In 2009, Shaheen Jafarjuli 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 seemed nervous and racy for a second when Simon criticized his upbeat song choice.
“You were really wrong,” Simon told her. “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 feelings of the child on such a public platform.
Shaheen’s mother watched in horror from the sidelines, hoping that her beloved son would be able to unite himself and continue working.
Instead of getting frustrated and letting an unexpected challenge spoil the test, Shaheen picked him up and put in an amazing performance. This time he chose a completely different song, “Who Loves You”. It’s hard for the singer to pull off the famous strong single from the Jackson 5.
Watch the video below to see what Shaheen did with her second chance.
“This is 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 powerful one.
