Emmanuel Kelly, an Iraqi teen boy auditioning for “The X Facto: Australia” was standing on the stage. He’d already won the audience over with his cheeky smile, and one of the judges asked him how old he was. He’d told an interviewer that he was 17, but he paused in front of the judges and said, “I don’t really know.” You see, he and his brother, both with missing limbs, had been found as babies in shoeboxes in Iraq. An Australian humanitarian, Moira Kelly, brought him to her home country, but he had no birth certificate.
No matter. Emmanuel, despite having one hand and shortened legs, commanded the stage. He told the judges he was going to sing John Lennon’s “Imagine”. When the song began and he sang the first lines, his beautiful voice made the audience roar its approval. Within seconds, people were swaying and singing along with him while the judges were trying to contain their tears as the song went on.
His family was standing to one side of the stage and the show’s host was also with them for moral support. They were all mesmerized by his performance, as they should have been. This teen sang a beautiful rendition of the song, one that would have made Lennon proud. When the last notes played, the audience gave him a standing ovation and all four judges were clapping along with them.
The only thing left here is for the voting. On the X Factor auditions, all four judges must agree that the singer should continue on the show. I think that the audience would have mutinied if any of the judges had even indicated that they were thinking of saying “No” to Emmanuel. There would have been an angry roar and then the stage would have been obliterated. Fortunately, the quartet recognized his singing talent as well as his courage.
Wasn’t Emmanuel amazing? Here’s hoping that he has a fantastic career. His still in his 20’s so he has a long time to hit it big. Tell us your thoughts in the comments section. Also, please “Like” us on Facebook.