How homeless ‘subway soprano’ Emily Zamourka’s life changed overnight: ‘My dream is being fulfilled’

close

Video

Homeless opera singer speaks out on new fame, LA homeless crisis

After a video of Emily Zamourka, a 52-year-old Los Angeles homeless woman, singing opera in a subway station went viral, Emily opens up about the LA homeless crisis and how the new attention to her musical abilities gives her a second-chance at supporting herself.

Emily Zamourka has been homeless for three years, but all that may change after a video of her singing opera on a Los Angeles subway platform went viral last week.

“I thought that this is it, the day has come,” Zamourka, who is Russian-born, told Fox News. “The day has come and my dream is being fulfilled.”

The Sept. 26 Twitter post, uploaded by a Los Angeles police officer to the LAPD account, simply stated: "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,"

Shortly after seeing the post, Los Angeles councilman Joe Buscaino, a Democrat, invited Zamourka to sing at the grand opening of Little Italy in San Pedro on Oct. 5.

Zamourka, 52, may also have a recording contract on tap. According to TMZ, Grammy-nominated music producer Joel Diamond has drafted an offer letter for Zamourka in the hopes of creating a classical-EDM crossover hit record.

Zamourka’s big break would come after decades of being pushed further and further away from music. Classically trained in the violin while living in Russia, she moved to the United States about 30 years ago, but never pursued music as a career.

“It was very hard, and I could not speak a word in English, so music wasn’t going to be something I was very successful at…I was working in two different jobs that were the opposite of music,” she recalled.

She said she became seriously ill three years ago, and that the illness had bankrupted her, forcing her out on the streets.

WATCH: Left Behind: Homeless Crisis in Los Angeles

Video

“I definitely believe that there are good people on the street and not only those who take drugs or alcohol, and I don't do all those things,” said Zamourka. “It was because of illness and not what I chose.”

In addition to her undisclosed illness, Zamourka said her prized violin was stolen. Playing it had been a source of income while she was living on the streets.

“My violin getting stolen was a tragedy for me…because that was what I was hanging on to, that was the only answer for me to move forward,” she said.

Zamourka said being homeless is tough. "It's actually very scary too. It's not safe. You can be killed at any moment or attacked for no reason. It's dangerous,” she said.

She also thinks the government could be doing more to help the homeless.

“There are people out there and do need to be reached out to, and they’re waiting to be helped,” Zamourka explained. “We’re all the same, and some just need to be reached out to and given an opportunity.”

Zamourka told Fox News that she’s looking forward to Saturday’s performance and, hopefully, more to come.

“I want to work as an artist and sustain myself,” said Zamourka. “I would like to continue and show everybody out there that homeless people need a chance to be helped out, and also I want to show homeless people that being homeless is not the end.”

Emily DeCiccio is a video producer and reporter for Fox News Digital Originals. Tweet her @EmilyDeCiccio.