Spain | Road to 2019: Operación Triunfo Gala 10

Last night we watched Gala 10 of the 10th season of Operación Triunfo. Only two more galas before the final! The excitement grows week after week and we can't wait for the Eurovision gala which is announced to be broadcast in January. Let's review what happened last night:

Eight contestants expulsed to this date (Alfonso, África, Joan Garrido, Dave, Damion, Noelia, Carlos Right and Marilia) stepped back on the Operacion Triunfo stage, together with eight contestants who are still in the race for the win. The 16 contestants performed the anthem of this season - „Somos“.

We could see togetherness and friendship, and that's what's keeping me glued to the screen for this show. Spanish lyrics of the song carry meaningful and powerful revolutionary message about freedom and acceptance. It could become not only the anthem of OT but the anthem of the whole generation.

In the last season, OT anthem Camina was one of the songs presented at Eurovision gala, finishing in the last place with only 1% of the public votes. It's not yet announced if Somos will be one of the possible Eurovision Gala acts.

After emotional and nostalgic group performance, two nominees - María and Marta followed with their self-chosen songs.

1. María: Because The Night - Patti Smith

María faced her first nomination singing Because the night by Patti Smith. We already know María rules the stage with her attitude and captivating stage presence. That, along with her personality, gained her a large number of fans looking forward to her concerts.

2. Marta: Like A Prayer - Madonna

In her third nomination performance, Marta has chosen this song from the late eighties, by the „queen of pop“ - Madonna. Previously we learned that Marta is also a big fan of „king of pop“ - Michael Jackson. Marta's musical taste really amazes me, and so does her powerful and confident stage presence.

3. Sabela: Te Necesito - Amaral

After two weeks having the challenge to sing in English, what she does not prefer, Sabela was back with a song in Spanish – Te necesito by Amaral. It's quite strange when we remember Sabela was nominated in the very first gala... but now she's here among the last seven contestants, showing enormous evolution and progress and deserving being here fighting for her place in the final.

4. Alba Reche: Lost On You – LP

The most unique and recognizable voice of this season! When Alba Reche steps on the stage – it's pure power and emotion. The energy that she brings on stage makes me want more each time. This song by LP was the perfect choice for Alba and in her performance I could feel the song has touched her on a personal level. I'm a big fan of Alba and I'm hoping for her talent and charisma to get recognized not only in Spain but internationally. What is the best way to accomplish this, than to compete in Eurovision song contest?! Fingers crossed!

5. Miki: Promesas que no valen nada - Los Piratas

Winning the fan favourite title in the last gala Miki became the only contestant in this season to win that title twice. After the eight gala and his energetic performance of Can we dance by The Vamps, I imagined Miki as the frontman of the pop-rock band. After this performance, I rest my case!

6. Julia: A que no me dejas - Alejandro Sanz

This girl has something magical in her voice! The jury praised Julia for making the song sound like it's her own and that exactly sums up my thoughts. In previous galas when she performed songs in Spanish that I have never listened to before, I ended up liking Julia's covers more than the original pieces. I can't wait for her to start singing her own songs!

7. Natalia: The Scientist - Coldplay

Natalia is one of my direct-pass finalists since Gala 0. She's always performing on the high level, but this performance – it's undoubtedly her best one to date! She showed great versatility and the ability to adapt to the variety of the music styles during the show, but in my opinion, this is the route she should follow when it comes to her musical career after the show.

8. Famous: Uptown Funk - Bruno Mars

In the previous two galas, Famous was nominated by the jury and saved by the academy staff. When Ruth Lorenzo was the guest member of the jury, she commented that Famous has a swag, and yes, she was sooo right. Famous really evolved through the contest, from the insecure and shy boy to the artist who can make the audience hypnotized, showing off his „to hot, hot damn“ dancing skills in the style of Bruno Mars.

What happened on the show?

Eliminated: María

With 57% of the audience votes, Marta survived her third nomination. That resulted in María becoming the ninth expulsed candidate.

Nominees and saved contestants

In the tenth gala, no one could be saved thanks to being a fan favourite. The jury proposed these four contestants for nomination: Sabela, Miki, Marta and Alba Reche.

The academy staff saved Alba.

The colleagues saved Miki, who got two votes - from Natalia and Alba. Julia voted to save Sabela and Famous vote was in favour of Marta.

That means Marta and Sabela are this week's nominees.