Their dramatic split on X-Factor last night left hardly a dry eye in the house but for Belfast mother Debye Gaskin it’s resulted in a battle with internet trolls.
Today we’re delighted to announce Debye as our newest BAM Magazine contributor. She’ll be bringing you all the low-down on this year’s X-Factor series as we hurtle towards the next stage of bootcamp tonight.
But before that we asked Debye to reflect on her journey so far:
“As a mother there’s nothing more heart wrenching than watching the guilt in your baby girl’s eyes as she gets the chance to pursue the dream alone that was once ours together” said Debye.
“Since she was a small child I’ve recognised the immense talent that my daughter Hayley Norton has and I promised myself that I would do everything in my power to help her realise every dream she ever had.
“Hayley is a wonderful artist, a kind and caring young woman, a hugely talented performer and a fantastic singer – I’m proud to call her my daughter.
“For years I’ve pursued my own dream to sing, I’ve battled adversity at every corner and I’ve stood firm and tall as I’ve been criticised by professional after professional and commentator after commentator. I’ve worked hard on the local scene in Belfast to attempt to make a name for myself as a singer because regardless of what people think it’s a childhood dream of my own.”
Debye added: “Before she was old enough to do competitions Hayley would encourage me, sing along with me and – along with my other children – become the driving force behind my determination to strive for success.
“A few years back when a producer from the X-Factor suggested we should sing together and Hayley agreed I was humbled. Many mothers struggle to find a commonality with their daughters, a hobby they can enjoy together – for us it’s singing and our bond literally is unbreakable.
“So we returned as Descendance and we began supporting each other in our dream together to make it in the music business. But I wasn’t stupid, I always knew that splitting us would make for good TV – I just lived in hope that my intuition wouldn’t be right.
“When we got the opportunity to sing in front of the judges I realised something. As I walked into the room where Simon Cowell was on the judging panel I had done it. I had finally done it. And all those people who laughed at me or criticised me or claimed I wasn’t good enough were wrong. Singing in front of Simon was the pinnacle of my own personal dream.
“Singing with Hayley at that moment in time was a memory I will treasure forever, it’s hard to describe the emotion at the time – to realise a dream with your daughter by your side.”
XFactor duo Hayley Norton and Debye Gaskin (Descendance) | Picture by Debbie Deboo
“When Sharon suggested a split I knew then it was where the show was going, there was never a question – I would jump in front of a bus for my baby girl, any mother would. But that doesn’t mean my dream was over. I couldn’t just switch it off like it had never happened, that’s completely impossible.
“Of course we knew what was coming before the shows aired and I was genuinely concerned. I knew people wouldn’t – or couldn’t – understand. I knew they weren’t going to know what goes on behind the scenes, that we’d had the conversation many times, that I would never have stepped in the way of my girl making it.
“I braced myself for the impact and I waited for all hell to break loose.
“But I wasn’t as prepared as I thought I was. I woke this morning to people across the UK and Ireland branding me “selfish” and claiming I didn’t care about my child – they cannot understand how wrong they are.
“Last night we watched the show together, we cried together, we laughed together and we got excited together. I cannot even begin to describe the pride I have in Hayley right now and the pride I have in myself. No amount of online negativity or TV editing can take away what we have achieved and what we have.
“One thing I’ve learned from this experience is that dreams really can come true and that no matter how many times we get knocked down it’s how we rise again that really matters.
“Whilst Hayley and I will continue to share our hobby together despite what people might think it will never hold either of us back in our pursuit of our individual dreams.
“I look forward to going to my daughter’s first ever concert and I look forward to buying her first single.
“And of course I can’t wait to resume my own music journey again three years after the release of my debut single Lucky in 2014.
“But for now…as my journey with the X-Factor has ended I’m beaming with pride as Hayley’s continues.”
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Photos by Debbie Deboo Photography.