An Irish priest has breezed through the semi-final round of "Britain's Got Talent" this week. Father Ray Kelly of Oldcastle Co. Meath impressed the judges that included Simon Cowell.
Kelly, 65, joins 34 other semi-finalists who will compete beginning June 3 and his growing fans are thrilled that he has secured a spot to advance in the competition.
The singing Irish priest first impressed the judges when he sang REM's "Everybody Hurts" during the auditions. Cowell could not help but compliment Kelly for his rousing performance
"This is one of my favorite auditions," the judge and famous music producer said. "I really mean that."
Kelly told The Sun that after passing his audition he's taking a year off from his parish to pursue his chances as a singer. Apparently, in his 29 years as a priest, he has never taken a sabbatical.
He also said that he has gotten a lot of practice from singing during mass, baptisms and funerals so being on TV hasn't rattled his confidence.
In 2014, Kelly became a YouTube star thanks to a video of him singing "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen during a wedding. Over 60 million viewers have seen and shared the video.
The 65-year-old priest does actually have some experience working in the music industry. He used to have a contract with Universal UK and Universal Ireland, for which he made two albums catered for people above 50 years old.
But in 2015, the company dropped Kelly. Despite this, sources disclosed to The Sun that Kelly's albums are still being sold online in CD format.
A Catholic school choir group almost made it to the next round of "Britain's Got Talent." Composed of 48 children from the ages of eight to 11, the kids from the St. Lawrence's Primary School impressed the judges during their audition, where they sang "Pure Imagination" from the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." The group, however, failed to gain a spot in the semi-finals.
