2011: Michelle Barrett Moved Tulisa to Tears With a Withney Houston Classic on The X Factor

X Factor judge Tulisa was left in floods of tears following an emotional performance by 31-year-old Michelle Barrett. The Irish hopeful strikes a chord with N-Dubz star Tulisa, who breaks down at the judges’ desk.

Performance Summary Age : 31. Auditioned In : Cardiff. Song Title : All The Man I Need . Recorded By : Whitney Houston. Available From : Amazon.

Speaking before her audition, Michelle said: “I’m a full time mummy. I have 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls. It’s the most fantastic job in the world, singing it really is in my blood, I’ve always wanted to do it, since I was really small, but having 4 kids, you think that’s it, that’s the end of that but I never gave up on it, I never put it to bed, for good.

“My family are brilliant, they’ve always said you should go on X Factor and for years I said, yeah yeah, but I think the time is right now, that I could pursue it you know? For me to make a better life for me and Steven and the kids doing what I absolutely love. I’m getting a bit emotional! It would be just incredible. I don’t think I will get this opportunity ever again, Please God I hold it together and do it well! ”

Judges Comments

Following a performance of All The Man I Need by Whitney Houston, Tulisa sees her own mum in Michelle.
She said: “You remind me of my mum. It was brilliant. Just like you she had such a beautiful voice and she didn’t do anything with it, and you guys are going think I’m nuts, sorry, this is a mummy and daughter thing going on.”

Her voice croaking, Tulisa continued: “It’s just, you know, like standing in the kitchen listening to her sing, she just had the most amazing voice…. and I wish she would do something like this and get up and… ”
In tears, Tulisa tells her fellow judges: “Go on you guys take it for a sec.”
But as Gary tells Michelle: “I can’t believe you’ve hidden that voice away while you’ve had 4 lovely children,” Tulisa breaks down.

She sniffles: “Me and my mum have got this really powerful relationship – she’s the reason that I sing. She had the most powerful voice and never did anything with it – you know, she had me, she became unwell and then you know, she spent her life still singing in the kitchen, and I wish she’d got up and done that because she has a voice just like that. Amazing. I can’t believe I just got that emotional.”

With Michelle off stage, Tulisa says privately: “My mates take the mick out of me! They say, ‘god, getting emotion out of you is like drawing blood out of a stone,’ but that’s it, if you bring my mum into it then that’s it, that’s when you get the tears!”