MANILA, Philippines — Despite feeling extremely nervous, Filipino nurse Rodelle Borja gave a stirring performance that earned him a standing ovation in “Ireland’s Got Talent,” singing his own version of a song popularized by Elvis Presley, “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”
In a video uploaded on the show’s YouTube channel on Feb. 16, the 29-year-old Borja said that, while he did not feel confident in expressing himself through words, he could do so through songs.
“I applied for ‘Ireland’s Got Talent’ mainly because I want to inspire other people, especially all the stutterers around the world since I’m also a stutterer myself,” he said in an interview backstage.
“Growing up with a stutter is quite difficult because I am not that confident in expressing myself by talking. I express myself more and express myself better by singing,” he added.
Borja, who works in a nursing home in Dublin, took the stage with his deep soulful voice. At the end of the song, the four judges and the audience stood up and clapped for him.
“Listen. That’s for you Rodelle,” Louis Walsh, one of the judges, said. /atm