Teen star Reuben Gray poured his heart out to his girlfriend in his emotional original song “Lifeline” on Britain’s Got Talent, marking one of the highlights of Series 11.
The singer, who was just 16 at the time, dedicated the song to his girlfriend, who was in the audience when he performed the song. The singer-songwriter made his name after reaching the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent in 2017, and has since continued to release songs to his more than 90,000 subscribers on YouTube. Watch his audition below.
“Lifeline” remains Gray’s most popular song, reaching 15 million listeners on the Britain’s Got Talent channel. In the following round, the singer showed off his talent by singing and playing guitar for his original song “Waiting”, which reached more than 1.2 million fans. You can listen to his performance of it in the semi-final round below.
Gray’s performance of “Lifeline” was a really touching moment for the singer and his loved ones. His mother and girlfriend appeared in the studio to hear the song live.
The teen then named his father Toby as his biggest supporter, eliciting surprise from judge Simon Cowell, who asked if it wasn’t in fact his mother. Gray’s dad then stood up and shouted “yes, I am!” confirming his support for the talented teen. This shocked and delighted Gray, who expected his father to be absent due to his demanding job in the army, which often takes him on overseas deployments.
Gray later said that his dad’s appearance “means quite a lot to me because I didn’t realise he was going to turn up for my first audition. I just feel incredibly lucky. I feel very proud.” The real star of Gray’s heart remains his girlfriend, who he dedicated both “Lifeline” and “Waiting” to, so she must be a really special girl.
Gray explained that the heartfelt piano ballad “Lifeline” was an “apology” to his girlfriend. Cowell then asked if he “had dumped her”, eliciting a shocked reaction from judge Amanda Holden.
The young singer then revealed that his girlfriend had in fact dumped him, getting a good laugh from the audience, and affirmed that “this song is for her”. Gray subsequently got the thumbs up from all four judges for the round.
Gray, who is now 22 years old, was born in England on December 23, 2000. The schoolboy was living in Guildford, Surrey at the time of his appearance on Britain’s Got Talent.
Gray is a remarkably talented musician and can qualify as a one-man band, as he can play not only guitar and piano, but also saxophone, organ, banjo, ukulele, harmonica and even the accordion.
He also has a diverse range of musical influences, stating that the top five acts (dead or alive) that he dreams of touring with are Prince, Michael Jackson, Elvis, McFly and Matt Corby.
After his exit from Britain’s Got Talent, British pop act Yes Lad asked Gray to tour the UK with them, which helped to continue to boost his profile. Gray has since continued to document his busy touring and recording schedule on his YouTube channel, which he often updates with new songs and vlogs. If you would like to see more from Reuben Gray, you can subscribe to his YouTube channel or follow him on Instagram.
