When 14-year-old Drew Ryniewicz walked onto The X Factor USA stage, she looked like every other nervous teen with a big dream. She admitted she was a huge Justin Bieber fan and, to everyone’s surprise, chose to sing his mega-hit “Baby” — a risky move, since the song is so overplayed and easy to dismiss.
But Drew didn’t come to do karaoke. The music started, and instead of the usual pop bounce, a slow, moody arrangement filled the room. She turned “Baby” into a haunting, emotional ballad — soft at first, then building into a powerful, heartfelt chorus. Her tone was unique, slightly raspy, and completely her own. You could see the judges’ faces change from polite smiles to real shock as they realised this wasn’t a joke… it was artistry.
The audience, expecting a fun teen sing-along, suddenly fell silent, then started cheering in the middle of the song as Drew kept delivering unexpected twists with her phrasing and emotion. By the time she hit the final note, the theatre erupted into applause. The judges raved about how original and fresh her version was — even saying her take on “Baby” was better than Bieber’s. With that, the 14-year-old from a small town walked away with huge praise, easy yeses, and a viral audition that people still replay today.
She walked on as a shy Bieber superfan.
She walked off as the girl who took his biggest hit… and made it completely her own.
