Watching Simone Soman’s audition on Canada’s Got Talent 2022 is like a spiritual experience. Performing a hymnal cover of Sarah McLachlan’s 1997 ballad, “Angel,” Simone’s haunting, gospel-infused vocals seem otherworldly against the long-drawn reverberations of her grand piano. But what makes her audition even more stupendous – Simone was born blind, yet plays music like a pro.
Stepping out onto the CGT stage, Simone (aged 31 at the time) told the judges it was her first time in a competition, revealing her high hopes of winning a standing ovation from the crowd. Her appearance was supported by her fiancé, Rick, who watched on, teary-eyed from the sidelines, and positioned her microphone when she sat at the piano.
The judges instantly admired Simone’s zest for success, but when she began singing from the soul, they were taken aback. Simone came to Canada’s Got Talent’s second season to be recognized for her talent rather than her disability, and her spiritual rendition of “Angel” certainly worked its magic, earning Simone a standing ovation from all four judges — Trish Stratus, Lilly Singh, Howie Mandel, and Kardinal Offishall — plus the entire audience behind them!
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Resident of Waterdown, Ontario, Simone Soman was born blind in both eyes, but refuses to let her visual impairment bring her life to a standstill. As she said in her audition tape, “Blindness is something that I learned to live with and I embrace it.”
Warm, motivated, and brimming with a Goddess-like talent, Simone’s breathtaking audition moved all four judges to award her a Yes vote, sending her straight through to the semi-finals in a moment that’s now surpassed an incredible 1.2 million views on YouTube!
For her second performance, Simone performed a cover of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” but failed to receive enough votes, eliminating her from the competition.
Before appearing on Canada’s Got Talent, Simone’s music career had seen multiple performances across local venues, festivals, and award shows since she was a teenager, including a 2009 collaboration with vocalist Daniel Panetta as well as a recent cameo in Apple TV’s post-apocalyptic sci-fi show, “See,” where humanity becomes blind and the concept of vision has become a distant myth.
Simone noted that becoming a mother helped her to realize her true inner strength as a woman, her two children being Simone’s motivation to finally take her talent to the big stage. After performing for several years and eventually settling down with Rick and her kids, Simone’s CGT audition wasn’t just a snatch for the spotlight; as she explained, “Both my children are now in school. I hope my kids will go to school the next day and say, ‘Did you see that woman? She was singing, she was blind? She’s my mum!’ With this performance, I really want to make my kids proud.”
If you’re captivated by the impressive talent of Simone Soman, you can get to know her more through her Instagram page or explore more of her musical performances on her official website.