For some reason, people have a bad habit of judging others by their appearance rather than who they truly are. In one episode of “The X Factor” in 2018, Simon Cowell seemingly thought that a Welsh farmer would turn out to be a terrible singer just based on her looks.
But when she started singing, the judges and audience were absolutely stunned!
Be sure to read to the end of the article to watch the full video 🙂
Jacqueline Faye hails from Wales but currently lives on a farm in Oxfordshire, England. She gained fame with her remarkable performance of Cilla Black’s song “You’re My World” in 2018.
When she stepped onto the stage, Faye appeared shy and nervous. As soon as she began to sing, she amazed everyone. However, before she started singing, she talked to the judges about her life.
She lives on a farm where she takes care of horses, ducks, and chickens. While Faye was speaking, several judges chuckled about her farming background. It turned out that Faye had the last laugh that evening.
The farmer becomes a legend
Within seconds, Faye stunned everyone in the room. Her singing was amazing, and her performance left everyone in awe. By the end of her stunning performance, the entire audience was smiling.
Although Cowell is known for his criticism, he found nothing wrong with Faye’s performance. When Faye first stepped onto the stage, he thought she had come to the wrong show.
As soon as she started singing, he realized how strong she was. Louis Tomlinson noted how magnificent her singing was.
Based on Faye’s performance, she could have a great musical career if she decided to leave farming behind.
But delving into Faye’s personal history, we found that she already had a small but notable musical career. According to Wales Online, Faye performed as a young girl, singing in men’s clubs in Port Talbot, Wales. Due to a steelworkers’ strike in the industrial town, many men spent their time in public clubs and were not working.
“I was six years old when my father was a steelworker, and my mother worked in the canteen at the steel plant, so neither of them was working then,” Faye told Wales Online. “I thought, ‘I need to take action!'”
At that time, the men weren’t working and, unfortunately, spent their time in public clubs, so I sang there.”
After performing in the public clubs of Port Talbot, Faye moved to London’s West End, where she headlined at the London Showboat restaurant for over ten years. Interestingly, her husband was the captain of the boat! Now in her late 50s, Faye continued singing after “The X Factor” and performs in nursing homes, restaurants, and theaters, writes Wales Online.
“I visit five or six nursing homes a week, sometimes two in a day, and I still perform in restaurants and theaters. On weekends, I can put the cherry on top and earn some extra money,” Faye admits.
“When he [my husband] retired, I got so bored that I said I was ready for anything and would work wherever it was. That’s when I started singing for the elderly in nursing homes.”
Faye continued to tell Wales Online that working in nursing homes opened her eyes to how important music is for those who have lost their memory due to Alzheimer’s disease or suffer from dementia.
“At this age, I realized how important music is for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Sometimes someone who has lost the ability to speak sings a song from their childhood.
“You see, there’s still a special spirit there – in the songs, there’s a part of who they used to be.”
Although Faye stepped away from her brief television fame, she told the publication that singing on “The X Factor” was one of her long-term goals.
“The X Factor has always been on my bucket list. I know these things are very planned, and after over 40 years in this business, I’m sure of that. Who needs a 50-year-old chubby woman? But I always wanted to sing in front of Simon Cowell. I wanted him to tell me that I was cool.”
“I had the worst audition ever; I didn’t expect anything at all, but they were interested in the fact that I live on a farm and that I had a peacock named Dave.”
For those who haven’t seen the episode yet, you can watch the video below. Faye dedicated her performance on “The X Factor” to her pet peacocks Dave and Chaz.
“I swear, that’s the reason I got into ‘The X Factor’,” Faye told Wales Online. “I thought I would make people smile, so I told them about unusual things. They made me look a bit more eccentric than I actually am, but I didn’t mind. It made for good TV for the viewers.
“My children are 27 and 30. Finally, they think I’m cool. Now I have eight million views on YouTube,” Faye said in an interview in 2018.
Since Breaking Talents Showcase published Faye’s clip in 2018, the video has garnered over 5 million views, 22,000 likes, and 1,600 comments. Many of the comments spoke not only about Faye’s singing ability but also about the judge’s prejudiced attitude towards a farmer from Wales.
“I can’t understand why Simon still makes such awful comments. Hasn’t he learned his lesson after the surprise with Susan Boyle? ‘Don’t judge a singer by their appearance, judge their singing,'” wrote a user from Brazil.
Another user echoed this sentiment, writing, “This proves to the world that you don’t always need to be a 25-year-old Barbie at 173 cm tall and weighing 59 kg to have a beautiful voice! Good luck, Jacqueline!”
Now that millions of viewers worldwide have seen Faye on “The X Factor,” it’s no surprise that strangers recognize her in public. But Faye doesn’t let it get to her head. She seems to be the same woman she was before “The X Factor.” At least she hasn’t lost her sense of humor.
“I couldn’t go to Tesco without spending 45 minutes just to pick out a bottle of milk,” Faye told Wales Online. “I thought if I went without any makeup and didn’t cover the smell of horses with perfume, people wouldn’t recognize me. But they asked for selfies. I almost died on the spot.”
Jacqueline Faye demonstrates the power of believing in yourself and striving to achieve your dreams. If you want to inspire others to pursue their dreams, show them this video. And let us know what you think of Faye’s performance.
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