Malta | Groups close out X Factor Malta Six Chair Challenge
Over the past three weeks, we've seen the categories on X Factor Malta cut down to size - with only 6 girls, boys and overs left in the competition. The six chair challenge finishes this week but before we bid farewell to the most savage round of the show, it's time for the groups! A lot of the groups competing were actually put together at Bootcamp by the judges, made up of singers that they felt were not strong enough to advance as soloists. We can't wait to see what they've managed to get up to since Bootcamp and potentially even see our winner as judge Alexandra Alden steps up to make the tough decisions this evening.
First up... girl group Radiate taking on Little Mix's iconic 'Salute'. Radiate were put together at Bootcamp and consists of soloists Rachel Mamo, Raquel Seguna, Nicole Sciberras and Danika Cutajar. They certainly looked the part, rocking the leopard print and brought a performance filled with girl power! They radiated sass as they strutted around the stage, incorporating harmonies and choreography. Was it perfect? No - there were definite moments where the girls were short of breath and struggled to keep up with the fast pace of the track, however it was filled with sass and fun and the harmonies were mostly on point. A great start to the evening and no surprise that they receive Seat One.
Next up are probably the frontrunners in the category - duo of sisters Kayati who have consistently impressed since their first audition. The girls are singing the emotional 'Say Something' by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera in a bid for a seat and they definitely gave Alexandra an easy decision with this one. A beautiful performance by two beautiful girls! Here at Eurovoxx we think Kayati could be ones to watch in the competition because they've never given a bad performance and seem to be going from high to high in the show. The girls take Seat Two. X Factor Malta has it's very own Ward Thomas in these girls!
The first of the boybands taking to the stage next is Sudden Crowd. The boyband were put together at Bootcamp and consists of Stefan Galea, Clayton Portelli, Mikhail Attard & Ryan Grech. They're singing a 'Fix You' mash up and definitely look the part - very sharp! It was a very interesting performance - to sing other songs to the instrumental from Coldplay's 'Fix You'. Unfortunately whilst it was an ambitious performance the delivery could have been stronger. At times it felt that the boys were singing over eachother and the harmonies needed to be tighter. Judge Alexandra felt that with enough training that the boys could be something special and as a result were asked to take Seat Three however with the risk of being swapped out we aren't sure if these guys should be getting comfortable just yet.
Up next is another duo - Horizon - who were also put together at bootcamp consisting of Matthew Grech and Kurt Anthony. We were very glad when Kurt in particular got a second chance as we were very shocked to see him at risk of being sent home following the group round and a strong audition. The two men sung 'Don't You Worry Child' by Swedish House Mafia and there are no questions about it that both men can sing. Their solo parts were great and the harmonies together were actually pretty good considering they didn't have much time to prepare the group dynamic. It got a tad messy when the beat kicked in and they spent maybe a little too much time getting the party started because the vocal quality definitely dropped off a little. The judges were entertained and so were we! Another easy decision as the two guys take Seat Four.
Another girl group were next to take to the stage - Prism - who were also formed at Bootcamp of soloists Sarah Bonnici, Denise Mercieca, Aaliyah Mallia and Martina Micallef. The girls took on 'Chasing One Rule' - a medley of 'One Kiss', 'New Rules' and 'Chasing Highs'. It was definitely a good performance but when Denise started to rap it became a GREAT performance. The medley really worked, the songs came together as did their voices and all in all it was a really solid performance. We were tapping our feet and swaying along by the end! Aaliyah's voice is also an asset. Easy decision for Alexandra as the girls take Seat Five.
Duo Lorelai were up next - consisting of soloists Cynthia Zaffarese and Gabrielle Portelli. The girls put their own unique spin on 'Clarity' by Zedd ft. Foxes. The girls sounded particularly strong when singing together as their voices seemed to mesh well. The girls broke into an operatic chorus in time for the big notes and it was certainly something. The best part of this was the fact that you could tell both girls really had a good time on stage and that in itself made us enjoy it. The judges were not convinced and felt that whilst the girls are clearly talented - there were questions over whether they were quite ready for this yet. Unfortunately - with the great advice of coming back next year - the girls were sent home.
SYSTM12 were up next - made up of trio Kyle Cutajar, Dario Mifsud Bonnici and Josef Tabone. The boys took on 'Youngblood' by Aussie boyband 5 Seconds of Summer. 'Youngblood' is one of our favourite songs and Kyle gave us a strong start to the song but by the chorus we felt it could be a little stronger ... however it all kicked up a notch by the end of the performance. They owned the song and the stage and Josef gave us goosebumps with his little solo part on the last chorus. Great stuff and the judges also praised the 'perfect' song choice. No surprise but all seats are now filled - the boys get Seat Six.
Next to perform were XTREME who we are especially excited about because it is a group that includes some of our favourite soloists that were sent home - Elishia Semaan, Nicole Azzopardi, Lyndsay Pace and Martha Micallef Attard. As soon as the girls took to the stage we remembered their epic performance back in Bootcamp and their six chair challenge performance of 'Secret Love Song' by Little Mix and Jason Derulo has kept the love coming! Brilliant performance and these girls are securing themselves as one of our favourites - wow!! Could they go all the way?? We think so! Martha has such a unique tone we've praised from the start - they remind us a bit of Fifth Harmony with her being the Camila Cabello. Nicole was also probably the best we've seen her so far with some really impressive solo's, Elishia's power notes were incredible and Lyndsay reminded us exactly why we fell in love with her after her audition. The girls took Seat Three in the first swap of the night - sending boy band Sudden Crowd home.
Duo Clelis were up next taking on Beyonce's 'Ave Maria' and the two girls are another act that have impressed from the start. It's a huge song to take on but they were up for the challenge. They gave a beautiful performance and their voices resonated the emotion so well - with the operatic chorus taking it to the next level. Alexandra however was not convinced and asked the young girls to sing again and take on a sing-off challenge. Unfortunately, following the sing-off the two girls were sent home.
The final group of the night was another that really impressed us here at Eurovoxx in Bootcamp. 4th Line - comprised of Miriana Conte, Anthea Bezzina, Milena Bianco and Nicole Falzon. Full of attitude, the girls gave us a brilliant rendition of 'Free Your Mind' by En Vogue - showing off the power in their voices and giving us bucket loads of sass. The outfits were SERVING and so were their vocals - this girl group are ready for the live shows already!! You can tell they are a proper vocal group and Miriana used her MESC stage experience to really put on a show for the judges and audience. They certainly ended the night on a high - securing a full standing ovation from the judging panel. We are shook! Unfortunately their success marked the end for the Radiate girls in Seat One - however 4th Line thoroughly deserve their place in the next round.
That means we have our Top 6 groups and the 24 acts through to Judges Houses confirmed! As a recap, the Top 24 are:
Girls:
Danica Muscat
Jade Vella
Karin Duff
Kelsey Bellante
Michela Pace
Nicole Frendo
Boys:
Aidan Cassar
Claudio Zammit
Luke Chappell
Mark Anthony Bartolo
Norbert Bondin
Owen Leuellen
Overs:
Anna Azzopardi
Anna Faniello
Ben Purplle
Franklin Calleja
Petra Zammit
Vanessa Sultana
Groups:
4th Line
Horizon
Kayati
Prism
SYSTM12
Xtreme
Next week we see the Girls and Overs categories take on Judges Houses where only the Top 3 in each category will make it through to the live shows! The eventual winner of the X Factor Malta will go on to represent
Who is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below or via our social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube for the latest Eurovision news, national selection updates and exclusive video content!
