Sheyi Omatayo began his X Factor UK 2012 audition by interacting with the host in a confident and amiable manner, bringing up his work at Nando’s and even claimed to have had a previous encounter with Pixie Lott. His exuberant pre-audition remarks demonstrated his strong sense of self-belief and excitement for the occasion. But even before he started singing, the judges appeared to find his personality extremely humorous, as they all smiled and laughed.
When Sheyi started singing Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World,” the judges were instantly taken aback by his unusual and distinctive vocal technique. In contrast to the original song, his voice was deep and gruff, which caused the crowd and the judges to react visibly in shock and with stifled laughter. Even though he obviously gave his performance a lot of heart and passion, it was clear that his singing did not live up to the competition’s established criteria.
In the end, the judges, who included Nicole Scherzinger and Gary Barlow, gave their decisions, stating that although they liked his humor and charm, his singing was inappropriate for the competition. Gary called his voice “dreadful,” and Nicole called it a “split personality.” Sheyi remained upbeat and even joked with the judges despite the obvious rejections, but he was sadly not promoted in the competition.
