When Morgan Connie Smith entered Britain’s Got Talent in 2016, the teenager wasn’t just doing it for the experience. “I want to perform in front of the royal family,” the Watford singer told the judges with a steely look in her eyes. She had chosen Jennifer Hudson’s “Spotlight” for her song, considering this to be her best chance of progressing through the audition stage. “It’s a powerful song,” she explained, “and I think I can show my ability with it”.
The fifteen-year-old began her performance of “Spotlight”. However, after only a few seconds, Simon Cowell was already showing his dissatisfaction. “What is this backing track?” he asked disdainfully to his fellow judges. Smith carried on valiantly, but soon afterwards, Cowell had raised his hand to stop the performance. Smith’s mother was shown with her hands on her face, fearing the worst for her daughter. Was her Britain’s Got Talent dream over after less than thirty seconds?
Thankfully for Smith, Cowell wasn’t ready to eliminate her just yet. “Morgan,” he said, “can we hear something else?” With her confidence somewhat shaken, Morgan agreed. Cowell suggested Etta James’s “I’d Rather Go Blind” from her list of songs, and Morgan had to quickly prepare herself for this change of direction.
Sensing the teenager’s self-doubt, the judges did their best to lift her up. Alesha Dixon told her, “What you’ve got to do is be strong and confident. Make us believe in yourself”. The crowd responded to Dixon’s words by cheering with their own encouragement. Amanda Holden tried to instil Smith with a sense of freedom to express herself, saying, “I want to feel your heart. I want to feel your spirit. I want to know what’s behind that face”.
Finally, Cowell gave his pep talk, saying he wanted to “turn this into the Morgan Connie Smith concert”. With these wise words from the judges, Smith began her performance of “I’d Rather Go Blind”. This time, she positively glowed with confidence and gave a performance that showed her character as a singer. “Go on!” shouted Declan Donnelly from the side of the stage.
This time, there was no stopping Smith. As she finished the performance, the crowd showed their appreciation for her skill and spirit with raucous applause. The judges were unanimous in their approval, and Smith was through to the next round. Dixon told her, “I loved your voice; I think it was brilliant”. Despite his initial doubt, Cowell labelled her as “one of the better singers” they had seen in that series.
In the semi-finals, Smith sang One Direction’s “History”. Following this performance, Holden remarked, “It is absolutely ridiculous how confident you are. That voice! It sounds so mature and so powerful and so grounded. It was absolutely stunning”. Echoing this summation, David Walliams told her, “That was a giant leap forward for you from the audition; it was really, really astonishing”. Following her success in Britain’s Got Talent, Smith was signed by Rudimental’s label Major Toms Music in 2019. If you would like to see more from Morgan Connie Smith, you can visit her official website for more information.