Sheyi Omatayo engaged the presenter of The X Factor UK 2012 with a confident and friendly demeanor, mentioning his work at Nando’s and even asserting that he had spoken with Pixie Lott before. He showed his great sense of self-belief and eagerness for the event in his ebullient pre-audition statements. However, the judges all grinned and laughed before he even began to sing, suggesting that they thought his demeanor was quite funny.
When Sheyi began performing Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World,” the judges were taken aback by his unique and quite unusual singing style. His deep, rough voice, which contrasted with the original song, caused the judges and audience to react noticeably in amazement and with suppressed laughter. His singing clearly fell short of the competition’s traditional standards, despite the fact that he clearly put a lot of effort and heart into his performance.
The judges, including Nicole Scherzinger and Gary Barlow, ultimately made their rulings, saying that while they appreciated his charisma and alluring appearance, his singing was unsuitable for the competition. Nicole described his voice as having a “split personality,” whereas Gary described it as “dreadful.” Sheyi was regrettably not promoted in the competition, but he stayed positive and even made jokes with the judges in spite of the clear rejections.
