22 year old singer Vernon Barnard was born with glaucoma, and– after 16 operations before the age of 5– was declared clinically blind at 6 years old. But that never stopped Vernon from pursuing his dream of singing.
At an audition for The Voice South Africa, Vernon shared his passion with the world, singing One Direction’s “Story of My Life.” The performance was absolutely beautiful.
In an interview backstage, Vernon explained his song choice: “I know what its like to not have it all easy in life,” he said. “So I just think that the message I can give is that everything is not always gonna be in your favor but you can still go out and if you work hard enough you can achieve anything.”
When he first starts to sing, the judges are unsure of what to think of him. He doesn’t have a conventional voice, and his cover of the One Direction hit is a unique arrangement. But when he hits the chorus, the audience goes absolutely crazy, and three judges turn around for him. All three immediately melt into tears.
In the full video  of his audition, you can see the judges praise Vernon for his bravery and talent. “That was real, that was honest. It felt like you left your heart on that stage.” says judge Bobby. “You are amazing, you are my inspiration.”
Watch Vernon’s tear-jerking audition below!
Share this moving performance today!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5v5WaNjalU
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