When Jenny Darren walked onto the Britain’s Got Talent stage, nobody knew what to expect. The 68-year-old woman was dressed modestly. She spoke in a calm and demure manner— but when she started stripping off her clothes, everyone’s jaws dropped in shock.
Jenny was featured in the second audition episode of the eleventh season of Britain’s Got Talent.
She looked like your average grandmother. Her outfit was modest, with a pink cardigan, flowered shirt, and black skirt. She bore the cute grin of a child and wore big glasses and a loose, librarian bun. She tells the judges she’s from Cotswold and retired— but believes she has a chance to win.
After making the usual small talk, the judges tell her it’s time to perform. From there, Jenny blows everybody’s mind. “Bear with me,” the sweet, older woman tells them— as she begins taking off her clothes.
To everyone’s amazement, Jenny strips off her “granny” garb, revealing an edgy, black, rocker outfit beneath. From there, the opening chords of AC/DC’s iconic “Highway to Hell” start to fill the room.
Gone are the conservative, librarian bun and modest rose-colored cardigan. In this unexpected bait-and-switch, Jenny reveals herself as a wildly talented rock queen.
As Jenny waits for the vocals to start, she dances unabashedly across the stage. It’s clear from her demeanor that shyness is definitely not a factor for this rock girl. Her body flows to the music and she’s finally in her place.
If Jenny’s choice of music didn’t already have support, when she opens her mouth to reveal a powerful, warbling voice— the crowd goes completely wild.
Even Simon, the show’s notorious critic can’t help but look surprised. When Jenny sings the opening lyrics, his eyes bulge out of his head.
The judges grin and dance along to the music, pleasantly surprised by the retiree’s unexpected transformation.
The woman’s energy is contagious, and as the camera pans toward the crowd, there’s not a person in their seats.
“She just knocked their socks off!” an announcer exclaims as she ends her performance.
After the song, judge Amanda Holden tells the singer, “Oh my God, Jenny. You can ROCK, baby!” And I think Simon speaks for everyone when he tells her:
“You completely mugged all of us. I’m thinking, ‘Okay, we’re going to have knitting or poetry, or something’— Jenny, I think you are bloody fantastic!”
When it’s time for the final decision, all the judges give her a resounding ‘YES’.
People were shocked by Jenny’s rock chops— but, if you have any idea of her history, her skills become much less surprising.
Jenny has been singing since she was 12 years old— more than 55 years. She grew up listening to rock gods like Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, but when it came to her music, she generally kept in the realm of funk. When she was 20-year-old, her band actually supported AC/DC during one of their performances, and it was this event that truly opened up her rock soul.
“I was with AC/DC in the afternoon for the sound check and I just looked at my band and I said, ‘We have to change the style of the music, guys, to fit in with this band,” she told Radio Times.
“So at the end of it, we were sounding a bit more like AC/DC.I loved them, and that’s why actually, fundamentally, I became a rock singer— having to fit into their style. That’s how it happened.”
Here’s another fun fact for those of you familiar with Pat Benetar’s hit song “Heartbreaker”: Jenny Darren actually performed it first.
You can listen to it here:
“‘Heartbreaker’ was released on my [1978 Queen of Fools] album, but nobody thought to bring it out as a single,” she explained.
“Because the record company was also a publishing house, Pat heard the recording and loved it and she went and took it.”
Looks like fame has been a long time coming to Jenny Darren— and maybe this was the first step to her big break.
See her stunning audition below!
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