X Factor Malta has been introducing the island to a slew of home-grown talent since the show launched, but one singer’s audition yesterday might have already stolen the show.

Franklin Calleja, a well-known Maltese singer who previously competed in Malta Song For Europe, regularly achieving top positions in the competition, made his X Factor Malta debut with an emotional rendition of ‘Say Something’ by A Great Big World.

Within moments, the judges were enthralled by his voice

Judge Ray Mercieca summed up the four judges’ feelings with his first reaction: “There’s not much to say – you are a rising star.”

His emotional audition garnered him tons of online praise

Though some wondered if it was fair for a more established artist to compete in X Factor

Either way, you can expect to see a whole lot more of Franklin in the coming weeks

What did you think of Franklin’s audition?

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Johnathan Cilia

Johnathan is an award-winning Maltese journalist interested in social justice, politics, minority issues, music and food. Follow him at @supreofficialmt on Instagram, and send him news, food and music stories at [email protected]