MANILA – Filipino-Australian singer Cyrus Villanueva received another standing ovation from the judges of “The X Factor Australia” as he continues to fight for a spot in the competition’s grand finals.
On Monday, the final four contestants performed two songs each with curveballs and killer tracks as this week’s themes.
For his first performance, the 19-year-old singer performed Ed Sheeran’s “Don’t,” where he left his audience screaming after he perfected the rap part near the end.
But Villanueva’s second performance was what brought the judges to their feet.
Standing atop a huge box, Villanueva delivered a soulful rendition of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.”
Calling his performance “freaking sick,” Guy Sebestian said people will definitely remember Villanueva for that song if he wins the show.
“Every time someone wins the show they think back to that certain performance that was the nail. I think that was the nail. If you win the show people will remember that,” he said.
James Blunt, for his part, said: “This week we saw you singing on top of a box. I reckon you've got a high chance, in two weeks, that they're going to stick you in the box and sell you.”
As for Danni Minogue, the singer-judge thinks she already caught the “Cyrus virus.”
“Well, well. That was sick. I feel like I’m getting sick. I’ve got the Cyrus virus, well and truly. It's painful and so good. That was a grand final-type performance,” she said.
But if there’s anyone who was beaming with pride because of Villanueva’s performance, that was his mentor, Chris Isaak.
“It's so exciting. I never hear an audience get that excited and I play a lot of shows. You know, at one point into this thing, I was thinking ‘Boy, it would be great to have Cyrus do a show. He could open for me.’ Maybe I could open for you,” he said.
Aside from Villanueva, the other contestants who are also vying for a spot in the grand finals are Louise Adams, duo Jess and Matt, and Big T.
The contestant with the lowest number of votes will be eliminated. Results will be revealed on Tuesday night.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
