Finalists Press Pack - itv.com · PDF fileEMBARGOED UNTIL SUNDAY 6 OCTOBER 9PM On Nicole crying during her arena audition: “The song I performed on the show that made Nicole cry

EMBARGOED UNTIL SUNDAY 6 OCTOBER 9PM

Finalists Press Pack

Embargoed until 9pm Sunday 6th

October


The GIRLS ABI ALTON

AGE: 19 LOCATION: Guisborough OCCUPATION: Morrison’s sales assistant Abi feels doesn’t feel as though there a lot of opportunities in terms of music where she lives in the small town of Guisborough, so she has been doing some gigs at local venues in preparation for her audition. She knows last year’s X Factor winner James Arthur as a result of them both living in the same area and performing together at local gigs and jam nights. Abi lives at home with both her mum and dad and says that her dad is her number one fan who takes her everywhere; he is her ‘best mate’. At the moment, she works as a sales assistant in the food store Morrison’s but finds it really ‘boring’. Abi writes her own songs and also enjoys playing the guitar and piano. She wowed the judges at the arena audience with a self-penned song about heartbreak. During her arena audition Abi broke down after she sang about a boy who had broken her heart. The young couple have since reunited but an emotional Abi has continued to deliver sensitive and expressive performances which have captured the judges and audiences a-like. On making it through to live shows: “I can't believe I'm through to the live shows and it still hasn't sunk in: I never anticipated getting this far. I'm really looking forward to putting my own twist on classics at the live shows.” On her performance at Judges’ Houses: “Vocally my audition at Judges’ Houses wasn’t perfect, but I think it was the emotion I put into the song that got me through. I was so nervous at the thought of getting a ‘no’.”


On Nicole crying during her arena audition: “The song I performed on the show that made Nicole cry was about when I was going through a break up with. In between the first audition in the room and the arena, that situation happened and that song was really raw. We’d been together just over a year. Everyone goes through heartbreak at some point in their life and that’s why I decided to sing that song because ultimately I want to relate to people.” On knowing James Arthur: “I used to do gigs with James Arthur; musicians in the north east are part of a very tight-knit community, there are a lot of undiscovered gems there.” ROOM SONG: Travelling Solider – Dixie Chicks ARENA SONG: Jigsaw – original song BOOTCAMP SONG: I Wanna Dance With Somebody – Whitney Houston


TAMERA FOSTER

AGE: 16 LOCATION: Gravesend, Kent OCCUPATION: Was due to start college in September to study Musical Theatre After originally being part of singing duo Silver Rock, the judges decided to split the two girls up in the room auditions and put both Tamera and Jerrie Dila in the girls’ category as they felt the girls had no chemistry together. The duo only met a short time prior to their audition and had only rehearsed twice together before they auditioned for the show. During her arena audition Tamera struggled to remember all the lyrics to the song, but still managed to wow the judges with her vocal range and with the support of a roaring crowd, she made it through to Bootcamp. At Bootcamp, Tamera fought for her place at Nicole’s Judge’s House in Antigua where she impressed both Nicole and guest mentor Mary J.Blige with her powerful voice. Tamera is 16 years old and lives with her mum and two siblings in Gravesend. Her dream is to be an international pop star and tour the world. On making it through to the live shows: “I feel so blessed to have gotten through to the live shows: it’s such a crazy feeling I’m so lucky. How many people my age get this kind of opportunity? I'm going to love every second of it! I think the thing I'm most excited about is being in front of an audience. Ever since Bootcamp I've realised what a buzz it gives you and I can't wait to feel that way again.” On forgetting her lyrics during her arena audition: “I think my nerves take over. It was more of a mental block. A few weeks before my first

audition, I did a school performance in the leaver’s assembly. They told me a day before that

they wanted me to sing and it was a song I didn’t know that well. When I came to perform, I

started singing and I sung half the song and it got to the bit I didn’t know and I was just


standing there going ‘Oh my God, I don’t know the words’. It felt really horrible and I’d never

done that before. And then obviously when I auditioned in the arena, I was thinking ‘Right,

this is the one thing you can’t do, don’t forget your lyrics’ and I went on stage and I did it.

