A teenage harpist from Co Armagh brought the celebrity judges of Britain’s Got Talent to their feet during Saturday night’s edition of ITV’s flagship show.
Seventeen-year-old Niamh Noade said she was “blown away” by the response to her version of Alex Warren’s song Ordinary.
The Lislea performer appeared to visibly win over Simon Cowell, after the famously grumpy talent show judge closed his eyes and winced when she introduced her performance and described the harp as “really unique”.
But the reaction changed when the talented teenager started singing.
“You’ve got an amazing voice,” said a smiling Cowell afterwards. “I mean some people are just born with great voices and you have that.
“And the version – I thought – of the song was sensational, I mean seriously sensational.”
Fellow judge Alesha Dixon was similarly impressed
“Your voice is really special and you’re very unique,” she said.
“This is not an act we see all the time. It was heavenly.”
YouTuber-turned talent show judge KSI, added: “You have an angelic instrument and an angelic voice. Combining that together was just perfect.”
Amanda Holden said while she admires the harp as an instrument, she was “relieved” when Niamh Noade began singing.
“Your whole presence, it was beautifully quietly confident,” she said.
“You did a really lovely audition.”
All four judges gave the Co Armagh performer the thumbs-up to progress to the next stage of the ITV competition.
In a social media post after the performance was aired, Niamh Noade said “I am so blown away by the response from my audition on Britain’s Got Talent!
“Thank you so much guys it was such an amazing opportunity.”
The teenager is no stranger to the spotlight.
In 2023, aged just 14, she reached the final of ITV’s The Voice Kids.
Her performance of ‘The Winner Takes It All’ on the show amassed over 20 million views online.
Ronan Keating, who coached her on the show, described Niamh as “a Celtic song-bird”, adding “whenever she starts to sing you cannot help but be brought in, you are drawn to it, it is magnificent”.
An all-Ireland singing champion in 2025, Niamh describes Irish folk and traditional music as “more than just a sound, it’s a connection to the soul of Irish culture”.
With her traditional Celtic, electric harp and contemporary influences, and taking inspiration from artists such as Lizzy McAlpine and Phoebe Bridgers, she plans to release original music this summer.