When Long Island student Simone Torres, 19, entered the stage of The X Factor USA, the judges anticipated a delicate and timid performance. Paulina Rubio subsequently acknowledged that when she first saw Simone go outside under the lights, she didn’t anticipate much would happen.
Then Simone said she’d be performing “Mustang Sally” by Wilson Pickett – and everything changed. She entered the song with a raw, soulful strength that no one anticipated as the band began to play. In a matter of seconds, the audience began applauding her growls, runs, and effortless high notes, transforming the audition into a mini-concert.
By the time it was all over, the four judges were in disbelief and the audience was yelling. Paulina described her as “so fresh” and remarked that she had not anticipated that voice from the “sweet girl” who had just entered the stage. Simone’s audition was the greatest of the competition thus far, according to Simon Cowell, who went so far as to describe it as the kind of unexpected performance that serves as a reminder of the original purpose of these competitions.
Simone, an unidentified college student, entered.
