Britains Got Talent: Jonathan and Charlotte

Did you see Jonathan and Charlotte on Britains Got Talent? I don’t think I’ve ever been so “blown away” by any performance. I often watch clips of Britains Got Talent, and I’ve seen acts that made me laugh, made me cry, and made me feel embarrassed for the performers. I was more moved and impressed with this performance than I’ve been with any other. I’ve sung in front of audiences, and I know how nerve-wracking it can be. Of course, I’ve never performed on anything as big as Britains Got Talent, but I can’t imagine how much courage it took for shy Jonathan to sing in front of such an audience. I love music, including almost every genre. I like lots of performers, but it takes a lot for me to be really “blown away.” Jonathan and Charlotte have succeeded here. I listen to their version of “The Prayer” on a daily basis, as I find it incredibly beautiful, moving, and inspiring. If you don’t read another word of this article, please do yourself a favor and at least watch and listen to the video clip of the Jonathan and Charlotte audition on Britains Got Talent!

Britains Got Talent judges watch all the performances and decide whether or not the contestants should move on to the next round of competition or not. After a performance, each judge usually provides a quick critique of the act, and they sometimes provide tips for improvement. After that, each judge votes. The panel is generally pretty hard to impress, and sometimes their comments can be brutally honest – especially those from Simon Cowell.

The four judges who listened to and judged Jonathan and Charlotte’s first performance were Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, David Walliams, and Carmen Electra. Cowell created the show and is an English television producer, music publisher, and entrepreneur. Simon is known for his sometimes insulting remarks, along with his eye for talent. His record label is called “Syco.”

Alesha Dixon is an English model, dancer, and singer. Her biggest song hit was “Breathe Slow.” Dixon was a winner on the British television dance competition show, Strictly Come Dancing. As well as serving as one of the Britains Got Talent judges, she’s also served as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing.

David Walliams is an English actor, comedian, and writer. He wrote script for the shows Ant and Dec, Barking, and Little Britain. Walliams has appeared in numerous television shows and movies and has served as a narrator. Another of his claims to fame is swimming the English Channel for the charity event, Sport Relief.

The fourth of the Britains Got Talent Judges who helped decide the fate of Jonathan and Charlotte is Carmen Electra, the stage name for American-born Tara Leigh Patrick. She’s a model, singer, dancer, and actress. She has appeared in Baywatch, Scary Movie,American Vampire, Meet the Spartans, Date Movie, Disaster Movie, Good Burger, and Epic Movie. Ms. Electra was also featured in the May 1996, June 1997, December 2000, April 2003, and January 2009 issues of Playboy.

Once the Britains Got Talent judges review all the acts, they have to narrow the list down to a more manageable number. So far, that number has been between twenty-four and forty-five in the different yearly series. These acts move on to the next level, the semi-finals, and the five best are invited to compete in the finals. Once the final acts have performed, the public votes by phone for their favorite.

Jonathan and Charlotte are Jonathan Antoine and Charlotte Jaconelli, respectively. The two teenagers have some amazing chemistry together, and they’ve rocked the music world back on its heels. It’s evident from Britains Got Talent and from other interviews that the members of the duet are extremely supportive of each other. In fact, Jonathan has stated that he would never have wound up on such a huge stage if it hadn’t been for Charlotte.

Jonathan was only seventeen years old when he first sang on Britain’s Got Talent. Born on January 13, 1995, in Essex, Jonathan describes himself as having always been shy and lacking self-confidence because of his size. He says he’s always been teased and bullied at school because of his size. He became very depressed, and was even contemplating suicide before his success with Britains Got Talent. He and Charlotte became friends at school, and their singing teacher thought the two would sound great singing together. Jonathan was studying classical voice at the Royal Academy of Music when he and Charlotte auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent.

Charlotte was born on August 24, 1995. She was just sixteen years old when the act first auditioned for Britains Got Talent. Her father says she’s been singing around the house almost nonstop since she was a little girl. He adds that her singing was terrible, but that she spent time singing in her room until her skills improved significantly. Charlotte is outgoing and has a lot of friends. When she heard Jonathan sing, she was very impressed, and the two developed a friendship. Charlotte had planned on a career in musical theater, but her recent success has changed her plans. She worked hard to secure a place at The Arts Educational School in London, but she found that she couldn’t remain in school and do all that was necessary to become a recording star, so she left school.

Simon Cowell signed Jonathan and Charlotte with his record label, Syco. The duo toured Europe and met with some of the most important classical music instructors in the world, including Pavarotti’s voice coach, Leone Magiera. While in Italy, they visited the home of Italian opera, La Scala. In France, they met with one of the greatest tenors on earth, Rolando Villazon. In Monte Carlo, Jonathan and Charlotte finished their tour of Europe with a professional performance, where they got a standing ovation from the audience.

Jonathan and Charlotte’s first album, Together, was released in the United Kingdom in September of 2012. The album reached number five on the UK charts. In October 2012, Together was released in the United States and Canada. It reached number seven on the U.S. classical charts and number five on the Top Heatseekers chart.

The Jonathan and Charlotte audition was nothing less than spectacular! It’s difficult to put into words how this duo moved the audience and the judges. I wasn’t there in person, yet the performance gave me goose bumps. I can’t imagine how I would have responded if I’d been there to hear it live. Maybe the pair will tour a city near me in the future. I'd pay big bucks to see one of their live performances!

