“An old soul with young shoulders.”
So says Alesha Dixon of 15-year-old Isaac Waddington who just moved the judges and his audience with a hauntingly beautiful version of Billy Joel’s “She’s Always a Woman.”
Isassc left a lasting impression on viewers before he eventually signed with Simon Cowell’s label, Syco.
Waddington began singing as a chorister at Chichester Cathedral, about the same time he was attending The Prebendal School. He then became Head Chorister of the cathedral choir and studied at The Portsmouth Grammar School.
He won the BBC Radio 2 Chorister of the Year competition which led to him appearing on Songs of Praise.
It is so refreshing to see the younger generation sing songs of yesteryear. Isaac smashed Billy Joel’s 1977 hit, his voice rich in tone, just drawing all listeners to him. That’s not how a teenager is supposed to sound.
“She’s always a woman” is a love song Joel wrote for his then wife, Elizabeth Weber. She was still married to Joel’s drummer Jon Small when she and Joel got together. The affair tormented Billy.
Elizabeth took over management of Joel’s career, putting his financial affairs in order after Billy made some bad deals and contracts. The lyrics speak of Elizabeth’s personality as a negotiator. She could “wound with her eyes” or “steal like a thief”, but would “never give in”.
Her tough negotiating style had others calling her names and such with many business adversaries saying she was “unfeminine”. To Joel, Elizabeth was always a woman.
Weber and Joel eventually divorced in 1982.
Since 1982, Joel rarely performed the song, no longer wanting to be singing about his ex-wife. That’s pretty understandable. Though it is a shame as it has such a lovely melody.
Thank goodness for Waddington.
Issac’s talented for sure. Just look at the way he’s captivated the audience with his stage presence alone. He’s trained in classical piano, and for a guy who always knew he was destined to be a singer, no combination is better.
Waddington continues to share his passion for music on his YouTube channel.
For a song rarely performed by the original artist, and not often covered by other singers, we’re glad this little gem of Isaac’s exists. It is too good of a song to be ignored.
Simon was all praises,
“Issac, that was fantastic! No gimmicks, no tricks, you, great song, piano… but what I loved about it was you were in complete control of the song. You knew when to stop it, when to pick it up again.”
Isaac sings with a maturity beyond his years. It is a rare gift not all young singers have.
This is one talented young man the world needs to be more aware of.
Listen and enjoy Issac’s stunning cover of Billy Joel’s hit below!
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