By: Kate Renner
A small-town Minnesota teen has become quite the internet sensation. A song she wrote and recorded in her Austin home has gone viral within the last three weeks, with nearly 6 million views on YouTube.
All alone in her room, 18-year-old Molly Kate Kestner poured out her heart, singing to no one but the video camera on her phone.
She posted a YouTube video on Easter Sunday, three weeks ago.
“My family was over, and no one really even knew I was recording it and I just recorded it on my phone and put it on Facebook, and from there it just kind of exploded,” Molly Kate Kestner said.
It reached not only the millions people, but also caught the attention of singer Jordan Sparks and actress Ashley Judd.
“When you find hope you want other people to find that too. It kept growing and growing and the next thing I knew I was like, ‘Is this what viral is?’ I don’t even know what this is,” Kestner said.
On Mother’s Day, she sang a song she wrote called “His Daughter” at River Valley Church in Apple Valley.
“It’s about a girl who has been through hell and back, and yet she gets to the end of her life and realizes it was a all for a purpose. And God was with her the entire time,” Kestner said.
“Molly has a mercy personality, so that she wanted to write songs to tell other people’s story, I’m not surprised. I’m not surprised that it’s touching people,” said Mary Jane Kestner, Molly Kate’s mom.
Molly Kate believes her lyrics are offering a hope not usually found on the internet.
“There’s so many people who don’t have hope if their life and this song just kind of pulls that emotion out of you,” said Kestner.
In the fall, Molly Kate will go to college at North Central University in Minneapolis. She says she’ll be studying in their music program.
The aspiring singer is going to be on Good Morning America Wednesday.