Austin senior has ‘captured the world’ – Kestner appears on ABC programs, debuts on iTunes
Published 10:16 am Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Molly Kate Kestner plays music on her family’s piano Monday evening. Kestner has drawn global attention after her song “His Daughter” was seen more than 180,000 times on Youtube since April 20. Trey Mewes/trey.mewes@austindailyherald.com.
‘His Daughter’ hits iTunes
An Austin teen continues to reach a worldwide audience.
Austin High School senior Molly Kate Kestner has been featured on dozens of media outlets since her original song, ”His Daughter,” went viral after she posted it to YouTube April 20. On Tuesday, Kestner made her national television debut as she appeared on ABC’s “World News With Diane Sawyer.”
“A star is born, a video we’ve watched, all of you sharing all day, 6 million views for a teenage girl and a song played on an out-of-tune piano,” Sawyer said to introduce a two-minute piece on Kestner.
ABC News also called Kestner a “Cinderella still in the middle of her dance” and a “new sensation.”
“It is a voice that has captured the world,” ABC’s Paula Faris said.
Kestner was slated to appear on “Good Morning America” Wednesday morning.
“His Daughter” is now available on iTunes for $1.29, along with an acoustic version for the same price.
The YouTube version, recorded by Kestner on an iPhone, was viewed more than 850,000 times within the first two weeks. It’s now been viewed more than 6.1 million times.
Despite her newfound fame, Kestner told the Herald last week she’s taking things slow as offers roll in. She’s still set to attend North Central this fall.
“I’m still trying to focus on my senior year,” Kestner said.
More on Kestner:
On ABC News:
On iTunes
On the Herald
Molly Kate Kestner sings “Young and Beautiful” from the soundtrack to the 2013 film version of “The Great Gatsby,” which was the theme for Austin High School’s prom May 4. Kestener was set to sing to kick off the Grand March in Knowlton Auditorium before she found online fame the week before for her song “His Daughter.” Jason Schoonover/jason.schoonover@austindailyherald.com