After that I did some soul searching and my confidence grew.”

On auditioning as a duo: “I only met the girl that I originally auditioned with a week beforehand. We had been following one another on Instagram for a few months, and after she saw a post of me singing, she asked me to audition with her. She made my fate; she’s a blessing in disguise.” ROOM SONG: End of Time – Beyonce (as part of Silver Rock) ARENA SONG: I Have Nothing – Whitney Houston BOOTCAMP SONG: Stay – Rhianna


HANNAH BARRETT

AGE: 17 LOCATION: South London OCCUPATION: Student, studying her A Levels Music is something that has always been close to Hannah’s heart after she lost her father when she was only 9 years old: he was her musical inspiration and initially got her into music by introducing her to artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Lauren Hill and Anita Baker. For Hannah this competition is all about the music and soul, rather than the fame. She started singing in her local church and this is where people urged her to pursue a singing career as they all noticed her shining talent. At the moment, Hannah is studying for her A Levels and has a part time sales assistant job in Greggs the bakery. Hannah wowed the judges with her emotional rendition of Emeli Sande’s ‘Read All about It’ in her room audition. She currently lives in temporary accommodation for young adults following a difficult relationship with her mother at home. Since doing The X Factor Hannah feels as though the competition has brought her and her mother close together again and she hopes to go far in the competition. On getting through to the live shows: “I'm so overjoyed that I've gotten through to the live shows that I keep having out of body experiences. I didn't think I would get pass the room audition and now I'm at the lives, it’s so crazy my dream is becoming a reality. The stage is my home so I’m looking forward to getting on that stage and tearing it up!” “After coming from Gregg’s and serving four sausage rolls for the price of three, never in my wildest dreams did I expect to get this far.” On Judges’ Houses: “Getting the results at Nicole’s Judge’s House was a bittersweet moment; the three of us were so happy that we were going through, but were sad for the other three at the same time.”


On her old life: “I don’t really want to go back to my old life. I don’t think anyone would. I’m a 17-year-old girl, I go to college and I work early shifts in Greggs. I live in shared accommodation for young teenagers. I don’t really want to go back to my old life.” On her relationship with her mum: “My mum is really old fashioned and comes from a very strict Caribbean background; she’s not the type to say “I’m proud of you” or anything like that. The X Factor has brought me and my mum closer together again. Our relationship will take a long time to get to the point where we’re inseparable, but we’re working on it.” ROOM SONG: Read all About it – Emeli Sande ARENA SONG: One Night Only – Jennifer Hudson BOOTCAMP SONG: I’d Rather Go Blind – Etta James


The OVERS SHELLEY SMITH

AGE: 34 LOCATION: Devon, Farringdon OCCUPATION: White van driver (delivers car parts) Single mum Shelley lives in a small village in Devon with her seven year old daughter Madeline. She has been a van driver delivering car parts for 15 years and does various gigs at weddings and birthdays. She also does mini performances in her back garden for her daughter and all of her friends. Sadly, Shelley split from her fiancé last year, but since then has re-formed her image by losing weight, changing her hair style and ditching her glasses. Shelley made it to Bootcamp in both 2008 and 2012 and this year she wowed the judges and the audience in her arena audition getting a standing ovation from both. Shelley feels that the pressure is on for her to continue doing well, in order to change hers and her daughter’s life for the better. On making it through to the lives shows: “I’m overwhelmed to be in the live shows and feel unbelievably proud that Mrs O sees something and believes in me. I was so shocked when she chose me. Apart from having Madeline, it was the best day of my life so far. It's been such a roller coaster for me this year and I'm happy that The X factor has given me an opportunity to shine. I can’t wait to work with all of the vocal coaches to bring out the best of me.” On the reaction to her performances so far: “So far the reaction has been lovely. I’m very new to Twitter, but my feed went absolutely ballistic and I even had celebrities tweeting me!”


