Tonight on the premiere of 'X Factor,' 42-year-old Stacy Francis truly set the bar for greatness. The single mom of two -- two boys, ages 3 and 5 -- has been a struggling singer for ten years now, and her performance of Aretha Franklin's 'Natural Woman' on the 'X Factor' stage in Los Angeles finally showed the world what a talent they have been missing out on.

Before she blew the roof off of the arena in L.A., viewers got to know Francis a bit. The soulful songstress was in an abusive relationship during her late 20s, and she began to lose faith in herself the more and more her ex criticized her and pushed her around. She began to believe she was too old to make it, and said, "I'm so scared ... I also feel like as a mom, this is my last shot.. The time is now."

As she stepped out in front of the crowd of 4,300 audience members and the four judges, Francis' passion shined through. "I don't want to die with this music in me," she told Simon Cowell. As soon as she began to belt out 'Natural Woman,' her powerful and beautiful voice reminded us of great vocalists like Jennifer Hudson and Whitney Houston. She gave every note her all, and she gave us goosebumps in the process.

When her performance ended, Francis busted into tears as she got a standing ovation from the audience and judges. L.A. Reid told her, "Everything that I do musically is all about having my spirit stirred and the hair on my arm raised, and you did both for me today. You are so gifted and you got what it takes." Abdul said, "Opportunities like this, they come along once in a lifetime. This is your time, baby."

As the comments continued, Francis was obviously humbled and a little bit in shock. Cheryl Cole told her, "I was completely and utterly blown away with every single word you sang." Cowell capped off the judge's comments, saying, "I've done this a long long time, [and] that was one of the best auditions I've ever heard in my life. You did more than sing it, you believed in it."

With mascara streaming down her face, Francis listened to the judges as they gave her a unanimous "yes." As she walked away with her friend and sons, the singer said, "Oh my god, girl. I didn't expect them to say all of that stuff. I didn't know if he was gonna see it." Well, all of America saw it, Stacy, and we have a hunch we'll be seeing a whole lot more of you in the coming months.

Watch Stacy Francis Perform 'Natural Woman' on 'X Factor'

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