14-year-old blind singer Sirine Jahangir has a remarkable talent and spirit, which was on full display during her inspirational performance on Britain’s Got Talent. The teen showed off her unique voice on a soulful rendition of Gabrielle Aplin’s “Salvation”, while accompanying herself on piano.
Sirine, who was born in London and is of Pakistani descent, added a touch of R&B to her take on the folk-pop song. She has the kind of voice that just makes you feel something when you listen to it and more than a few crowd members teared up as she played. You can listen to her stunning audition in the video below.
Appearing on such a big stage was clearly daunting for Sirine, who uttered a nervous “oh my God” as she accepted the mic, although her warm and genuine personality quickly got the audience onside. Judge David Walliams then asked Sirine to tell the audience about herself and she said “I guess it’s pretty obvious that I can’t see. There was a time that I could but now I can’t. I guess music is my vision and that’s just what I live by and music is my thing.”
The audience was then treated to a moving and passionate performance by the teen. Some singers just hit you right in the chest and Sirine has that talent in spades. In terms of emotional impact, her performance is up there with the greats out of all everything heard on Britain’s Got Talent so far. At the semi-finals she played a delicate version of “Carry You” by Ruelle, which you can watch below.
Judge Amanda Holden gave high praise for Sirine’s audition, saying “I just found the entire audition so poignant. You’re just so beautiful and vivacious – you kind of just exude lightness. It was just brilliant.” Alesha Dixon was similarly complimentary, saying “what a sweet, sweet girl you are. My heart is just melted. You’re so nervous but that’s completely understandable as it’s a massive deal, it’s a massive stage and you sang beautifully.”
Simon Cowell then quizzed Sirine about the cause of her nerves, to which she replied “I only do school performances, so this is something completely new. Being able to sing right now is just such a big opportunity and I don’t want to waste it.” The talented teen then got four yes votes from the judges in a feel-good moment that is a real tear-jerker to watch.
Sirine, who lost her vision at age nine, progressed through to the semi-finals where she was eliminated, despite again gaining praise from the judges. At the time she was the bookies’ favourite to win the competition, although the judges instead sent magician Magical Bones to the final. Many fans online vented their displeasure about this decision, with some posters on Twitter even calling for the judges to be sacked over her elimination. Sirine has continued to be active as a singer-songwriter since the competition, and also uses her platform to promote various charitable causes. If you would like to see more from Sirine Jahangir, you can follow her on Instagram.