Like other 8-year-old girls, Autumn Rae Shannon from Apopka, FL loves pop stars like Christina Aguilera and Beyoncé, but this talented little girl's real love is soul music.

"She's been listening to Ella Fitzgerald for years," her mother, Carol, tells the Good News. "She'd say, 'Put Ella on, Mommy!'"

Autumn Rae has been singing since she was 2-and-a-half years old. "She would sing 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' and she had perfect pitch," says Carol about discovering her daughter's natural talent.

"I love singing," Autumn Rae tells us. "It is my favorite thing to do. Even when my mom asks me to stop, I just can't!"

This rising star began taking singing lessons at age 5, and in just three years has built herself a prolific YouTube channel filled with covers, including impressive renditions of Ella Fitzgerald's "At Last," Aretha Franklin's "Respect" and Alicia Keys' "If I Don't Have You."

Autumn Rae loves performing, especially for large crowds. "My biggest audience was performing for 30,000 people at a cancer fundraiser," she says. "I like to perform in front of big audiences. When there's a bigger audience, it just feels better!"

Autumn has even begun to write her own songs - melody and lyrics included - with the help of her father, who is a drummer. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.