On what she is most looking forward to: “I am most excited about seeing the transformation in me; having watched myself back on TV, I have noticed all of the bad habits and silly faces that I sometimes pull – I didn’t even realise I did it. Now, I am going to rein all of that in and really focus on my performances. “I am going to really focus on performing a passionate strong performance walking out onto the stage for the first time and people seeing the best I can be, holding my own!” ROOM SONG: Natural Woman – Aretha Franklin ARENA SONG: Feeling Good – Nina Simone BOOTCAMP SONG: Respect – Aretha Franklin


SAM BAILEY

AGE: 35 LOCATION: Leicestershire OCCUPATION: Prison Officer Sam works as a prison officer and lives in Leicestershire with her husband and their two young children Tommy and Brooke. When at work, Sam often finds herself singing when she is walking down the corridors. Previously, she has worked on cruise ships and has also performed at festivals. Having devoted the past few years to her family and her job, Sam feels that this is her time to pursue her dream and to do something for herself for once. Sam wowed the judges in her room audition with her rendition of Beyoncé’s Listen and lived up to her promise with a rousing arena and Bootcamp audition. On getting through to the live shows: “I feel so lucky to be chosen for the live shows as there is so much talent this year. I didn't think I would make it this far at all. I am excited about the impact of my new style on the audience; I can’t wait to show them more of my voice and what I can do. I’m not just a ballad singer; I’m somebody that can sing any style – even opera.” On her performance at Judges’ Houses: “This competition is tougher than working in the prison. When I was at judges houses I was completely stripped back with no amplification of my voice or anything; the heat was just bearing down on me.” On Sharon as her mentor: “Having Sharon as my mentor is amazing; she gave me a massive hug and even made me a cup of tea at her house. The whole thing still doesn’t feel real to me.”


ROOM SONG: Listen - Beyonce ARENA SONG: Whose Loving You – The Jackson’s BOOTCAMP SONG: Clown – Emeli Sande


LORNA SIMPSON

AGE: 26 LOCATION: South Norwood, London OCCUPATION: University student

Lorna believes that she has star quality and aspires to be as big as Mariah Carey and Beyonce. She dreams to sell millions of records and wants to show the world what she’s made of.

Lorna currently goes to university and is studying business finance. Previously, when Lorna sang she had an alter ego that goes by the name of Luscious, allowing her to feel more confident on stage when she performed; however this time she is just being herself.

She lived in Jamaica for two years and in 2010, where she took part in the islands, ‘Tasty Talent’ competition where she walked away with a grand prize of £8000.

On getting through to the live shows:

“When I learnt I was through to live shows, I experienced so much joy and happiness at once; it was the best day of my life so far. Sharon believed in me enough and I'd worked hard to hear those words... You’re in my top 3!

“I'm most ecstatic about the fact I'm not going to be the one sitting at home wishing it was me! I get to live up that moment in week one belting out a huge popular 80s song, and pouring out my heart while getting some real pop dance moves on.”


On her passion for singing: “I’ve been singing since I was a baby and I always knew it was what I wanted to do. I’ve left quite a few jobs as when an opportunity for singing comes up, I’m gone like a shot. That is where my heart is.” On having Sharon as her guest mentor: “I’m really glad Sharon is my judge, she came back this year so it’s got to mean something. I’m the person that can make her smile and think ‘yeah she did it for me’. She’s such a lovely person.”

ROOM SONG: I Have Nothing – Whitney Houston ARENA SONG: A Moment like This – Leona Lewis BOOTCAMP SONG: Dance With Somebody – Whitney Houston


The BOYS LUKE FRIEND

AGE: 17 LOCATION: Devon OCCUPATION: Student Music has always been an enormous part of Luke’s life. He has fluttered between part time jobs but has always made sure that he prioritises his gigging. He has a very distinctive look with his quirky style and dreadlocked hair which has remained unwashed for 9 months. To keep his look going strong Luke showers with a shower cap on and only washes his hair in the sea! His friends now nickname him Mogli from The Jungle Book and Nicole [Scherzinger] said that he is ‘a diamond in the rough’. Luke got a huge reaction at his arena audition, where Gary said ‘get used to it, this is your future.’ At judge’s houses, Luke sang Cannon Ball by Damian Rice which is an extremely emotional and meaningful song for him as he sang it to his grandpa before he passed away. His ultimate dream is to headline Glastonbury and play at Madison Square Gardens. On his unusual hair: “Louis said that now I’m through to the live shows he would make me wash my hair but I do wash it!, I just don't wash it with soap. I wash it with water. It doesn't smell or anything, because otherwise that would be really horrible. If I went in the pool or the sea, for example I wouldn't wash it afterwards because the chlorine or the salt water is really good for it. Obviously it's not good if you want silky smooth hair but it is good for what I want.” On his performance at Judges’ Houses: “Performing Damian Rice’s song ‘Cannonball’ for Louis and the guest judges was really emotional for me. Two years ago my grandpa died of cancer; when I went in to see him I didn’t even talk to him, I just sang that song. We were really close; I would always go round his house and perform songs to him, as he was the only person who would always give me an honest opinion.”


