When Jacqueline Faye took the stage, no one knew what to expect. The timid 53-year-old farmer from Oxfordshire, England usually spends her days with her loving husband and a wide range of livestock – but audition day was different. She traveled from her humble farm to The X Factor stage just to sing Cilla Black’s hit song “You’re My World” in front of the eager audience.

Instead of shrinking into her nervousness, Jacqueline rose to the occasion like a superstar. Her audition is a perfect example as to why you should never judge a book by its cover…

Before jumping into the song, Jacqueline quietly introduced herself. The middle-aged singer shared she lived on a farm with her husband, chickens, ducks, horses, and even their peacocks, Dave and Chaz, to whom she dedicated her performance. While the other judges (and many of the audience members) chuckled at Jacqueline’s farmer lifestyle, judge Robbie Williams seemed genuinely interested.

This seemed fitting since, before taking the stage, Jacqueline told the camera crew Robbie was her favorite judge in the bunch.

“He’s not just an entertainer, he’s an icon. He’s the kind of guy I’d like in my family.”
Robbie asked about her husband and said he was a saint for staying at home to tend to the critters while she chased her dreams.

With the pleasantries behind them, Jacqueline jumped into her performance. It only took a few seconds of her singing to stop the crowd’s merciless giggling.

She belted the words with every fiber of her being and made sure the audience wouldn’t forget her name (or the names of her peacocks) anytime soon!

By the end of Jacqueline’s performance, nearly everyone was smiling ear-to-ear. They seriously misjudged her – but she never let it shake her confidence. Notoriously harsh judge Simon Cowell was quick to shower Jacqueline with praise, saying:

“As you walked out I’m kind of thinking to myself [that] maybe you’ve walked on to the wrong show by mistake. And I’m thinking this isn’t going to be great… and then you were.”
Simon wasn’t the only one, Louis Tomlinson said:

“For me, stories like this – this is exactly what this show should be all about – someone your age standing up there and having a real moment like that.”
No matter how Jacqueline does on the show, we know she’ll make it big in the music industry! She’s proof it’s never too late to follow your dreams, and you should ALWAYS believe in yourself when it comes time to follow them.

Listen to Jacqueline’s impressive audition for yourself in the video below. We can’t wait to see how she fares throughout the remainder of the season.