Rocky Mountain, North Carolina native Brandie Love arrived on the X Factor stage as a self-proclaimed and typical country girl. Although she said to the judges that she absolutely adores country, the 21-year-old surprised the judges when she didn’t want to sing a country song for her audition.
“As you can see, I’m country when I talk, so when I sing, it kind of just sounds country,” the contestant said.
Instead of a country song, she chose for “Up the Mountain”, an older gospel song that was written by Patty Griffin. Many artists have covered the gospel song before including Kelly Clarkson, and Brandie decided to create her own rendition of it.
Although with a bit of confusion, the judges wish her the best of luck with her audience. And only seconds later, they’re absolutely stunned by Brandie’s amazing voice – as if all the doubts about her choice of song vanished in an instant.
The song starts off fairly slowly and needs some time to get more fast-paced and vibrant. You can clearly hear Brandie’s voice getting stronger and stronger as the song progresses, with a stunning acapella climax that truly allows for the audience and the judges to fully appreciate her incredible voice.
Immediately after, the applause from the crowd is deafening and it’s hard not to be blown away by Brandie’s audition.
“Brandie, you took us to church,” Simon Cowell said. “I love that song. Right at the end, when it was just you, acapella, then I really started to hear your country tone. I predict great things for Brandie Love.”
Fellow judge Kelly Rowland also had some inspiring comments for Brandie.
“You know, what’s so beautiful about watching you, is watching you get lost in the song, and the fact that you allow the music to set you free is so beautiful.”
After her X-Factor audition in 2013, Brandie decided to audition for The Voice a couple of years later. However, she’d then rather focus on improving her musical skills and trying out a couple of new song styles.
Brandie – who now goes by the name of Brandie Reese on her YouTube page – regularly posts covers of songs on her channel and is currently talking with a number of musicians to collaborate with. The talented young woman hopes to release her own CD and launch her own website soon.
What a great gospel performance! You can check out some of her self-posted covers below.
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