Millions of people knew her voice online before she ever set foot on a large TV stage. She produced an original song in her bedroom as a shy kid, posted it to YouTube, and watched in amazement as the views skyrocketed. Behind the viral success, however, was a far harsher reality: she was tormented, ridiculed, and criticized at school for being “different” and for pursuing a dream that everyone told her was unattainable.
For that reason, the most significant and terrifying experience of her life was taking the stage at The X Factor. She told the judges she would be performing her own song, the same one that went viral online, and she appeared little and anxious under the bright lights, her hands quivering. You could sense the doubt in the room; some audience members obviously questioned whether she was either a one-off or “another internet act” that wouldn’t hold up on live television.
Then the music began.
The atmosphere changed the moment she opened her mouth. A self-assured young artist who meant every word she wrote took the place of the shy girl. She sang a mix of raw passion and control that left the crowd transfixed as her voice soared over the lyrics, which hit harder on stage. The lyrics included lines about not fitting in, being laughed at, and refusing to give up. An entire arena was now silently listening to the same song that trolls had once made fun of online.
You could see the audience’s faces alter as the chorus played: grins, tears, and shocked looks. After starting the audition with caution, the judges were suddenly leaning forward and staring at her, obviously recognizing that this was more than just a viral moment and that a real songwriter with a real voice was there in front of them. The theater erupted in applause and a standing ovation by the last note.
The tone completely changed when the judges talked. They commended her writing, her bravery, and the fortitude it needed to perform a song that was born out of suffering in front of millions of people. She was told she belonged on that platform one by one, which was completely different from what she had been told for the most of her life.
She continued to live with the burden of every taunt, every remark, and every “you’ll never make it.”
She left as the girl who made a YouTube video from a bedroom into an unforgettable X Factor moment, demonstrating beyond a shadow of a doubt that her voice is louder than the bullies’.
