Italy: Singing nun chooses 'Like a Virgin' for debut

Sister Cristina dazzled Italy with her performances on The Voice earlier this year

A singing nun who won the Italian version of the The Voice has released a cover of Madonna's Like a Virgin for her debut single.

Sister Cristina Scuccia, who won the singing contest in June, says she chose the song herself "without any intention to provoke or shock", but says she is ready for any criticism. "It's a song about the ability of love to make people new. To redeem them from their past. And that's how I wanted to interpret it," she tells the Catholic newspaper Avvenire.

Far from copying the original upbeat pop song, the 26-year-old Sicilian has turned the track into a ballad. And where Madonna's video saw her writhing around in a Venetian gondola while apparently being pursued by a lion, the Italian's effort is a more sedate affair. Sister Cristina says she doesn't think Madonna has heard this new take on her song. "But I'd love to see her face when she does, and when they tell her it's a nun singing."

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