Deanna Mussington amazed the judges on The X Factor UK with a powerhouse display by singing Whitney Houston’s vocally demanding hit “I Have Nothing”. 22-year-old Deanna starts off by singing like an angel in a gospel section before turning up the heat with the huge chorus in the R&B classic.
The X Factor called the video “She sings one of the hardest songs in the world!” and the song is certainly a huge task for a singer to take on, but Deanna does the dynamic vocals effortlessly. The audition, which you can listen to below, has been viewed 3.4 million times.
Deanna appeared on series 14 of The X Factor and got four yes votes from judges Nicole Scherzinger, Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh. Walsh said “you have a great smile and an amazing voice. It was effortless; I think you’re a class act.” Scherzinger meanwhile praised how Deanna left nothing on the stage and gave everything to the performance.
Deanna, who was born on November 27, 1994, is now 28. On The X Factor Osbourne elected to mentor her and the singer moved to the San Francisco judge’s house with three other contestants. She later appeared on the show to sing “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran in a change of pace for the vocalist. She got another yes from the judges after the performance, which you can hear below.
Deanna was doubtless relieved to get a spot on the show, as she traveled 4000 miles for her audition from her home in Anguilla, helped along by fundraising in her community. The tiny island, with a population of just 15,000 people, is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean located to the east of Puerto Rico.
The Caribbean queen progressed up until the selection of the judges’ final 12, where she was sent home by Osbourne. It’s a little hard to believe that she didn’t progress further, as she has the looks, the charisma and absolutely the voice to be a star. She continued to perform and work in the music industry following her exit from the show, although on a smaller scale..
Deanna’s choice of Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” for her audition was praised by judge Louis Walsh. The song was released in 1993 as the third single from the soundtrack to The Bodyguard, which starred Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston in her acting debut.
Both the soundtrack and the movie were smash hits, with the album hitting number one in 18 countries and the movie becoming the tenth highest-grossing film of all time upon its release.
“I Have Nothing” peaked at #3 and #4 on the US and UK charts respectively. Unsurprisingly, given how dramatic the vocal part is, the power ballad has been a very popular choice for reality television singing contests around the world. Most notably it became one of the most commonly performed songs on American Idol, having been performed eight times.