X Factor 2018 contestant Sephy Francisco amazes judges by performing both parts of classic duet
Sephy Francisco wows Simon Cowell with her performance of Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli's 1999 song The Prayer: "I have never judged a duo who was one person"
The X Factor 2018 judges are left stunned by a contestant who performs both parts of classic duet The Prayer.
Call centre agent Sephy Francisco from the Philippines sings both Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli's verses in 1999 song The Prayer, originally sung as a duet.
Beginning with Dion's part of the song, the twist comes halfway through when Francisco switches to tenor Bocelli's verse – sung in a deep tenor voice.
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"Wow! Well, that was a surprise!’ said judge Ayda Field. Whereas Simon Cowell joked that he had never "judged a duo who was one person."
It's not the first time that Francisco has wowed audiences with her version of The Prayer.
She has previously competed on both the Filipino and South Korean versions of I Can See Your Voice, a singing show where judges have to guess whether a contestant can sing or not based on their appearance.
Despite initially being sceptical, the judges and the audience were blown away by her performance.
Sadly, she was eliminated from both of those shows, with one judge saying she seemed more like an entertainer than a singer.
No doubt Francisco will be looking to prove that particular judge wrong on The X Factor, however.
X Factor continues every Saturday and Sunday on ITV
Authors
Stephen Kelly is a freelance culture and science journalist. He oversees BBC Science Focus's Popcorn Science feature, where every month we get an expert to weigh in on the plausibility of a newly released TV show or film. Beyond BBC Science Focus, he has written for such publications as The Guardian, The Telegraph, The I, BBC Culture, Wired, Total Film, Radio Times and Entertainment Weekly. He is a big fan of Studio Ghibli movies, the apparent football team Tottenham Hotspur and writing short biographies in the third person.