In the age of reality television competitions, seemingly anyone can make their dreams of stardom come true.
With so much variety out there, everybody probably has their own favorite show. For people who consider themselves outdoorsy or like rugged competition, you might be into Survivor. On the other hand, if you like music as well as breathtaking physical movement, you might be into So You Think You Can Dance? or Dancing with the Stars. When it comes to singing, American Idol or any of its international equivalents is probably the answer.
For a similar thing with a little bit of a twist, though, it has to be The X Factor.
For anyone who doesn’t know, The X Factor is a multi-talent reality show that encompasses singing, dancing and other performances.
The show was created by Simon Cowell, the man behind (and the judge on) the Idol reality series as well. Although American Idol is mostly limited to having the contestants perform and audition as they get critiqued by the judges throughout the process.
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At the end of it all, one person walks away with the ultimate prize of a recording contract. On the other hand, The X Factor plays out a little bit differently. Although there are eliminations and a standard talent competition, there’s an added element of judge mentoring as well.
But just like on American Idol, there are some incredible auditions that are completely unforgettable.
In particular, one audition on The X Factor UK went down as one of the most memorable of all time.
As anyone can probably imagine, it’s definitely stressful to have to perform in front of an audience of hundreds of people—let alone all the people who are watching at home! The woman auditioning was Lauren Murray, who had been working as a receptionist at the time. When she gets onstage, she starts to sing the lyrics to “Somebody Else’s Guy” by Jocelyn Brown.
Unfortunately, Murray doesn’t get off to a good start because her voice cracks slightly.
Although she’s clearly in a slight panic, she tells the judges what’s happening and asks if she can start again.
Sure enough, the judges agree that she just needs to take a breath, collect herself, and start again. As she gathers herself, it’s clear the pressure in the room is even higher than it was before! Despite all of those factors, Murray takes a breath and starts again—and this time her voice is perfectly on point! She hits the notes and her voice begins soaring, much to the surprise of the judges.
Before long, the crowd is cheering right along with her!
When she gets into it, the music picks up and the song gets into full swing.
By this point, all the judges are smiling and the crowd is clapping and singing right along with her. Before long, Murray herself is dancing onstage as she sings the lyrics. With that, the judges start dancing as well and Simon starts smiling from ear to ear. As she gets to the end of the song, she takes another breath and belts the final high note.
Needless to say, Murray nails the last power note and the crowd erupts into applause!
When the performance ends, everybody is on their feet giving Murray a big round of applause.
For those who didn’t watch back in 2015, Murray did make it into the final 12 finalists but was ultimately cut from the show. Despite leaving the show in 2015, she did go on to compete in The X Factor Live Tour 2016 and continues to write and record her own music as well. Beyond the specifics of the competition, however, Murray became a fan favorite because of how well she stood up to the pressure of the audience and persevered through her audition.
Murray’s story shows us that if you don’t give up in life, you can achieve incredible things!
Even if you didn’t watch her when she was on the air, Murray’s audition is definitely an inspiring one.
Aside from pushing through her hesitation, she also touched the audience and the world with her powerful voice and her contagious energy. Although she didn’t win the entire show, it still served her as a launchpad on the path to making music and achieving her dreams. In the meantime, we’re going to be watching this audition over and over again.
Congratulations to Lauren on her incredible audition! Check out the full video below:
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