On getting through to the live shows: “The whole X Factor experience has been wonderful and now I'm through to the live shows it is a wonderful feeling. The most exciting part of my first week’s performance is totally changing an 80’s classic and making it completely my style.” ROOM SONG: Stand By Me – Ben. E King ARENA SONG: Too Much Love Will Kill You – Queen BOOTCAMP SONG: Alone – Heart


NICHOLAS MCDONALD

AGE: 16 LOCATION: Motherwell OCCUPATION: Student Nicholas has been singing since he was three years old. He gigs in local venues where his roadie dad loyally follows him around and helps him to set up. Nicholas spends the money that he earns on new equipment. He is from a quiet area in Scotland where there isn’t much room for opportunity in the music industry. Nicholas has waited all his life to audition for The X Factor and wants to give back to his parents after their constant support of his singing. Louis told him after his first audition he would have given his performance 10 out of 10. Nicholas is really enjoying the audition process and for now all he can think about is the live shows and not wanting to go home. Like most other boys Nicholas enjoys playing football.

On getting through to the live shows: “To be in the live shows is overwhelming and amazing as I never thought I'd be here and I am so thankful to be in this position, I hope I do Louis and everyone proud. I can’t wait to perform in front of the nation and show everyone my talent. I just hope make it to the final and do my best.” On his performance at Judges’ Houses: Judges’ Houses was an emotional roller coaster and was really tense at times because everyone was amazing and everyone deserved a chance.” On his family: “My family are 100% supportive and behind me and if it wasn't for them I wouldn't be in this position today because they have sacrificed everything for my dreams.” On the other contestants: “I get along with Shelley and Sam because they’re the most motherly figures in the house; I miss my mum so they help me out with washing and doing my hair!”


ROOM SONG: You Raise Me Up – Westlife ARENA SONG: 1000 Years - Christina Perry BOOTCAMP: I won't give up - Jason Mraz


SAM CALLAHAN

AGE: 19 LOCATION: Essex OCCUPATION: Barman Essex charmer, Sam Callahan, works part time as a bar man in his local area, but his main focus has always been on music as that is where his passion lies. He attended Theatre School when he was younger and has also been part of various bands until deciding to go solo earlier this year. As he embarks on the live shows as a solo artist he knows that he has the backing of friends District 3 and Union J. Sam supported both X Factor bands on a number of gigs in Scotland and enjoyed a solo tour of schools up and down the country earlier this year. Not only is Sam a talented singer, but he also does acrobatics as a hobby in his spare time. He says that music is his life and his dream is to play gigs like Robbie Williams at Knebworth. On getting through to the live shows: “I cannot wait to hear the "Sam Callahan" voice over and the audience when I walk out onto that stage for the first live show. That would really psych me up! I'm buzzing to get out there and show everyone what I'm made of!” On performing at Judges’ Houses: “Judges Houses was an emotional rollercoaster, but I love doing what I do and it was such a good few days; I didn’t want to come home! We got to go swimming, and we went on a beautiful yacht that had a hot tub and three jet skis!” On his old life: “When I took my first job in a bar, I told them that my music will always come first and if a gig comes up the jobs got to go and luckily, they were cool with that. I used to spend a lot of my time busking around the country and getting as much exposure as possible.”


