“The X Factor” has been airing in the United Kingdom since 2004, and in that time, there have been many memorable and moving auditions. In 2015, one emotional audition hit notoriously tough judge Simon Cowell hard.
When Josh went onstage, the judges pointed out that he was the very last person to audition that day.
Simon asked him if he knew what that meant, and Josh gave an answer that made everyone laugh:
“It’s either going to go very good or very bad,” he said.
After that, the judges asked Josh a bit about himself and what he was singing. He told the judges he was a car mechanic who “did a bit of singing on the side.” Then, he revealed that he was singing the song “Jealous” by Labrinth. Simon asked why he chose that song, and Josh explained the song reminded him of his late best friend.
“I lost my best friend a couple years ago,” Josh said. “And I kind of interpret the lyrics in a completely different way…the lyrics kind of say, I’m jealous that you’re happy without me. And I kind of see it in the sense that, I’m jealous that he’s happy in Heaven, that he’s moved onto a better place, and that I can’t still be with him.”
Josh started singing, and he had a beautiful voice. His voice was raw and full of emotions—it was clear that the song meant a lot to him.
The judges and the audience all started getting emotional as they listened to Josh sing the song. Simon was particularly emotional, and he started tearing up as he listened to Josh sing.
After Josh finished, the judges and the audience all clapped for him. Many people had tears in their eyes, and one of the judges even ran onstage to hug Josh.
Then, it was time to vote if Josh should go to the next round. All three judges gave him a ‘yes.’
In an interview after the audition, Simon explained that he had recently lost his mom, and Josh’s song brought up a lot of the emotions he had felt when she passed.
“It was very raw and it did take me back to the moment, but I think in quite a healthy way. Being upset is a human thing,” Simon told The Sun.
Simon also said he wasn’t sure if he wanted to leave in the footage of him tearing up, but he ultimately left the decision up to the show’s producers.
“You can’t censor stuff like that. In the end I kind of just said to them, ‘I’m OK with it’, but I don’t want to approve anything, I’ll let you make your decision as to what is acceptable and what isn’t.”
In the end, Josh wasn’t chosen to go through to the live shows, and many people were shocked by his early exit.
Still, Josh has continued doing well for himself since performing on “The X Factor.” He has released numerous singles, which have all done very well. He also toured with singer Beverley Knight.
Even though Josh didn’t end up winning “The X Factor,” he still had a very memorable and beautiful audition. If you’d like to see it, check out the video below.
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