WHAT is it with kids these days making it big so fast? To say that they are adorable is an understatement. The best part is that, thanks to the Internet we get to watch them and share their amazing journey into the world of fame.

Behind those power-packed toothy grins lie an enormous wealth of talent paired with a dose of mischievousness. Reality television and talk shows do give an additional lift to these amazing talents. Most are spotted because of that occasional uploaded YouTube or because of a website started by a doting and proud parent.

Take for example Yoo Ye-eun, who is only five-years-old. This South Korean pre-schooler is pianist of amazing calibre despite no formal training. And the same goes for Florida-born eight-yearold Ethan Bortnick, who’s already given recitals – very confidently – with Beyonce and Gloria Gaynor.

Both prodigies have also been making the email rounds with fascinated viewers forwarding video clips of their performances. Both Ye-eun’s and Ethan’s talents have been taking them places, with sponsored travels and performances even abroad. Behind the little bundle of talent that’s Ye-eun, lies also a touching story.

Abandoned at childbirth, Ye-eun who is blind was adopted by a childless couple. At the age of three, a neighbour had given her an old piano. Initially thinking that she might just have fun banging notes on the instrument, her parents were surprised when she suddenly started playing a Korean song her mother loved to sing.

To encourage her talent, they began playing different pieces of music for her from the Internet and elsewhere and sure enough, her fingers danced across the keyboards in perfect harmony. Ye-eun’s talent transformed her into a household name in South Korea after an appearance in the popular Korean TV talent show Star King which moved many to tears.

In July last year, she was in Singapore, teaming up with Britain’s Got Talent seven-year-old winner Connie Talbot who sang You Raise Me Up at a charity show with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong among the delighted audience.

From the other side of the globe, Ethan also never fails to amaze with this gift and obvious love he has for it. He already has his own website (www.ethanbortnick.com) and is quite the “veteran” at celebrity talk shows, having first appeared on the Jay Leno show when he was six.

He was also a regular on that show with audiences asking for more The young prodigy has appeared on TV shows like Oprah, Martha Stewart, Good Morning America and Access Hollywood. Talk shows aside, Ethan has also had the chance to open for Nelly Furtado on her tour kickoff.

It doesn’t stop there. His fans include celebrities such as Celine Dion and Pamela Anderson.

There are many more young musicians, like Ethan and Ye-eun and you can bet that the IT-revolutionary age will be a boon to recognising – and sharing – their talents.