WASHINGTON – A young man stunned judges and brought an audience to tears last week when he fulfilled his life-long dream of sharing his voice with the world auditioning on the UK’s “The X-Factor.”

Christopher Maloney, 34, performed Bette Midler’s “The Rose,” while his grandmother, Pat, stood backstage in support of him.

When he finished the song, judge Gary Barlow asked, “How the hell have you kept that voice hidden until now?”

“You stole the show today,” another judge, Louis Walsh, continued. “Nobody else is going to get that reaction. Nobody else.”

As of Sept. 14, more than 1.8 million people had watched Maloney’s performance on YouTube.

The clip takes a bit to pick up, but click to 2:30 and you’ll catch Maloney’s much-heralded performance.

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