Despite it’s impressive ratings, the Australian version of the global hit ‘The X Factor’ continues to serve up mostly dull, ordinary and uninteresting performances (save perhaps for Young Men Society and Audio Vixen).
It’s only when you start looking at some of the acts from the international series (now screening in both the UK and the US) that you come to realise just how badly our version pales in comparison.
Over in the UK, contestant Jade Richards from Fife left judges Kelly Rowland and Louis Walsh in tears after her audition, performing a powerfully raw rendition of Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ (HERE).
One of our favourites from the UK competition is Misha Bryan who this week stormed through the Bootcamp audition boldly performing Destiny’s Child’s ‘Survivor’ in front of Destiny’s Child’s Kelly (HERE). We think she’s ready to launch a career already.
In the US, meantime, 18 year old Melanie Amaro from Florida had all four judges on their feet with her powerhouse, goose bump-inducing rendition of Beyonce’s ‘Listen’, bringing judge Nicole Scherzinger to tears, moving Paula Abdul (is that a new face?) and prompting Simon Cowell to declare “When I was asked by a lot of people why I was bringing this show to America, it was because I hoped we were going to find someone like you.” (HERE).
And from the series premiere, 28 year old ‘garbologist’ Chris Rene delivered his own composition ‘Young Homie’ to the judges with style and spunk. This clip (below) has since gone viral, clocking up almost two and a half million hits in less than a week.
Just the talent shared by these four artists alone makes X Factor Australia look like a poor man’s karaoke competition.
Australia's first stop for pop!