Lucy Spraggan has always been a unique person, her mother revealed.
She’s always been open about her sexuality, knowing she was gay when she was just a young girl. In school, she fooled the other kids into thinking she was a boy by cutting her hair short, wearing boxers, and insisting on being called ‘Max’. She sent her first Valentine’s Day card to a girl at age 7.
In 2012, Lucy used her unique personality to her advantage during The X Factor UK auditions, performing an original piece that drove the crowd wild.
Walking onstage, she chats with the judges a bit. Her quirky personality is immediately evident as she cracks small jokes about daily life, making the audience giggle. When asked what she will be singing, she says:
“I’m going to sing my own song called ‘Last Night’ which is about when you wake up on a Sunday and you’ve got beer fear about you did the night before… If anyone can relate to that,” she laughs.
As soon as Lucy begins belting out the comical lyrics, the crowd is immediately hooked.
“Last night I told you I loved ya/ Woke up, blamed it on the vodka,” she sings, inciting shouts and cheers. Members of the audience clearly seem to relate to the comedic portrayal.
The lyrics and style are reminiscent of Kate Nash, a UK artist who rose to fame with her 2007 hit “Foundations”. She and Lucy both have this cheerful, storytelling side to their music, discussing relatable events in clever and humorous ways.
When Lucy’s finished performing, Tulisa tells her: “You are one of the most unique artists this competition has ever seen.”
Her quirky performance even wins over Gary Barlow, who says:
“You truly are a unique artist in three ways— you’re a great singer, a great musician, and most importantly a great songwriter.”
Although Lucy quickly became a fan favorite, advancing all the way to the live finals— she was sadly forced to drop out of the competition. The singer, whose grandmother had recently passed away, was said to be suffering from exhaustion which led her to miss the live performances in week four.
In a controversial moment, the judges allowed her to advance to week five despite having missed the round. The next week, when she still wasn’t ready to perform, however, she decided to bow out on her own. She didn’t think it would be fair to the other contestants if she was pushed through again. “I am gutted not to be able to continue this journey, but I’m not well enough to perform,” she said in an official statement.
Following her time on the show, Lucy was signed to Columbia Records. She later became the first contestant in the show’s history to score a Top 40 single and album before her season had even aired.
Since being uploaded to YouTube, Lucy’s X Factor UK audition has been viewed more than 44 million times. She truly is a refreshing reminder that it’s okay to be yourself.
Watch the performance below!
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