Charlotte is an attractive young lady with a neat appearance. Jonathan is very overweight, and on his first appearance of Britain’s Got Talent, he appeared unkempt. He wore a Jimi Hendrix tee shirt and a hoodie. It was obvious the judges weren’t expecting much from him or from the act. In fact, some audience members had the same reaction. On the Youtube clip, Simon is shown remarking to another judge as the pair were preparing to sing, “Just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse.” You could see some of the audience members rolling their eyes before Jonathan and Charlotte began singing. Actually, with their first performance, they were called Charlotte and Jonathan.

From the first notes that fell from their lips to the huge finish, Jonathan and Charlotte held everyone in the palms of their hands. The duet got a standing ovation from the audience, and some audience members were moved to tears. I can relate – I got goose bumps. Even hard-to-impress Simon was on his feet, clapping and smiling. Comments from the Britains Got Talent judges included “world class,” “you sing beautifully together,” “oh, my God,” and “incredible.” Simon was much more impressed with Jonathan than he was with Charlotte. He said Charlotte was “good,” but that Jonathan was “unbelievable – a future star.”

Simon suggested to Jonathan he “dump” Charlotte, as Mr. C felt that Charlotte would hold Jonathan back. Jonathan endeared himself to the audience by vowing to stick with his singing partner: “Well, we’ve come on here as a duo, and we’re going to stay here as a duo.” This comment brought cheers from the audience. By the way, in future performances from Jonathan and Charlotte, Simon admits that he made a mistake about wanting to break up the pair.

Jonathan would be perfectly at home singing opera, even though he’d never even seen an opera stage before appearing on Britain’s Got Talent. His voice is often described by critics as being appropriate for opera. You probably know that most opera singers used to be large. Before microphones, an opera singer had to have enough “heft” behind his or voice to be loud enough to fill an opera house. Jonathan Antoine fits the part. He’s a very large young man, and he has the dark hair, dark eyes, and olive skin of a stereotypical Italian opera singer. This image is enhanced with his first performance on Britain’s Got Talent, as part of the song he sang was in Italian.

Jonathan is a big admirer of Luciano Pavarotti, although the teen’s preferred musical genres for listening are a far cry from opera. He enjoys extreme metal and R&B. Even so, he’d love to follow in Pavarotti’s footsteps, and he just might, according to classical music critics. Opera fans might have a new great tenor to enjoy in Jonathan Antoine.

Pop

Many critics and music aficionados have described Charlotte as having a pop voice. I’m not sure exactly what they mean by that, but I can imagine her singing pop songs. She definitely doesn’t have an opera voice, but I think her voice is a nice complement to Jonathan’s voice. It’s almost as if the two voices are in juxtaposition to each other, while remaining harmonious. Unless you listen to one of their performances, it’s hard to explain.

Some refer to Charlotte’s voice as “crossover.” Whatever you want to call it, it’s lovely. In my humble opinion, her voice is a wonderful balance to Jonathan’s. Also, as the two performed more together, there was a definite improvement in Charlotte’s voice. She seemed more confident and stronger. Even Simon admitted that the decision for Charlotte and Jonathan to continue on together was the right choice.

I’ve watched all the performances by Jonathan and Charlotte on Britains Got Talent, and I firmly believe “The Prayer” was their best choice of songs. It’s hard for me to imagine a song more fitting for the pair. “The Prayer” was written by David Foster, Alberto Tester, Carole Bayer Sager, and Tony Renis. The most popular version of the song was the one performed by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli. Bocelli also recorded “The Prayer” alone, in Italian, and Dion recorded it in English. The song also appeared in the 1998 animated movie, Quest for Camelot. By the way, Jonathan says this is one of his favorite movies from childhood.

“The Prayer” is a beautiful song, with heartfelt lyrics. The verses are a plea to God, asking for faith and guidance. The melody is equally lovely, including a wide range of notes and booming crescendos. It was amazing to me how Jonathan’s voice could go from soft to loud and powerful. Charlotte was great, too, but I must admit that Jonathan’s voice was more impressive.

The Jonathan and Charlotte final occurred on May 12, 2012, on series six of Britains Got Talent. They were the last act of the night. Once again, they performed “The Prayer,” a song that seemed to be made for them. Charlotte wore a long white dress embellished with sequins, and Jonathan wore a tuxedo. A fog machine helped to create a surreal atmosphere on stage. The outstanding performance was greeted by an enthusiastic audience, who responded with a standing ovation. The votes from the listening public, however, chose an act with a dancing dog, Ashleigh and Pudsey, as the winners. I was shocked! I wasn’t alone here, either. I think even the judges were taken aback with the results. Many fans voiced their surprise and their disappointment. The Ashleigh and Pudsey act was cute, and I’m a big dog lover, but it didn’t involve anywhere near the talent that Jonathan and Charlotte have. I’ve always heard it’s tough to compete against kids and animals, so I suppose I shouldn’t be so surprised. Please watch the clip of the final performances, found above, and decide for yourself. The Jonathan and Charlotte Final on Britains Got Talent was perfect – the best I’ve ever seen on the show!