Though it goes without saying, there have been some pretty incredible auditions on the world’s various Got Talent shows throughout the years.
Whether you watch the series in America, Britain or somewhere else, the internet levels the playing field and lets all kinds of people experience these auditions in their own homes. More specifically, anyone who lives in America probably hasn’t seen some of the earlier auditions from, say, Britain’s Got Talent from seasons past. Still, some of those auditions were incredible and the performers have gone on to even greater things.
This is a story about just one of those performers.
Back in 2011, a young man named Michael Collings decided to audition on Britain’s Got Talent.
When he came on the show, Collings brought his family on the show and explained that he came from a computer store in Plymouth in England. Coming on the show, he came with his parents and his fiancé. As he revealed at the time, he also had a baby on the way at the time that he and his fiancé had not planned for. Shortly thereafter, the two were engaged and Collings decided to give his talents a shot on the national stage.
With all that in mind, he stepped out onto the stage to face the judges with his guitar.
As he steps out, he introduces himself to the judges and explains his life to them.
They ask him what he hopes will come of his time on the show and he has an ambitious answer. Beyond just the show, he wants to get a recording contract, make thousands and travel the world performing! After a few more moments of banter, they invite him to sit down and share his talent with the world. Still, performing in front of so many people is a lot of pressure.
When he plugs his guitar in and gets ready to sing, there’s a clear moment of hesitation.
Fortunately, he starts strumming his guitar and singing—and his voice is so beautiful!
The song he chooses to cover is “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman, an old ‘90s favorite that has so much soul. Although the judges and the audience weren’t sure what to expect from Collings when he stepped out, his performance took everyone by surprise! Although his voice is great, it’s surely not the most technically perfect that the show has ever seen. Regardless, everyone in the crowd can hear the pain and the passion in his voice as he sings!
At the end of it all, the entire crowd is on their feet for a standing ovation.
After all is said and done, Collings stands up and faces the judgment.
Going off of the crowd’s reaction, the judges give their own comments. Although they said they weren’t sure what to expect, everyone was blown away—particularly because he was an IT engineer who wasn’t dressed for the occasion. Needless to say, everyone gives him a “yes” to continue.
After getting his answer, Collings couldn’t be happier—but his journey doesn’t end there.
Although Collings made it to the final rounds and was eventually cut, he continues to follow his dreams to this day.
Collings has started his own YouTube channel to showcase his musical talents. To this day, his most viewed video is a music video for his cover of “Fast Car” that’s even more polished than the version he did on Britain’s Got Talent—and it’s definitely worth checking out:
Still, his musical talents don’t end there!
Another of Collings’ videos has him covering the mega-hit song “Gravity” by John Mayer. Just like his other videos, Collings’ soulful voice brings a new level and depth to so many songs that we may have heard before. Although his performances are relatively simple and stripped down, the soul comes through in every note:
Although Collings is definitely still working to get his career to the heights he wants to achieve, it’s clear that he has tremendous talent.
Although these talent shows can give up and coming artists plenty of exposure, it often takes some following up to see what happens to the contestants who don’t win the show. For our part, we’ll do whatever we can to get more people to listen to Collings’ music!
Congratulations to Michael on his success and best wishes for the future! Check out the full video below:
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
