When New Zealand’s Got Talent contestant Oceana Olsen sings, she feels a sense of freedom.
When the 10-year-old performs she becomes free from the pain caused by her bone alignment surgery, and liberated from the stigma of those who judge her on her small size.
Oceana, who suffers from pseudo chondrodysplasia – a form of dwarfism – had the show’s judges Rachel Hunter, Jason Kerrison and Cris Judd in tears during her rendition of Christina Aguilera’s Beautiful. The performance also captured the hearts of the nation – her video clip has had over 300,000 views online.
The lyrics of Aguilera’s song have a strong resonance for Oceana, who has been teased and bullied for her disability, but refuses to let words bring her down.
“I don’t want people to remember me as the small girl who has a bone condition, I want to sing and touch people’s hearts,” says Oceana, who lives in Christchurch with her mother, Sarah. “People can say mean things – some teenage boys called me ‘penguin legs’ one time – but I don’t really care.
“I used to care when I was little and I wondered, ‘Why do they treat me differently?’ Now I know I have a bone condition, but who wants to be the same as everyone else, anyway?” she says.
At age four, Oceana stood up on a chair in a Chinese restaurant and sang Amazing Grace out of the blue. From that moment, she knew she wanted to be a singer.
Although both her mother and father are not performers, Oceana has many musical influences in her life, including her godfather, Nik Carlson, who was a runner-up on Season Two of New Zealand Idol.
She already has all the qualities of a star. Not afraid to stand out from the crowd, Oceana decorates the shaved part of her hair for every performance with pretty designs, including musical notes.
“I am a bit of a diva about my hair,” says Oceana with a big smile.
The confident brunette boasts that she was able to use her height to her advantage when she had a chance to meet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the 16-nation Pacific Forum last year.
Oceana meets Hillary Clinton. Photo: Twitter
“Because I’m small, I crawled my way to the front of the crowd and Hillary asked me what my name was and what I liked to do – I told her singing of course,” says Oceana, who was visiting the Cook Islands with her mum at the time.
Oceana’s father Clint’s eyes well up with tears when he talks about his daughter. New Zealand’s Got Talent allows Clint, who lives in Auckland, a chance to spend more time with his daughter, who he normally only sees during holidays.
The 41-year-old suffers from the same condition as his daughter and during his life has had countless operations realigning his joints to prevent him from being knock-kneed.
Although he has faced similar struggles during his life because of his size, Clint says he could never match his daughter’s courage to take the stage.
“It’s overwhelming,” says Clint, who is a talented painter and bone carver, but for years wasn’t brave enough to show his work to others.
“She does things at her age that I wouldn’t have been able to do. She proves that nothing is impossible – there is no such word as can’t.
“She’s always very positive, even before she goes into an operation. She just gets on with her rehabilitation and stays strong and positive-minded.”
PHOTOS: Caren Davis
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