Single Mom Bungles Audition—Then Simon Makes Her Sing A Capella.

We all have hopes, dreams, and aspirations, but so many of them remain unfulfilled for one reason or another. It’s usually a lack of money or time, or we’re just sapped from a full day of working and taking care of the family. Oftentimes, it’s just plain fear of failure.

Fortunately, New York City resident Denise Weeks didn’t let anything get in the way of her dream.


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In the fall of 2013, Denise stood before the X Factor judges and told them she’d lost the father of her two children when they were young and supported her family as a single mother by singing on the subway.

Now that her two children are adults and in college, it’s time to “focus on my career.”And with that, she launched into her rendition of “The Greatest Love Of All,”a track originally recorded in the late 1970s by George Benson before the song was popularized again in 1986 by Whitney Houston.

But at 2:45, Simon raised his arm and signaled for her to stop.

In the silence that followed, you can almost hear her heart dropping to the pit of her stomach.


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But instead of booting her offstage, Simon had another suggestion: “Denise, you’re rushing it and therefore, we weren’t getting any emotion.â€

“I’m going to ask you to sing that song without a track.â€

And, oh my gosh, you have got to listen to this!


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Simon: You sing in the subways? Are you serious? And no one has ever come up to you to go, “You should be out of the subway doing something biggerâ€?

Denise: Yes.

Simon: But?

Denise: But I was waiting for the X Factor.


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Listen to her stunning a cappella version of this hit classic in the video below, and remember to share to encourage people you love to follow their dreams!

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