To have unbridled talent is both a good and a bad thing. For one, it’s great because you have no bad habits. You’re a blank canvas with so much potential just waiting to be polished before you can shine. On the other hand, you are untrained which means you may not know how to present yourself in the best light for the right people to really see how good you are.
For 21-year-old Brendan Murray from Ireland, he’s made his way to the X-Factor to give it all he’s got in front of the panel of judges. When the young man opens his mouth to release an incredibly unique voice, he’s greeted with a mixed reaction from the judges. But that’s not all, the plot thickens as Simon pulls a fast one.
Brendan chose to sing a slowed down version of the R&B classic “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off,” redone by Ella Eyre. The crowd applauds the young man, but the judges aren’t sold. He carries on, unaware until Simon raises his arm to stop the music. It’s heartbreaking for Brendan, the look of disappointment written all across his face. This is where Simon becomes less of a judge, and more of a coach, saying, “I think lyrically that song didn’t suit your voice.” Simon wants to push him in another direction to give him the chance he deserves
The judges agree–Brendan absolutely has that “je ne sais quois,” but made a poor song choice. To add a whole new level of challenge and excitement, Simon decided to switch gears with another better-suited song choice for Brendan to tackle with only a few hours to tackle it! They chose to give him Maxwell’s “This Woman’s Work,” not only a vocally diverse choice, but Brendan isn’t familiar with it. He’s never heard it, and now he’s got to know it inside out and wow Simon.
Brendan gets a pretty good pep talk from all the judges, but it doesn’t prepare him for what happens next. He’s got some big shoes to fill and bigwigs to impress. The video skips ahead through the other contestants until we see Brendan. When he returns to the stage, he comes on strong but then chokes at the second line! He apologizes, steps back and is ready to throw in the towel. It’s only after one more push that he’s able to muster every last ounce of strength to wow every single soul in the audience–judges and Simon included. You want to watch this one from start to finish.
Click here to see this dramatic audition take an incredible turn.