Though it may go without saying, even the youngest among us can make a difference.
When we’re kids, we’re often taught to fall in line, to obey other people’s orders and to generally not make our voices known.
Unfortunately, following those instructions can lead to a quiet and somewhat defeated life where we don’t end up actually going for what we want to. Once we discover what our talents really are, we need to go for them with all of our zeal.
And that’s exactly what one recent contestant on The X Factor USA did.
The performance took place on the show’s 2013 season and featured an unusually young contestant.
The contestant was Stone Martin, an 8th grader from Hartsville, South Carolina who had a dream of making it big as a singer. Although he was only 14 years old, Martin knew that he wanted to share his powerful voice with the whole world—and he was desperate for it to go as well as it could possibly go.
Before walking out onstage, Martin says a quiet little prayer to himself asking that the song go as well as it possibly can.
With that, he walks from behind the curtain and in front of the audience.
The audience gives him a warm reception right away—and judge Simon Cowell even says that he has a perfect pop star name.
As he introduces himself and explains where he’s from, he gets a huge surge of applause from the supporters he brought with him. After everything, he tells Cowell that he thinks he’s talented enough to win the whole competition.
Before long, the judges clear the way for him to perform. The song he chooses to sing is “Little Things” by One Direction, yet another boy band that was assembled on the The X Factor.
The background music starts playing, Martin flips his hair and he begins.
Right away, it’s clear that Martin has a confidence and talent that goes well beyond his years!
Although he was so shy when he walked out onstage, all of that dissolves as soon as he starts singing. Before long, he’s pointing to girls in the audience and singing directly to them—and none of the girls in the audience can contain themselves!
While he’s definitely young, Martin has a clear presence and a confidence that absolutely can’t be taught. His voice is great, and as he goes on and on, the crowd gets more and more on his side.
Eventually, Cowell stops the performance—and the crowd erupts with applause.
With the singing out of the way, it’s time for the judges to give their feedback.
First up is judge Kelly Rowland who tells him that she loves him… and that he’s only just beginning to grow into his voice. The other judges agree, noting that this was Martin’s first time on a real stage—and yet he managed to polarize the entire crowd.
Before long, it’s time for the judges to vote… and he gets four yeses! Needless to say, Martin can’t believe his ears. As this performance shows so clearly, it’s important to go for our dreams—no matter how scared we might be. Sometimes, amazing things can happen.
Congratulations to Stone Martin on a memorable and potentially star-making audition! Watch the full thing in the clip below:
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
