When a group of young men that referred to themselves as “Collabro” took the stage of Britain’s Got Talent, the judges were anything but impressed. After all, boy bands to them were a dime a dozen.
They looked like a regular boy band — a trend that may have gotten a little bit too popular in recent years. Going quickly down the line, they talked briefly about their day jobs. They were laborers, hospital workers, gas station attendants, but not one of them was a professional musician. Not a good start for the five guys.
The judges seemed even less impressed when the group told them that they had only been singing together for a month.
Simon Cowell openly rolled his eyes, while judge Amanda Holden hid her face as though she was a little bit embarrassed on their behalf. It was clear that they were expecting the worst.
But, little did they know – the judges were going to have the shock of their lives when the group began to perform.
They weren’t singing a bouncy pop song or performing a flashy routine. Instead, their song of choice was the incredibly difficult “Stars” from Les Misérables. Talk about anything but ordinary – the judges started to eat their words.
Each member got the chance to show off his vocals, ranging from deep and rich to varied and versatile. Then they broke out into five-part harmony. Their perfect pitch resonated throughout the entire audition hall.
Their performance ended with a standing ovation, the audience screaming and cheering.
Even Holden leaped to her feet to applaud them, followed by the three other judges. It felt as though the stage of Britain’s Got Talent had been transformed into Broadway.
“You’ve reduced me to tears,” said Holden. “I just could burst with pride for you. That was bloody brilliant.”
Then Simon Cowell gave his own two cents. Cowell is known for his blunt and sometimes harsh criticisms, so it’s no wonder that performers wait with bated breath to hear what he has to say.
“Do you know what, when the five of you came out, I thought, Here we go again, another boy band. This is gonna be awful,’” said Cowell. “But it was an absolutely brilliant audition.”
Several of the members were fighting back tears of exhilaration and pride as they listened to the response from the judges.
Judge David Walliams praised the young men for their choice of song and called their audition “flawless.” It’s clear that this was not your average group of young men nor your average boy band.
“You’ve achieved that in a month — that’s astonishing,” said judge Alesha Dixon. “That is definitely by far one of the strongest auditions I’ve ever seen.”
The group was waved through to the next round with four enthusiastic yeses, while “I Dreamed a Dream”, sung by Susan Boyle, played in the background.
Boyle, another Britain’s Got Talent performer, rose to fame in 2009 after she also auditioned with a song from Les Misérables and won the heart of the judges and the world.
In fact, after they went on to win the season of Britain’s Got Talent, Collabro joined Susan Boyle among the ranks of those signed on to Simon Cowell’s record label Syco.
Since then, the group has toured the world and signed on to a major American label as well. But their success began during their first rehearsal in a room above a London pub.
Listen below at their outstanding audition and how quickly the judges were to eat their own words. Watch the full audition and check out more of their talent in the videos below.
Wasn’t that amazing?! Their talent is just exceptional and they can prove it in their final Britain’s Got Talent video below.
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