Tahalianna Soward-Mahanga is only 15 but she has been singing "all my life", performing in public for the first time when she was just six, for NAIDOC Week at the National Museum of Australia.
Now, the whole nation is about to hear her sing and see how she has grown into being a truly powerhouse performer.
The Tuggeranong teen is performing on the hit show The Voice on Tuesday.
Tahalianna competes in the blind auditions before superstar judges Keith Urban, Rita Ora, Guy Sebastian and Jessica Mauboy, choosing to sing the massive anthem Freedom by Beyoncé.
"It's a great song. I love that song. Right before I went on, I was very nervous but I also thought this was the time to show everyone my voice," she said.
Tahalianna said it was "nerve-wracking" walking out to silence on the stage, signalling the band to start and then launching into the song. She had nothing to worry about.
"The crowd was going crazy," she said.
Watching on set from the sidelines were her very proud mum Patrice, grandmother Betty and nine-year-old brother Manoa.
Tahalianna is from a family of proud Indigenous women who have always helped to foster her confidence.
"My mum, she is my strength when I can't find it myself. She is my all and my best friend," she said.
"Seeing Jessica Mauboy, a representation of Aboriginal women, and seeing her achieve her dreams makes me hopeful that I can do that same."
We can't say yet how Tahalianna goes in the competition - it's all still very hush-hush - or if any of the chairs spin for her. But she could say she got a good reception from the judges.
"They were really nice and it was an honour to perform in front of them. They were all really nice and down-to-earth," she said.
The year 10 student attends a local Canberra college, enrolled in its talented dancing program.
Tahalianna also attends an indigenous youth women's group weekly doing basket weaving, cooking, traditional dancing, and hearing stories from the elders.
She sees her future as a singer.
"I want to be an R'n'B pop singer but I can sing any genre," she said.
Proud mum Patrice was thrilled to see her daughter performing on the national stage but was even more moved to hear Tahalianna talk so lovingly about her, not just a mum but a best friend.
"I think when she said that I burst into tears," Patrice said.
"Tahalianna is a quiet person but on stage she comes to life. It's her happy place. And she performs with such passion."
Patrice said her daughter was also very humble.
She auditioned for The Voice a while back, when she was still 14, but her friends were only just starting to find out.
"I just put it on my Instagram and people were going like, 'Oh my God, we had no idea' but I had to keep it on the low," Tahalianna said.
"But it's been excellent for me to know so many people are wishing me well and supporting me."
- Canberra teenager Tahalianna Soward-Mahanga performs on The Voice at 7.30pm on Tuesday on Prime7.
