In 2009, Shaheen Jafarguli finished second in the first round of her audition for the British Talent Competition when she was interrupted by Simon Cowell. The shy 12-year-old looked nervous and rambunctious for a second when Simon criticized his upbeat song choice.
“You were really wrong,” Simon told him. “What else do you sing?”
On the one hand, Simon was trying to encourage Shaheen to do his best, but on the other hand, it was a risky move to hurt the child’s feelings on such a public platform.
Shaheen’s mother watched in horror from behind the scenes, hoping her beloved son could pull himself together and keep working.
Instead of getting frustrated and letting an unexpected challenge ruin the audition, Shaheen took it and put on an amazing performance. This time he chose a completely different song, “Who Loves You”. It’s hard for the singer to pull off the famously powerful Jackson 5 song.
Watch the video below to see what Shaheen did with her second chance.
“That’s how a song can change your life,” Simon said, pleased with his decision to boycott the boy and change his song to a slower, more punchy one.
