X FACTOR MALTA: Who Made It And Who Was Sent Home After Tonight’s Auditions

Another round of hopefuls took to the small stage in front of the four X Factor Malta judges tonight, with varying degrees of success. Here’s who made the cut, and who we won’t be seeing again.
Kayati
In!
We finally have our first duo of the show! The Kayati sisters had some beautiful harmonies, and despite a few notes that went a little wayward, for the most part the judges were impressed by what they had to offer.

Clelis
In!
The young friends also struggled with their nerves at some points, but when they were on, they were brilliant. Clearly fans of a good karaoke sleepover, the 15-year-olds have a bright future ahead.

Charles and Jennifer
Out!
This audition needs to be stored in an archive and shown to all contestants in future. They say ‘thank you’ like 500 times and are so gracious in the way they receive criticism. Also, they’re clearly head over heels with each other and it’s so good to see love so real on a show like this. Let’s skip the vocal critique for this one.
Shine on Charles and Jennifer.

Maria Zammit
In!
We love a story of triumph, but sometimes we kinda expect a little more honesty from our judges.
The performance was fun, and we’re happy things are falling into place for her, but we’re not sure the X Factor is a good fit. But what do we know? She got three yeses and is through to bootcamp!

Nicole Frendo
In!
When your low notes start out beautiful, you’re usually in for a stellar performance… and that’s exactly what Nicole gave us. Ironically, she was a little weaker in the second verse, but it’s probably because she was overthinking how well she had done at the start.

Aaliyah Mallia
In!
Nerves swallowed this young participant whole, and her audition was shaky from start to finish. But with a little encouragement and the promise to push through during bootcamp, she made it through.

Lydon Incorvaja
Out!
While passionate, the judges did not feel Lydon was prepared enough for his audition, and asked him to train up and come back next year. This audition is a testament to the importance of choosing the right song for you.
He already looks like pro, now he just needs the vocals to back it up.

Franklin Calleja
In!
While Franklin’s face is not a new one to those involved in the local music industry (or even just fans of Eurovision) his talent is undeniable and his tone memorable.
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again – he needs to sing the closing number of a Disney movie ASAP.

Matthew Grech
In – but he’s not alone!
There’s a lot to be said about the choices made and the words spoken during his interview, but we’ll save that for tomorrow’s episode of The X Banter.
Regarding vocals: in a totally non-scripted segment (promise), Matthew’s two friends were asked to audition with him as a group, and despite their harmonies being quite clearly all over the place, they still managed secured a place in bootcamp.

Rachel Tedesco Triccas
In!
Her sassy performance coupled with a strong vocal earned her major props from the judges. When Ira Losco is your fan, you know you’re on the right track!

Manuel Spiteri
Out!
A bit of training can go a long way. Manuel’s raw talent is there, and when he found the right note he killed it. But unfortunately he wasn’t consistently able to deliver the right notes, so the judges couldn’t see him continuing on in the show.

Sharleen Theuma
Out!
While we applaud anyone who can play an instrument and sing, Sharleen’s skill with either of those musical talents wasn’t enough to propel her to bootcamp, with Howard Keith being left speechless throughout the whole audition.

Dylan Debono
In!
Move over Gianluca Bezzina, there’s a new singing doctor in town. Dylan, a surgeon in training, had a tough time winning over the judges, but they saw potential in him – so he got the three yeses he needed for bootcamp.

Kim Cortis
In!
Excuse us while we loop this performance a couple of times. Kim displayed a huge range within the song and showed off her vocal agility as well as ability.

Glen Paul Pace
In!
The sadness in his voice is real – and he’s managed to turn his pain into a beautiful tone. Bootcamp is the perfect place for someone like him to really learn to hone his skill, enunciate better and dominate the stage.
We can’t wait to see more!

Who were your favourites?
Tell us on Facebook and tune in to The X Banter, Lovin Malta’s weekly after show tomorrow night!

