A homeless woman, who once dreamed of being a professional singer, might have finally scored her big break after catching the ear of a Los Angeles police officer.
The Los Angeles Police Department captured the woman with an arresting voice as she sang at the Wilshire/Normandie station of the Purple Line on Tuesday in the city's Koreatown neighborhood.
Police tweeted the music footage Thursday, sending Southern California into a talent search frenzy for the mystery singer. The LAPD wrote: "4 million people call LA home. 4 million stories. 4 million voices...sometimes you just have to stop and listen to one, to hear something beautiful."
The mystery woman turned out to be Emily Zamourka, a Russian immigrant whose La La Land dreams had hit rock bottom in recent times. She fell ill and then found herself out on the streets — and often under the streets, for the best acoustics.
"You know why I do it in the subway?" Zamourka told NBC Los Angeles. "Because it sounds so great."
Zamourka, who claims to have no formal music training, had been scraping by playing her $10,000 violin for passersby until the instrument was stolen.
"It was my income," she said. "It was everything to me."
That's when Zamourka turned to the only musical instrument she had left, and it caught the ears and eyes of a police officer on the beat.
"I thank you for that, I don't know what to say. I've been praying for that also, it's been very hard," Zamourka said of her possible big break.
She'd relish the chance to sing onstage.
"If it's God's will for my life to change, then I will praise him and I will be so grateful," Zamourka said.