Sometimes, even when the cameras are rolling, it’s hard to hide your true reactions. During the auditions for X Factor 2018, Simon Cowell couldn’t help but roll his eyes when Jacqueline Faye, a 53-year-old mother, stepped onto the stage. It had been a long day of lackluster performances, and Faye didn’t exactly look like an X Factor superstar.
Faye appeared like a middle-aged mom ready for a family event, her nerves evident as she excitedly listed all the animals on her farm in Oxfordshire.
But as soon as Faye started singing, the audience erupted in applause, amazed by her incredible vocal range. When the song ended, the entire room stood up, cheering for her outstanding performance. Since it was released on YouTube, it has amassed nearly 10M views and 44K likes.
Prepare yourself to be impressed by the outstanding performance below:
After the audition aired, viewers took to social media to criticize Cowell for judging Faye based on her appearance. One tweet summed it up perfectly: “Simon never learns. Two words: Susan Boyle. He judged her and looked at what she did”.
The other judges, on the other hand, praised Faye. Robbie Williams even said that she reminded him of home and that there was something truly special about her. Cowell, almost apologetically, admitted that he had initially underestimated her.
“When you walked out I thought you’d walked out on to the wrong show by mistake”, he said, earning a perplexed look from Williams. “I’m thinking this isn’t going to be great, and then you were. You’re a little tiger, aren’t you? That’s why we will never put an age barrier on the show.”
Faye’s heart skipped a beat when Cowell deadpanned that his vote was “no,” but he quickly reassured her that it was a resounding “yes.” And soon enough, she received four yeses from the judges. The most heartwarming moment came when Williams went backstage to give Faye a warm, comforting hug.