When 19-year-old Wesley Mountain arrived for his X Factor USA audition in 2013, there was one person he was especially excited to meet: Kelly Rowland.
Wesley was a huge fan, describing Kelly as beautiful, classy and elegant. But once he actually found himself standing in front of her, his excitement became impossible to hide.
He was sweating, breathing heavily and struggling to contain his nerves. He even walked over to the judges’ table and kissed Kelly’s hand, leaving the panel laughing at just how overwhelmed he was.
Then it was time to sing.
Wesley chose “Wanted” by Hunter Hayes, and the song choice suddenly made his enormous crush even funnier. Instead of simply performing for the room, Wesley essentially turned the audition into a personal serenade for Kelly, even dropping to one knee as he sang.
But underneath all the awkwardness was something the judges hadn’t necessarily expected: Wesley could actually sing.
Demi Lovato admitted that her first impression of him had been a little “creepy,” but praised his voice once she heard him perform. Kelly was impressed too, while Simon Cowell acknowledged that the audition was genuinely good.
Wesley’s unusual introduction could easily have overshadowed his talent, but his performance changed the mood completely.
By the end, all four judges said yes, sending the lovestruck 19-year-old through to the next stage of the competition.
He may have arrived hoping to impress Kelly Rowland—but he ended up impressing the entire judging panel.
