MANILA, Philippines — Sephy Francisco, 27, an events singer from the Philippines, impressed all four judges of “The X Factor UK” with her version of “The Prayer” by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli on the third week of auditions of the reality singing competition.
Sephy, who walked on stage in a blue, long sleeved, mid-length dress, long curled locks, and a pair of wedge heels, had an unexpected surprise for the judges and the audience. They were all pleased as soon as she started singing and belting out the high notes of the song, but she also took them all by surprise when she flawlessly sang the male part of the song and showed a seamless transition on both male and female voices.
Sephy received a standing ovation from the audience and all four judges with judge Simon Cowell giving her two thumbs up after the performance.
Judge Ayda uttered a big wow before she sat down. “Well that was a surprise!” she said.
“I’ve never judged a duo who is one person, it was incredible!” Simon shared. “I saved money, you made more money.”
Prior to her performance, Sephy shared that she admires Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston when judge Robbie Williams asked her who she admires in the music world.
She also shared that she chose the song “The Prayer” because she feels that she is guided by the Lord in everything she does.
Sephy received four yeses from the judges’ votes and will move on to the next round of the competition with fellow Filipino contestant Maria Laroco, who also got four yeses during her audition last week.
“The X Factor UK” airs first and exclusive, same day as the UK on Blue Ant Entertainment, every Sunday and Monday at 7:55 p.m. Blue Ant Entertainment is available on SKYcable channels 53(SD) and 196(HD), SKYdirect channel 35, Destiny Cable channel 53, and Cablelink channels 37(SD) and 313(HD). — Video from Blue Ant Entertainment