I went from Studying for ‘A’ Levels to Wowing Simon Cowell – then being Booked to Perform Across the World

A Britain’s Got Talent star who left Simon Cowell speechless with her audition for the show has opened up about her life-changing performance.

Faith Tucker’s ITV audition in 2019 is one of the most memorable the series has seen, and has since been viewed nearly a MILLION times on YouTube.

And although she narrowly missed out on winning, Faith simply hasn’t looked back.

Now working as a singer, she’s performed across the planet – leaving audiences wowed by her classical voice in just the same way as Cowell and his co-judge David Walliams were back in 2019.

Reflecting on her audition she said: “It was almost like a blur, because it happened so quickly… I remember I was one of the last contestants to actually audition in Manchester that day. It was around 9:30 at night.

“I had the whole day of adrenaline, but then when I got on stage my nerves just seemed to disappear. I remember walking onto the stage and just seeing the judges smiling back at me, I sang two songs for my audition, which were ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ and ‘Granada’ … I was just thinking to myself ‘am I really doing this?’. After my audition, Simon Cowell congratulated me and gave me a hug backstage, which was very unexpected.”

War hero Colin Thackery took the title that year.

But Faith, 23, from Nottingham, still ended up a winner.

Speaking to talent agency Champions (UK) Plc about how she used the audition to carve out success in her life she said: “Life changed quite a lot for me after BGT. Of course people started to recognise me in the street. I was just finishing my A – Levels so I was very much still going about my normal life and getting ready for university so it did feel quite overwhelming at times.

“All of a sudden I was getting booked for events worldwide which I was prepared to juggle whilst being at university. It was quite funny going to university a couple of months after being on the show.

“A lot of the students had either watched me on TV, or had heard that ‘one of the first year singers was just on BGT …’ So I quickly became ‘that girl from the telly’…”

Incredibly, for Faith, her BGT success genuinely meant she had fulfilled a lifetime dream.

“When I was younger, I used to keep small journals,” she explained. “I’d write in them every night, with diary entries and manifestations. I’d always write in my diary that my biggest dream was to be on BGT, I wanted the audition sticker framed on my wall and everything when I was a kid, I was a big fan of the show in general. I truly believe this is what kept me eager to fulfill and chase my dream.”

Explaining what she’s done since, Faith added: “I’ve been fortunate to perform at many high profile events since being on the BGT, including being asked to sing with the wonderful Coldstream Guards Band for a major soldiers charity.

“I have also traveled to many parts of the world as a guest singer on several cruise ships.

“A highlight from this year was being asked to sing the national anthem at the OVO arena at one of KSI’s boxing tournaments. The atmosphere was electric and I was proud of myself in that moment! But I think the favourite moment for me would be when I had my whole family come to watch one of my shows in Somerset. We happened to all be on holiday in Somerset at the time, and I surprised them on the day, they were thrilled to bits, especially my nana.

“I’ve just graduated from the Royal College of Music with a bachelor of music degree. I’ve spent 4 years strengthening and studying my voice with my professor, Sarah Tynan, who I have learnt so much from.

“Now I plan to write some more music and do more collaborations going into 2024. I’m always trying to think of ways of making classical music more mainstream even though I enjoy all styles of singing.”

Urging others to take part in shows like BGT she added: “I know reality shows do get bad press sometimes, but I would encourage anyone to go on and chase their dreams because that’s exactly what I did – and I would never regret what my younger self always dreamt of.”

THE BGT STARS WHO DIDN’T WIN BUT STILL HAD HUGE SUCCESS

Susan Boyle

Scottish singer Susan Boyle appeared on Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) in 2009. She performed a singing act and made it to the final but came second.  Despite her loss, the recognition Boyle got from the show was the beginning of a very successful career. ‘I Dreamed a Dream’, her first studio album, debuted at number one in the November 2009 Billboard charts and was the second best-selling album of the year, with 3.1 million copies sold. Between 2009 and 2019, Boyle released 8 albums, which overall have sold over 25 million copies. She has also achieved 250 million audio streams, 2 Grammy Awards and over 650 million YouTube hits after her audition was the most watched YouTube video ever in 2009.

Connie Talbot

Connie, an English singer, appeared on the show in 2007, at just 7 years old, coming second overall. She made headlines across the world after singing ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ and bringing judge Amanda Holden to tears. Her talent was highly recognised through the show, and she was signed by Rainbow Recording Company, her debut album sold over 250,000 copies and reached number one in three countries.  Since the show she has released six albums and appeared on ‘Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions’ alongside other BGT stars, as well as ‘America’s Got Talent: The Champions.’

Julian Smith

Julian Smith played the saxophone on BGT 2009, making it through to the final and coming third with a standing ovation from three judges. Smith became more well-known through the show, and went on to do a 48-date UK tour in 2011, and even toured in the USA and Canada in 2017. He also appeared at the Diversity tours (winning act from his series) in 2012, at a show with Steve Brookstein (first X Factor winner) in 2013 and played in front of Prince Charles at the Royal Albert Hall in 2010. His albums have since been highly successful, along with his career.

Lucy and Trip Hazard

Lucy, a professional dog trainer, appeared on the show with her Pomeranian-Maltese cross, Trip Hazard. Their performances consisted of a sequence of tricks to different music tracks. Previously, Lucy had auditioned for the show but failed to make it to the semi-finals, however the duo made it to the finals as the highest ever placing public wildcard. They finished seventh but enjoyed continued success after the show. Trip Hazard performed in the pantomime ‘Cinderella’ in Echo Arena, Liverpool and was later used in ITV show ‘Drama vs Reality’, Apple Tv’s ‘Ted Lasso’ and the Amazon Prime series ‘Pennyworth’. As for Lucy, she continued her career as a professional dog trainer and went on to train Pomeranians for hit Netflix show ‘Bridgerton’.

Darcy Oake

Magician Darcy Oake came fifth on the 2014 series of BGT, each performance wowing the judges and leaving everybody in disbelief. After the programme, the finalist was sought for many more performances. He hosted his own show, ‘Darcy Oake: Edge of Reality’ where he continued to perform his impressive stunts and performed six shows overall, including tours alongside ‘The Illusionists’. In 2016, the Royal Family requested for him to perform at the Queen’s ninetieth birthday celebrations, and he appeared on ‘America’s Got Talent’ and ‘BGT: The Champions’ in 2019.