For some reason, people have a bad habit of judging others for how they look instead of who they are. On a 2018 episode of “The X Factor,” Simon Cowell seemed to think that one Welsh farmer would be a terrible singer because of how she looked.
When she opened her mouth to sing, the judges and the audience members were totally shocked.
Be sure to reach the end of this article to see the full video 
Jacqueline Faye, who originally hails from Wales but currently lives on a farm in Oxfordshire, England, became famous for her remarkable performance of Cilla Black’s “You’re My World” in 2018.
When she stepped on stage, Faye looked timid and nervous. As soon as she began singing, she surprised everyone. Before she started to sing though, she talked to judges about her life.
She lives on a farm with a bunch of horses, ducks, and chickens. As Faye spoke, several of the judges chuckled about her farming background. It turns out that Faye would have the last laugh.
A Farmer Becomes A Legend
Within a few seconds, Faye had stunned everyone in the crowd. She belted out an amazing performance that left everyone in awe. By the end of her amazing performance, the entire audience was smiling.
While Cowell is known for being critical, he could not find anything bad to say about Faye’s performance. When Faye first walked on the stage, he said that he thought she had wandered onto the wrong show.
As soon as she began to sing, he realized just how great she was. Louis Tomlinson chimed in to say just how amazing her performance was.
Judging by Faye’s performance, she could have an excellent music career if she decides to give up farming.
But after digging into Faye’s personal history, it turns out that she already has had a small-but-notable musical career of her own. According to Wales Online, Faye took to the stage as a young woman, working in men’s clubs in Port Talbot, Wales. Due to a steelworkers strike in the industrial town, many of the men spent their time in social clubs rather than working.
“I was one of six and my father was a steelworker and my mother worked in the canteen in the steelworks so neither had any work,” Faye told Wales Online. “I thought: ‘I better get my finger out’.”
“At the time the men who weren’t working were in the social clubs, unfortunately, so I would sing there.”
After Faye’s performances in Port Talbot’s social clubs, she made her way to London’s West End, appearing as the London Showboat’s headliner for more than a decade. And, funnily enough, her husband was the boat’s captain! Now Faye, who is in her middle-to-late 50s, has moved on from the “X Factor” and is performing in nursing homes, restaurants, and theaters, according to Wales Online.
“I go to five or six care homes a week, sometimes two a day, and I’m still doing restaurants, theatres. Weekends I cherry pick a bit,” Faye said.
“When [my husband] retired I get so royally bored I said I would do anything no matter where it was. That’s when I got into singing for the elderly at care homes.”
Faye continued to tell Wales Online that working in nursing homes has opened her eyes to how important music can be for those who have lost their memory due to Alzheimer’s or dementia.
“I’ve realized at this age of the life how important music is to people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Sometimes, someone who has lost the power of speech will sing a song from their childhood.
“You see there’s still a spirit in there — the songs will find a piece of who they were.”
Although Faye has moved on from her brief moment of television fame, she told the publication that singing on the “X Factor” had been one of her long-term goals.
“The ‘X Factor’ was always on my bucket list. I know these things are very orchestrated and after 40-odd years in the business, I know that. Who would want a fat 50-year-old? But I always wanted to sing in front of Simon Cowell and I wanted him to tell me I was good.”
“I gave the most appalling audition and was there expecting absolutely nothing, but they were interested in the fact that I lived on a farm and that Dave was my peacock.”
For those who haven’t seen the episode yet — you can watch the performance in the video below — Faye dedicated her “X Factor” appearance to her pet peacocks Dave and Chaz.
“I swear that’s the reason I got on the ‘X Factor’,” Faye told Wales Online. “I thought I would make people smile so I told them about the quirky things. They made me look a bit more eccentric than I am but I didn’t mind. It made good TV.
“My kids are 27 and 30 and finally they think I’m cool now I’ve got eight million hits on YouTube,” Faye said in the 2018 interview.
Since Breaking Talents Showcase posted the clip of Faye in 2018, the video has accumulated more than 5 million views, 22,000 likes, and 1,600 comments. Many of the comments spoke not only to Faye’s skill as a singer but also to the judge’s prejudiced misconceptions about the Welsh farmer.
“I can’t understand why Simon insists on giving that despicable look, hasn’t he learned the lesson since the surprise with Susan Boyle? Don’t judge a singer but their appearance,” a commenter from Brazil wrote.
Another commenter echoed this sentiment, writing, “Well it goes to show the world that you don’t always have to be a 25 yr old 5″8 130lb barbie to have a beautiful singing voice! Way to go Jacqueline!”
Now that millions of viewers from across the globe have seen Faye on the “X Factor,” it’s no surprise that strangers recognize her in public. But Faye hasn’t let that go to her head, to say the least. She seems to be the same woman she was before the “X Factor.” At the very least, she hasn’t lost her sense of humor.
“I couldn’t go to Tesco without spending 45 minutes trying to buy a pint of milk,” Faye told Wales Online. “I thought I would go one day without any make-up and stinking of horse p**s thinking people wouldn’t recognize me, but people were asking for selfies. I nearly died.”
