Tonight marked the final week of the most brutal stage of the X Factor Malta – the six chair challenge. We’ve already seen the six girls, boys & groups make it through to Judges Houses and now its the final step – the Overs! Judge Alexandra Alden will be taking the lead for her category tonight.
Those that make it through will be one step closer to winning the show and going on to represent Malta at the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest!
First up is Mark Morales with his guitar in hand! Singing John Mayer’s ‘Gravity‘, Mark shows off the gravel and soul in his voice to create an intimate moment despite being on the big stage. The judges love the performance and he takes seat number one.
Francesca Borg takes to the stage next to perform ‘Rise Up’ by Andra Day – a BIG song! Francesca wasn’t afraid to tackle such a big song, with the raw emotion prevalent in the performance. Francesca takes seat number two.
Big belter Michelle Ellul is next to perform – dedicating her rendition of Alicia Keys classic ‘No One‘ to her two children watching on in the audience. You could tell Michelle was very nervous going in to the performance as there were some pitching problems however she did get in to it more by the end of the song. The crowd were very much behind her and as a result, Alden gave Michelle seat number three.
It feels like we haven’t seen much of the next performer, Derrick Schembri, to date – however he sings ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight?‘ originally by Elton John with a lot of conviction tonight! Despite what appeared to be a well-sung, confident rendition, Alden was not 100% sure that he had the artistry to progress … however decided that with guidance he could do it, handing him seat number four.
Matthew Vassallo looked absolutely fantastic as he took to the stage, dressed to impress! He performs ‘I’ll Never Love Again‘ by Lady Gaga, from last years hit movie A Star Is Born. Another huge song, and whilst it probably wasn’t the best performance ever we feel like he definitely has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, on this occasion it was not enough and he was sent home.
Hoping to not share the same fate was Kersten Graham who was performing the legendary ‘Suspicious Minds‘ by Elvis Presley. You can tell Kersten is a natural born performer, as he quickly got the crowd clapping and singing along. His vocals were also fantastic, providing classic rock vibes. Alexandra Alden was a big fan, saying she loved what he did and quickly gave him seat number five.
Paul Anthony hopes to take the sixth and final chair, with an original song. He’s a very charismatic performer and you could really feel the passion as he sung each word. Alden said that the song was complex, and we definitely agree as it was a very technical performance. His original song was enough to win seat number six!
The fantastic Chantal Catania is up next! Chantal had some of the best performances in our opinion at Bootcamp, so we had high hopes for her performance of Joss Stone’s ‘You Had Me‘. Chantal delivered a soulful, sultry performance of the sassy pop song. In what was clearly a very unpopular opinion in the hall, Chantal takes seat number three from Michelle Ellul.
Rhys Fiteni took to the stage next, performing an original song titled ‘Reflections in the Moonlight‘. He gave a confident performance, but perhaps not the strongest vocal that we have heard. You could tell he has a lot of stage presence, though, which usually goes a long way on the X Factor! He takes seat four from Derrick Schembri – another unexpected decision!
One of the standout auditionees was next to perform – Celine Agius – who chooses to sing Amy Winehouse track ‘Back To Black‘. It was a very unique performance, in a very deep tone. Judge and mentor Alexandra Alden felt she has the X Factor – and unfortunately for Rhys Fiteni (who had only just sat down!), Celine is also given seat number four.
Another guy singing with his guitar, Benjamin Attard is next to perform and he sings the classic ‘Iris‘ by the Goo Goo Dolls. Once again, he has a unique tone of voice but the judges are critical. Unfortunately he is not given a seat and as a result is sent home. At this point we may have a riot on our hands as the crowd is not happy!
Edward Abdilla is one of the more interesting performers in the category and he takes to the stage armed with his ukulele! He mashes up ‘Believer‘ by Imagine Dragons & ‘Stressed Out‘ by twenty one pilots, with the end result being fantastic! The songs go really well together and his artistry manages to shine through too. There’s no doubting that he deserves a seat, and he takes seat number one sending Mark Morales home.
The final act of the night was Jozi who took on ‘Take Me To Church‘ by Hozier – a popular choice of song at this stage of the competition! It’s a very passionate performance and whilst vocally it isn’t 100% perfect, she really gives it her all and she also has a very unique vocal tone which compliments the song well. It wasn’t enough to fully convince Alden to give her a seat, so she ended up taking on Francesca Borg in a sing-off. Despite Francesca seemingly giving a perfect performane, Jozi takes seat number two and Francesca is sent home. Howard look set to lead the riot that is kicking off with the audience!
Jozi taking her seat completes tonights show and we have our final 24! The full Judges Houses line-up is:
Ira Losco and the Girls:
- Destiny Chukunyere
- Gail Attard
- Jasmine Abela
- Justine Shorfid
- Karin Duff
- Marija Bellia
Ray Mercieca and the Boys:
- Dav Jr.
- Giovanni
- Jurgen Volkov
- Karl Schembri
- Kyle Cutajar
- Matt Blxck
Alexandra Alden and the Overs:
- Celine Agius
- Chantal Catania
- Edward Abdilla
- Jozi
- Kersten Graham
- Paul Anthony
Howard Keith Debono and the Groups:
- Bloodline
- Chord
- F.A.I.T.H
- Reign
- Sweet Chaos
- Yazmin & James
Stay tuned over the next few weeks when the numbers will be halved and we will find out who will advance to the live shows!
Let us know your favourites and make sure to check in again next week for more of the latest X Factor Malta action!