Tag: X Factor

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

X Factor Star Big T Releases First Single “Paradise”

Cyrus might have taken out the X Factor Australia title in 2015, but Big T was a clear crowd favourite. Despite no formal training, the lovable railway worker reached the top four and won the hearts of the nation.

Since his reality TV stint, Big T has been honing his craft with support slots for Chris Isaak, Dragon, and Pete Murray, along with performances at high-profile events like Carols in the Domain, the NRL Auckland Nines, the Bledisloe Cup series, and Telethon 7. It’s been a long time coming, but his recently released debut single “Paradise” is worth the wait.

This is such a feel-good summery track with all the soul Aussies warmed to when they first heard Big T’s music. Produced and co-written with The Banton Brothers, I think Big T is sounding better than ever on this. Have a listen and fall for the charms of Big T all over again.

Image used with permission from August MGMT

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

X Factor Contestant Matt Gresham Releases Single

You can keep your Samantha Jades and your Jason Owens. When it came to The X Factor this year, I only had eyes for Matt Gresham. I was gutted (but frankly not surprised) when Mel B kept this soulful singer-songwriter out of her top three. Mel’s always been a bit afraid of artists that played left of centre, but I think he could have been an amazing addition to the show.

There’s no sense worrying about could have beens now though, because Matt has capitalised on his 15 minutes of fame and released a single. “See the World” is an intriguing and uplifting blend of hip hop and rootsy blues. I wouldn’t have thought this combination would work, but the proof’s in this delicious pudding. Clearly I’ve got Christmas on the brain. Perhaps it’s time to stop writing and thinking of food and just let you listen!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Samantha Jade Tops ARIA Singles Charts

X Factor winner Samantha Jade has soared into the ARIA countdown to claim the top spot on the singles charts. Samantha Jade’s debut song “What You’ve Done to Me” achieved gold status in just two days, and wasn’t challenged for the number one.

She’s keeping company in the singles chart with her X Factor mentor Guy Sebastian. His latest release “Get Along” zoomed from number 34 all the way up to number five this week. Talk about a big mover!

Guy’s also the best performing Aussie on the albums charts. Armageddon’s jumped up one place this week to sit at number four.

Click below to read this week’s top tens.
Continue reading “Samantha Jade Tops ARIA Singles Charts” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Samantha Jade Wins X Factor

After months of knockout rounds, Samantha Jade was the last person standing on last night’s X Factor final. The Western Australian pop princess took the title from second-place getter Jason Owen and boy band The Collective.

This has been a funny season for me to watch. I switched allegiances time and time again as my favourite acts were eliminated: first Fourtunate, then Nathaniel Willemse, then Bella, and finally The Collective at the final hurdle.

I also watched Sammi grow from the girl most likely to get the boot to the last woman standing. Her confidence seemed to soar, and as she did her performances grew stronger and her voice more self-assured. Her brand of music isn’t the sort of thing I’d rush out and buy, but she’s easily as talented as other similar chart toppers like Rihanna and Beyonce.

Many spoke of Jason’s journey through the competition, but even at the end I thought he was little more than a mediocre RSL act. He seemed like a nice guy with a fairly interesting story, but I failed to see that X Factor we’ve often spoken about. I’ll be surprised if he has a career that outlasts the show’s 15 minutes of fame.

The Collective are another matter though. They’re five very good looking boys with exceptional voices. Their moves are a bit naff, but they’re the same ones Human Nature performed that made me weak at the knees as a teen. Something tells me that kind of thing doesn’t have a use by date. Look out One Direction; these guys could easily steal your fans.

The competition unearthed plenty of other great talents too. I really hope to see Fourtunate and Bella capitalising on the exposure. Angel and Nathaniel also have that special something. Once again, we’ve seen the depth of talent Australia has to offer. Congratulations to all involved!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Reece Mastin Wins X Factor Australia

Reece Mastin has taken out this year’s X Factor competition, narrowly beating Andrew Wishart by just 1% of the votes.

Yes, I’m a bit late with the news, but can we all agree that more than two hours of television is far too long for this kind of thing? After all, we only want to hear “The winner is Reece,” right? All those retrospectives and random celebrity performances padding out the time seem completely unnecessary. My vote next year is for five minutes in between other programs, something like the Lotto draw.

So I didn’t watch it all the way through, but it seems that Johnny Ruffo fell out of the race early. While he’d improved immensely in recent weeks that seems fair; Reece and Andrew were our consistent standouts. I would have loved to see Andrew win it, as he moved me more than any of the other contestants, but I can’t deny Reece has the goods. Killer vocals, incredible stage presence, and he’s adorable to boot. I can’t say I’m looking forward to that “Good Night” single saturating the airwaves, but I look forward to what he produces once he gains some creative control.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

X Factor Tackles Pleasure and Pain

After last week’s lacklustre evening, I was psyched to see what the X Factor would serve up tonight. I was really impressed by the theme, which asked the contestants to uplift us and break our hearts.

Andrew Wishart is the perfect artist for a theme that plays on emotion. However if you don’t get the right song, it’s all going to fall apart. Neon Trees’ “Animal” was the wrong song on so many levels. The song itself is pleasurable, but hearing Andrew deliver it was more than a bit awkward. It also didn’t sit in his vocal sweet spot. Everything was against him, and it showed. Thank god he gets another song to play with.

Again Johnny Ruffo gave us a solid vocal with Ne-Yo’s “So Sick.” As far as sticking to the brief of delivering heartbreak though, he failed. There just wasn’t enough edge or emotion to it, which is probably down to a combination of the wrong song and the wrong performer. I just don’t think he’s got that in him. However he did what he did well.

Reece Mastin delivered the first truly heartbreaking song of the night with “Breakeven.” And considering he’s a young kid who’s probably never had his heart truly broken, I think he did a pretty good job. I certainly felt more watching him than I did on any other performance to that point, and that certainly counts for something. It didn’t quite match the original, but I still really enjoyed it.

When I heard Three Wishez were taking on The Black Eyed Peas “The Time/Dirty Bit” my heart sank. Then I held my ears. I hated when The Black Eyed Peas raped the Dirty Dancing classic, and Three Wishez didn’t make me change my mind. Was this the pleasure or the pain song? They may have received rave reviews, but I loathed every second.
Continue reading “X Factor Tackles Pleasure and Pain” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Tyla Out After Most Drawn Out X Factor Elimination

Well the votes are in, and Australia ruled that Jacqui Newland and Tyla Bertolli didn’t party hard enough on this week’s X Factor performance show.

And that sentence above is as much as I wrote before getting the shits with Channel Seven and their drawn out coverage of The X Factor eliminations. By all means have your international guests, but when 8:30 rolls around and the bottom two contestants haven’t even sung off, let alone one eliminated, then there’s a problem.

I’m longing for the good old days of Australian Idol, when they managed to get those eliminations done in half an hour. An hour is really a stretch for these kinds of things, but more than an hour is ridiculous.

I’ve only got so many slots on my PVR, and there are Spicks and Specks and Glee both reliably starting on time. And so I decided I wasn’t going to sacrifice one of those because Seven couldn’t get his finger out. I planned to rise bright and early and just watch it on that Plus7 thing they’re always banging on about. Surprise surprise, there was no “sing for your life” performances on there. I’m not sure whether they were cut from the telecast or just the catch-up, but either way I have no clue what happened. With this week’s X Factor elimination being so drawn out I can’t say that I care. I was well and truly over it.

At the end of the day, Tyla was sent packing after only Ronan voted to keep her around. I can’t blame him; she’s quite the looker. I’d still err on that side as I remember the potential Jacqui showed us early on, but I’m really hoping she gets those nerves under control. She can’t keep singing this badly and hope to progress far.

Image source: Ernesto Ferreyra @ Stock.xchng

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Cleo Howman Out First on X Factor

Tonight’s first X Factor elimination saw Cleo Howman and Jacqui Newland battling it out, just as I predicted. To their credit the girls showed us just how different they are, with Cleo taking on Adele’s breakthrough hit “Chasing Pavements” and Jacqui returning to her rock roots with The Gossip’s “Heavy Cross.”

Both girls performed well, but for me Jacqui had the edge. There’s no one else quite like her in the competition right now, whereas while she’s got a beautiful voice I feel like I’ve seen musicians like Cleo before.

It seemed the judges agreed with me, because three to one they sent Ms Howman packing. Nat was always going to back her girl, but the remaining judges were all on Jacqui’s side. It’s sad in a way, because I don’t think she was the weakest performer last night or in the competition, but there’s always an element of popularity in these things.

Next week we get Party Songs, which I’m hoping sees a celebration of retro music rather than more of the naughties-centered music we saw this week!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Kaya @ Lizotte’s, Kincumber – 26 July 2007

Not a lot of good came from Channel Ten’s failed reality talent quest, The X Factor. The series winner’s Random, had two forgettable singles and faded into oblivion. Mark Holden embarrassed himself further. But there was a shining light in the lacklustre affair. It introduced Australia to Kaya.

These unconventional stars, with bare feet, quirky songs, and unmistakable harmonies worked their way into the hearts of the voting public. Their music defied classification, blending jazz, soul, blues, pop, and folk. That was almost two years ago now, and Kaya have stepped away from the spotlight to further develop their craft.

Last night they took to the stage at Lizotte’s. It was my third time seeing Kaya at this wonderful venue, and once again they delivered the kind of show that keeps me coming back.

Kaya’s set showcased their original songs, many of them familiar now that I’ve seen the group so many times, others new to my ears. However, no matter how many times I’ve heard each song, it always feels like the first time. Their harmonies weave effortlessly, with playful improvisations adding to the fun. The quartet also breathed new life into cover versions of “Buffalo Soldier,” “Big Yellow Taxi,” and John Butler Trio’s “Zebra.”

Unlike many modern acts, Kaya are truly a vocal group. The mellow tones of an acoustic guitar, drum brushes, and a spot of beatboxing accompanied a handful of tracks, but their voices are always the center. Many songs are fearlessly performed a capella, with the girls gaining strength from one another.

Individually, the talents of Alexandra Kaye, Juleiaah Boehm, Sally Stevens, and Emma Deans are fantastic. Together, they are truly sensational.

Image source: own photo