Following last weekend's live room auditions, the X Factor returned this Saturday for another round of auditions at Wembley Arena. The hopefuls faced the 5,000 strong crowd in an attempt to impress Simon Cowell, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Mel B and Louis Walsh, firstly with model, Chloe Jasmin.
The jazz singer decided to sing Why Don’t You Do Right from Who framed Rodger Rabbit which impressed the audience and the panel of judges.
"There's something very fascinating and mesmerizing about you," complimented Cheryl before sending the sultry singer to bootcamp. Next to take to the stage was Fleur East, who had previously made the live shows in 2005 as part of girl group, Addictive Ladies.
In the room audition, Simon called the singer's performance "boring," which inspired the nightclub singer to work harder to impress the music mogul. "You were like a different artist...I really, really liked that," praised Simon as the judges gave the Londoner four yeses. Also hoping to wow the crowd was singer songwriter Rachel Rabin, better known as Raign, who split the judges' opinion in the room auditions, with Cheryl adamantly giving her a no vote, after saying she was "unlikeable."
The singer admitted that she had spent four weeks preparing for her live audition before demanding for a microphone stand and singing her own song, which to Cheryl's dismay.
The self-proclaimed "free spirit" failed to impress Cheryl but surprisingly won over the crowd, which resulted in the Girls Aloud singer being booed by the audience following her negative comments towards the singer. "You behave like a complete diva," said Louis, as the panel of judges highlighted that her overconfidence affected her likeability but decided to send the singer through to the next stage of auditions. As the day progressed, the girls took the lead impressing the judges with Emily Middlemass' unique twist on Coldplay’s Yellow and Kerrianne Covell’s powerful rendition of Carrie Underwood’s I Know You Won’t. While the competition was the first shot at fame for the majority of auditionees, when Steph Nala took to the mic, it was pointed out that the singer had appeared on a talent competition before.
The former Luminites singer previously made it to the live final of Britain's Got Talent last year but wanted another attempt of proving she had what it took to win the X Factor as a solo artist. The 20-year-old performed Let Me Be Your Fantasy, which resulted in a positive response from the crowd and the judges giving her four yeses.
However, girl group Major’s performance of Icona Pop's I Love It was received with boos from the unhappy audience and failed to impress the judges, with Simon even calling it a "nightmare" before rejecting the duo.
Meanwhile, Michelle Lawson’s performance of Jennifer Hudson's And I’m Telling You stunned the audience but was deemed to being too like a "cruise ship" vocal. "You can definitely sing, but I honestly don't think you're what we're looking for on this show," said Louis, before Cheryl said her vocal acrobatics were too much."
Devastated is an understatement," said the singer as she walked off the stage, refusing to accept the judges' criticism. Next to audition was Scarlett Quinn, who formerly auditioned with her husband as part of singing duo, Kitten and Hip Hop.
The songwriter dedicated Christina Aguilera's Ain't No Other Man to her husband, Ashley, but her impersonation of the US singer didn't win over the judges. However her talent shone through and she was ultimately given three yeses. With the day nearing to a close, Ben Haenow confidently performed Rolling Stones’ Wild Horses, admitting that it was his final chance at a shot at his dream. "You've just got it," praised Mel B following the 29-year-old van driver's powerful rock voice before he broke down into tears upon hearing that he was one of Simon's favourite auditions so far and was sent through to bootcamp.
The X Factor continues on Sunday on ITV with the penultimate round of arena auditions.
