Malta have chosen their finalists of X Factor. During the third live show, the Maltese made their final cuts before going into next week’s finals. Six of the eight remaining acts got to perform twice on Movie Spectacular Week.
Two eliminated first
The first two acts to be eliminated during the show were Kelsey Bellante and Ben Purplle. Purplle, one of the two remaining singers in the Overs category chose to perform a true Roy Orbison classic: “Pretty Woman”. The performance wasn’t received that well, with Alexandra Alden stating it certainly wasn’t his best effort, despite praise from his own mentor Ray Mercieca.
Alexandra Alden was certainly having a strict day as she also criticised Kelsey Bellante’s performance. In the Girls category, the young singer opted for “Pray For Me” by The Weekend and Kendrick Lamar. Alden did like her performing skills, but added that she wants more from the vocals.
Second round causes further eliminations
After the theme was ditched in the second round, Malta went on to choose who their finalists would be. Hot favourite Michela Pace made it through, together with fellow Girls category participant Nicole Frendo. The only remaining act in the Overs category, Petra, was also safe.
Sadly for Ira Losco, that meant that two of her boys would leave the show just before the final. Norbert Bondin was eliminated first, which meant the vote would take place between Owen Leuellen and Luke Chapell. Ray Mercieca and Howard Debono then chose to send home Owen, with Alexandra Alden opting for Luke. Mentor Ira Losco decided not to make the call herself and chose to send Luke home, meaning the two Boys went into deadlock.
The deadlock meant the televoting results would determine who would go home. Host Ben Camille revealed that Luke Chapell was the one with the fewest votes, which means he will not take part in next week’s final
Final on Saturday
After weeks of shows on Sunday, next week’s final will take place on Saturday, 26th January. With two girls, one boy and one from the Overs remaining, it’s promising to be an interesting show.
The four X Factor Malta finalists are:
- Owen Leuellen (Boys)
- Nicole Frendo (Girls)
- Michela Pace (Girls)
- Petra (Overs)
Who are you hoping to see representing Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv? Let us know!
