I saw this video a few months ago, and just re-watched it, and it still gives me chills. It’s a 1st audition from a guy named Paul Potts on the British ITV2 program Britain’s Got Talent, the British counterpart to the U.S. talent show, America’s Got Talent. Watch the whole thing and turn the volume up. More after the break.

Can you imagine that guy, who has admittedly struggled with self-confidence all his life because he was bullied at school, met his wife in an internet chat room, and worked as a mobile phone salesman, knocking out of the park with an audition like that?! Holy crap! The audience went crazy, and I thought that Amanda Holden (the female judge) was either going to jump his bones or burst out crying! Simon Cowell looks dumbfounded.

To be fair, he did perform in a couple of non-paid, amateur opera productions, and paid for his own singing lessons, but come on. Why hadn’t anyone picked up on this guy before?

He entered the show because he was trying to get back to making a career of his singing, after some illnesses and an accident dashed his hopes 3-4 years ago, and because he needed the money. He went on to win the season of Britain’s Got Talent, and as the winner will get to sing this December at Royal Variety Performance in front of the Queen! His first CD was released last month and shot to number one spot of BBC’s Top 40 Album chart. Amazing!

If you are interested, here’s his Semi-final performance:

his finalist performance:

and the reveal show with his encore performance: