Carlos Guevara doesn’t let anything get in the way of his dreams of becoming a singer. Even when his world was turned upside down.
The 16-year-old from Lexington, North Carolina was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder when he was just 12-years-old.
This changed everything about this boys life. He was once active and social. After his diagnosis, he couldn’t even go to school.
“Through puberty, it starts to get worst,” Carlos explained. “It’s crazy. A couple of months ago I had to leave school. It’s been a hard year. I started out as the vice president of the whole entire student body. I was a football player and then it all just kind of crashed and burned.”
Carlos explains that his conditions affect his everyday life. It causes him to stutter or repeat himself, beep, and make sudden uncontrollable bodily movements.
“They tried every medicine in the book and the only thing that could help me was music,” Carlos said.
And Carlos’ talent brought him to audition for the X Factor USA. He was super nervous to perform but thankfully he had a whole lot of people there to support him.
“You don’t have to be ashamed of who you are,” Carlos’ mom Eliesha told him. “Just go and do it. You know we all support you.”
Eliesha explains that she was worried that Carlos might lose his friends and the people he grew up with after his diagnosis.
But those people just ended up embracing and supporting Carlos even more. They showed up to his audition to support him.
“To be here today I had to overcome a lot. I’ve had to overcome my ticks my OCD and all the little voices in my mind that told me I couldn’t do this,” said Carlos. “This is what I want, this is my dream and my mom always told me to follow my dreams and this is what I’m finally doing.”
When Carlos finally took the stage he was incredibly nervous but he sang fearlessly just the same. He sang John Mayer’s Gravity. And he sang incredibly and the song he chose was so moving because of its lyrics and how it relates to his life struggles.
“Gravity, is working against me,” the song goes. “Gravity, wants to bring me down.”
People were in tears listening to Carlos sing. The judges were clearly impressed and Simon Cowell seemed to just smile as Carlos song. Cowell didn’t even let him finish his song. He raised his hand for the music to stop. Clearly, he had heard enough.
The audience immediately jumped to their feet when the music faded. As did all the judges, except Cowell.
“Carlos, I don’t know you but I feel really proud of you. You have an amazing voice you have a great energy,” one of the judges said.
“Carlos you know what I like about you, you’re not a victim. You got this issue but most importantly you haven’t let that stop. You’re doing what you’ve dreamt of doing. But forget about that you’ve actually got a great voice,” Cowell said.
Carlos was elated and in tears when his family and friends rushed the stage to congratulation him. Carlos got approval from all four judges to advance in the competition.
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