By Jessica Galang
Everyone knows intense emotion and reality TV go together, which is why this week’s X-Factor will be perfect for the reality junkie. Last night, the top 10 sang songs dedicated to people they’re thankful for. The Thanksgiving-friendly theme was perfect for falling-behind acts like Arin Ray and Paige to get a popularity boost, but unfortunately neither did as well as they could have. Still, I found myself fighting back tears because some of the stories were so emotional — particularly CeCe’s.
While it was difficult to choose the best (I had a lot of favourites tonight), here are my top three picks for this week:
Carly Rose Sonenclar – “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Judy Garland
Carly Rose might as well have her own reservation on my list every week. Her voice, which is so good I swear it should be illegal, was amazing as usual. I’m a big fan of this song already, but I think her version is better than the original. Her notes were spot on, vocalized flawlessly, and it never seemed like she was trying too hard. I also love how she always looks so confident and sure of herself in every performance, which is a rare quality for a 13-year-old. Demi made a bold statement by saying that Carly will be in the music industry for the rest of her life, and she got a standing ovation from judges.
Diamond White – “Because You Loved Me” by Celine Dion
Besides the fact that her hair was awesome (I love that she broke away from the teeny bopper pony tail),this performance was absolutely phenomenal. It was probably my favourite in the competition so far. She picked a perfect song to dedicate to her mother, who White said “gave her life for her.” It seemed like a genuine performance as White sang the song with her trademark powerhouse vocals and emotion. Despite being so young, she was able to pull off a mature song. After this performance I can’t believe she was kicked out in the first place. LA tweeted: “Shine bright like a diamond. @diamondkwhite.”
Tate Stevens – “I’m Already There” by Lonestar Read more…
By Jessica Galang
I enjoyed the performances this week way more than last week. The singers are becoming more confident in their respectful elements — Beatrice Miller is doing great with her rocker persona and Arin Ray showed his upbeat hip-hop side with an awesome performance of “American Boy.” However, these three stood out the most.
Carly Rose Sonenclar: “It Will Rain,” by Bruno Mars
Britney Spears has a real advantage with Carly Rose on her team. I’ll just come right out and admit I absolutely HATE this song. But Carly Rose somehow made it bearable — perhaps, amazing? She dressed all in black and took on a dark, gothic persona, which really added to the emotional appeal of a song since it’s supposed to be about desperate love. I actually felt the emotion in the performance, which I think is what made it so powerful. “This is you in your element and I would watch this over and over,” Demi said. And Simon said “I’ve got a feeling with you Carly, we’re watching a star in the making.”
Emblem3: The Tempations/Katy Perry/One Direction mashup
I was already loving Emblem3‘s high-energy performance when I heard One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful” beat. But the fact that they used it to cover The Temptations’ “My Girl” (One of my absolute faves!) and Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” made this performance my favourite of the night. Personally, I think when you can flawlessly mashup a modern and classic song, that’s when you’ve got a solid performance. Even LA said “I don’t know what to say, I want to say something, but I don’t know.” This performance left me as speechless as he was.
Diamond White: “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston Read more…
By Jessica Galang and Brittany Mahaney
Khloe Kardashian made her prime time hosting debut last night along with Mario Lopez and the Twitter community was pretty impressed. Every performer put their own personal spin on popular songs which made for a lively Halloween show.
Jessica’s choices
“Hey Soul Sister” Diamond White
Diamond put a fun and playful hip-hop spin on a song that’s fairly mellow and simple. Her performance was upbeat, and despite the high-energy of the dancers and stage, her voice didn’t waver and she was solid the whole way through. You could tell Britney Spears was her judge considering the high production value.
“Won’t Give Up On Us” — Beatrice Miller
Her stage setup, which included a dark background lit by comets and stars, contributed to the haunting ambience of the song. She used the “fragility in her voice,” as her mentor Britney called it, to her advantage and allowed the audience to feel the pain in the song. LA said the key to stardom is “believability, and I believe in you, I love you!”
“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” — 1432 Read more…
It’s charming to chat with a young singer like Diamond White, who’s insanely talented but still has all the quirks and refreshing positivity of a 13-year-old. Although she’s young, she can still devour mature songs like “It’s a Man’s World,” which she sang at her San Francisco audition. It helps that Diamond starred in a production of “The Color Purple” when she was eight and appeared on an episode of Maury Povich celebrating talented children.
Luckily, she can still hold up a solid conversation about Justin Bieber and Glee, two of her current obsessions (not to mention, mine too). Diamond just performed for her mentor Britney Spears, who’s deciding if she’ll make it to the finals.
Where are you right now? I’m in LA, just sitting down and talking to you!
If you didn’t audition for The X-Factor, what would you be doing today? I’m home schooled so I’d just be crafting a lot, making jewelry and living the regular life. I wouldn’t be busy but X Factor fills your days up with rehearsing.
What do you want your album to sound like? I would like to make hip hop with a twist — to make my own unique sound in pop and mix it with my Detroit background.
If we went in your room, who would we see posters of? I make my own posters of celebrities! But if I bought them then probably Justin Bieber or Glee.
The Wanted or One Direction? One Direction!!
Song you can perform 100 times “And I’m telling you” by Jennifer Holiday.
Toughest judge Britney Spears
Guilty Pleasure Ice cream and Lays chips.
Last song performed, “I’m With You” by Avril Lavigne
