For some of us, the road of life is a little bumpier. There are more obstacles and red lights and reasons to pull over, instead of smooth cruising. Stability is a little harder, and not knowing where your next meal is coming from happens more often than it should.
Although life gets the best of many, some people still pull through on a day-to-day basis and know that there has to be light at the end of the tunnel. Some days, this may seem impossible. Other days, things may look better than before. The uncertainties add up, and usually, people are fighting against the odds, but you still don’t give up. Robbie Hance, 26, from “everywhere,” knows this all too well.
Growing up in a single-mother family where she’s working three jobs, Robbie says he always felt like he was a burden, and at 13-years-old, he went into foster care. While there were times that he felt like he couldn’t get along with others, he would just bury himself deeper into his music and singing. Even as a kid, he would sing in the middle of the street. Robbie goes on to admit that he shut himself off from those around him but he never stopped doing what he loved to do, and that was to sing.
So when Robbie steps on stage to perform before the room for “X Factor Global,” and a judge asks where he’s from, the can of worms bursts open. Robbie explains he’s been homeless on-and-off for six years. Two nights out of every two weeks he stays at a friend’s place. Otherwise, he sleeps outside in doorways and alleys and just tries to keep dry. He hopes that this competition might change his life and “add the element of security.”
And with that, the feeling in the room changes. One judge says to the other, “I hope he’s going to be good….” And he’s not good. He’s great. Fabulous, absolutely beautiful. Robbie chooses Damien Rice’s soulful and folky, “Coconut Skins” and everyone was floored. He got four yeses on the spot. This is such a heart-stirring performance. He even goes on to say that it’s been music that’s helped him believe he’s worth a little something.
Lisa, one of the judges, says that maybe Robbie lost his confidence given the circumstances he’s faced, but she’s so glad that he made his way to the “X Factor.” All this praise is clearly overwhelming the singer, and you can see him getting emotional. Grab tissues.
Click below to watch Robbie’s eye-opening performance.
