Jaina voice actress Laura Bailey sang “Daughter of the Sea” live at BlizzCon and it was magical

During the Voices of War: Horde vs Alliance panel at BlizzCon 2018, we were treated to a live rendition of “Daughter of the Sea” sung in character by Jaina Proudmoore’s voice actress Laura Bailey, and composer Logan Laflotte! This was a fun surprise at the end of the panel. Normally there would’ve been a question and answer section, but moderator — and voice director — Andrea Toyias had a surprise for us. For those watching at home, the screens faded to black and we didn’t see anything while they cleared the stage and got everything set up. When the stream resumed Andrea was on stage and dedicated the performance to all of the fans of the voice actor performances.

So… we did a thing. ❤️ Thank you @AndreaToyias for helping me step outside of my comfort zone to be a part of something magical. And a big shoutout to the composer who sang alongside me, @LoganLaflotte! #BlizzCon #DaughteroftheSea https://t.co/ehbo7mcyPK

— Laura Bailey (@LauraBaileyVO) November 3, 2018

Laura has mentioned that she doesn’t like singing in front of live audiences before, so to get a live performance of such an intimate song was an amazing treat. In the video of the performance, you can see her in a large cloak, and she acts along with what we saw in the Warbringers: Jaina short. Laura was accompanied live by Logan on guitar and members of the Blizzard Audio Choir. In the background, the video cuts between shots of Laura and the animation. Heightening the emotional impact of her singing by fading back into Laura just as she says “Beware of me”. The audience was singing along and erupts into applause at the end. Making sure to give Laura the standing ovation that she deserved.

Personally, I can’t hear the song without immediately getting goosebumps. The strings and the choral harmonies just connect with me and give me chills. This time though I had tears in my eyes, getting to see the emotion that Laura put into the song. We’ve seen a lot of great stuff this BlizzCon, but nothing for me comes anywhere as close to this as a highlight. Back in July, I wrote my very first article on Blizzard Watch about the translations that Andrea and the localization teams put into the Warbringers short. I still feel so very lucky that I get to be a part of this community and love the opportunities that I’ve been given. Getting the chance to hear the song performed live just reinforces the magic that Blizzard has created. I can only hope that we get many more beautiful pieces like this down the line.