ROOM SONG: You’re Beautiful – James Blunt ARENA SONG: You Need Me- Ed Sheeran BOOTCAMP: Iris - GooGoo Dolls


The GROUPS ROUGH COPY

AGE: (left-right) Kaz (24), Sterling (25) and Joey (27) LOCATION: Croydon OCCUPATION: Sterling (unemployed), Joey (Sales Assistant in New Look), Kaz (Carpenter) Sterling, Joey and Kaz have been in band Rough Copy for five years after Kaz put them together. They now live together in a three bedroom house in Croydon where they rehearse and create music all day long. Rough Copy made it through to Judges’ Houses last year but had to pull out when Kaz was unable to travel due to visa issues. They re-entered the competition this year in the hope that Kaz’s visa issues could be resolved. However when it looked like they wouldn’t be sorted in time for this year’s Judges’ Houses, the group decided to continue as a duo with Kaz leaving the competition. Kaz was visibly emotional and proud when Sterling and Joey secured their seat and a place in Gary’s final 6 at Bootcamp. After winning a place in the live shows on the basis of their strong performance at Judges’ Houses as a duo, Gary felt that the band would be better if they were reunited as a three piece for live shows. Kazeem was recently told that he was being given a second chance to perform with the boys as a trio in the live shows much to his and his band-mates’ delight. As well pursuing their own dream of musical stardom, the boys also teach the art of music to underprivileged youngsters. Having grown up in difficult areas themselves, the boys hope to show young people that a better life can be achieved if they are prepared to work hard and follow their dreams. On forming Rough Copy: Sterling: “Five years ago, me and Kaz were at a competition called South’s Got Talent in Croydon, he was dancing and I was singing and he came over and said ‘I like your voice, do you want to make a group?’”. Joey: I was in a club in Crawley performing on the stage and after I came off, Kaz approached me and asked me to join his group. I was a bit frightened at first, thinking ‘who is this random guy?’ I’d never really thought to be in a group, I thought it would be hassle but I joined and that’s our history.”


On who they would compare themselves to: Joey: When people ask us who we compare ourselves to, there's nobody really. We grew up with R&B and soul from our parents, but throughout The X Factor we've showcased that we can sing rock, Oasis, pop, One Direction, ballads, women's songs. Everything. We're very adaptable. On having Gary as their mentor: Sterling: “We can’t even explain the feeling of having Gary as our judge. We used to watch Take That when we were younger” ROOM SONG: Do it Like a Dude – Jessie J ARENA SONG: Little Things – One Direction BOOTCAMP SONG: Stop Crying Your Heart Out – Oasis


KINGSLAND ROAD

AGE: (left to right) Josh (20), Connor (19), Thompson (22), Matt (25), Jay (19) LOCATION: East London OCCUPATION: Connor (Bartender), Matt (Bartender), Jay (Waiter), Josh (Bartender), Thompson (Sales Assistant) Despite the five boys having previously lived together in a cramped, shared house in East London where three of the boys shared one room and the other two shared another, the boys still feel as though they were ‘living the dream’. The boisterous, five best friends’ ultimate dream is to win The X Factor, take over America and then hopefully get their own bedrooms with bed-frames for their mattresses. They describe their music as ‘dirty feel good pop’ and the boys impressed in both their auditions, with Louis saying after their arena audition that it reminded him of when he saw Take That for the first time. In the lead up to Judges’ Houses, Kingsland found themselves rehearsing so much that they lost their jobs. The group cannot emphasise enough how this competition really is ‘all or nothing’ for them, especially as they have now lost their house and will be forced to go back to their respective homes and families if this doesn’t work out. On getting through to live shows: Connor: When Gary paused and we were waiting for his decision; that felt like literally an hour. It was ridiculous! Thompson: We didn't think we were through. He compared us to Take That, which was absolutely amazing. He said he can see himself in us, and it reminds him of how he started. It's the biggest compliment we could ever have. Take That are pop royalty, that's amazing. Josh: We just want to get out there now and give the performance of our lives. All we've wanted to do from the start of the competition is do performances that people will remember. Josh: I wouldn't say there will be big outfits, we're not a band of Rylans, but we're looking forward to choreography and slick moves and putting on a real show. On their performance at Judges’ Houses: Josh: “We were really happy with our performance at Judges Houses, especially our second one. The song meant a lot to us and we found it very emotional; we were so over whelmed by everything – the lights, the skyline, the whole thing”


