It’s got to be incredibly nerve-wracking to appear in the auditions for a singing show like “American Idol” or “The Voice.” You don’t want to wind up in the show’s “Blooper Reel” of the first couple of episodes, the ones where they basically say, “What were they thinking coming on here?” That’s embarrassing.
Then there was what Christian Burrows did in the British version of “The X Factor.” Burrows had started off singing something generic, a John Denver song, but Cowell cut him off and asked him to sing something personal. The teen offered that he had written a song about a brother that had died when he was two. The music mogul gave him a nod, and he began singing a song that was so heartfelt that he reduced two of the judges to tears by the end of it. Even Cowell looked moved.
The song, where Burrows lamented what never transpired between the two as they grew up, resonated because it was real. It was raw. We saw Burrows’ parents in the waiting room, crying themselves – partly because they must have been thinking how their late son would have enjoyed watching this.
This is a young man who has a bright future in music simply because he can reach people. Cowell is likely the most curmudgeonly man alive. People tune into all these singing competitions because they want to hear him insult the contestants. But this showed another side of him. Perhaps it’s his own fatherhood that’s changed him.
I was glad that Simon gave Burrows a chance to sing his song rather than snap “Next!” and move on. We all benefited. This young man is a complete package and I wish him well for his career.