi Marks wrote on Twitter: ‘I’ve watched Sarah Ikumu’s audition three times and I got goosebumps every time.’
Nicole Glashow said: ‘Insane! This girl can sing!’
Eamonn O’Brien wrote: ‘Sarah Ikumu is just brilliant. Well done for showing her full performance.’
Viewers were absolutely blown away by the teen sensation’s singing. Rachel Newton said: ‘Gobsmacked – those vocals!! Sign her now!!! WOW!!!’
Source-dailymail.co.uk