On their previous living conditions: Jay: “The five of us lived between two rooms at home, it wasn’t ideal but we’re like brothers so it didn’t really faze us. We loved it because we just got up and rehearsed every day.” Josh: “It wasn’t the most comfortable situation for Jay as he slept on the actual floor. He used to have a blow up bed, but we pulled the cap out of it and lost it when we were drunk one night.” On how long they’ve been together: Josh: “We’ve been together since November, Connor and I used to go to college together and we found the other guys on You Tube, so we thought… We want to put a boy band together and that’s how it happened.” On having Gary as a mentor: Connor: Take That are a huge inspiration. How we'd want our shows to be, it'd be like Take That style stadiums with a proper show. Not like standing and singing, walking left and walking right. We'd want a full-on show. Matt: As Gary's our judge as well, it brings home even more how much of an inspiration Take That are because he's right in front of us. Josh: I think we're self-confessed boy band geeks. We like The Wanted, One Direction - we like everybody. Connor: “We spoke to Nathan from The Wanted once; we saw him in New Look and were like ‘oh my god let’s get a photo with him’. I was shaking: he then followed me on Twitter and Thompson cried because he didn’t follow him.” ROOM SONG: Don’t you Worry Child – Swedish House Mafia ARENA SONG: Treasure You – Bruno Mars BOOTCAMP SONG: For Once in My Life – Stevie Wonder


MISS DYNAMIX

AGE: (Left to right) - Jeanette (21), Rielle (16), SeSe (22), LOCATION: SeSe (London), Jeanette (Romford Essex, originally from South Africa), Rielle (Manchester) OCCUPATION: SeSe (Full time mum), Jeanette (Beauty consultant), Rielle (Student) Newly formed urban girl band Miss Dynamix originally auditioned separately. SeSe was part of the group Dynamix with two other fellow band members, and Jeanette and Rielle auditioned separately in the girls’ category. The judges saw something special in each of them and thought that they were far too talented to let slip from the competition, so Gary decided to put them together at the end of Bootcamp. Despite only being together for 8 hours, the girls blew the judges away in their Bootcamp audition with their rendition of We Found Love by Rhianna and they stole a seat from Tenors of Rock in the last stage of the competition. In preparation for the Judges’ Houses the girls all moved into SeSe’s house, even sharing a bed, and they all agreed that the transition from solo artists to a band has been ‘really easy and fun’ and they ‘laughed so much together’. On their performance at Judges’ Houses: Jeanette: “To be honest, I couldn't look them in the eye after audition, I felt like I'd let them down so badly. Just because it's one thing when you're practising and it sounds alright and you get there and there's so many people - it's just a different feeling. Obviously we're never satisfied with what we do.” On finding time to rehearse for Judges Houses’ after only being put together at Bootcamp: Jeanette: We didn’t have more than three weeks. There was Bootcamp for two days, then we went home. Literally in total we had spent about 10 days together.


On getting through to the live shows:

Jeanette: It felt like Gary paused for an hour. He said, 'I don't know if it's going to work' and I

just looked down. I didn't think we were through. I couldn't even look him in the eye.

Afterwards I was like, 'Gary, you nearly killed me! Don't do that to us again!"

Rielle: I was crying before we even got up there. I didn't feel it had gone well.

SeeSee: When he said it, I just fell to the ground. I couldn't hold it together.

Jeanette: We have cried a lot. They did a compilation of us crying and it was pretty long. We

need therapy!

On being grateful to Gary for giving them a chance:

SeeSee: I was going to kiss his hand but I chickened out.

Jeanette: Nicole told us it wasn't working. I'm sure she had decided who she wanted and

didn't want. If Gary had not taken a second look and thought, 'There's something there', we

wouldn't be here.

ROOM SONG: N/A ARENA SONG: N/A BOOTCAMP SONG: We Found Love - Rhianna

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Finalists Press Pack - itv.com · PDF fileEMBARGOED UNTIL SUNDAY 6 OCTOBER 9PM On Nicole crying during her arena audition: “The song I performed on the show that made Nicole cry