Jillian Jensen Shows Bullies ‘Who You Are’ on ‘X Factor’
The 'X Factor' premiere reached an emotional high point tonight when Jillian Jensen sang Jessie J's 'Who You Are'. The 19-year-old from Rochester, Massachusetts delved into her sad backstory of how she was intensely bullied from a young age through high school, dissolving into tears as she talked of bullies tormenting her.
Jillian took to the 'X Factor' stage with a huge group of family and friends behind her and revealed her love for fellow judge and bullying target Demi Lovato. They even share a similar tattoo, and Jillian thanked her for the anti-bullying work she has done.
By the time Jillian began to sing, she had already won the crowd over. She poured her heart into the song, infusing her performance with years of pain; her unique tone, raspy sound, and powerful tone didn't hurt either. She absolutely killed the song and received rapturous applause from the audience and judging panel, proving she's a huge star in the making.
Demi broke down when the song was done and went up on stage to give Jillian a long hug. Britney Spears, who proved to be a shockingly lucid judge all night, looked very affected as well by Jillian's powerful performance. Needless to say, all the 'X Factor' judges heaped praise on the young singer and sent her directly through to the next round. In a reality TV first, even hard-hearted Simon Cowell teared up.