The latest episode of The X Factor Australia was filmed in Abu Dhabi. Celebrity judges Guy Sebastian and Dannii Minogue were seen visiting the capital, along with their teams of aspiring acts during Thursday's edition.
They visited a host of locations, including Yas Waterworld, Yas Mall, Yas Links, the Observation Deck at 300 in Jumeirah Etihad Towers and the Saadiyat Beach Club. The contestants stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Yas Island.
"Our involvement in The X Factor Australia has enabled us to showcase Abu Dhabi, introduce newcomers to our renowned hospitality and demonstrate the diversity of the destination," Mubarak Al Nuaimi, the director of promotions and overseas offices at Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), told travel-industry website KarryOn.
Before flying to Abu Dhabi, Sebastian, Minogue and their teams were in London, along with the rest of the acts and judges James Blunt and Chris Isaak. There, each of the 20 contestants (five in each of the four teams), had to perform in front of Simon Cowell, the creator of The X Factor franchise, and a judge in the show's British version. The judges then had to narrow down their acts to three each.
Sebastian, who mentors the groups, and Minogue, who looks after the under-25 girls, announced their finalists in Abu Dhabi. Blunt and Isaak – who mentor the over-25 acts and under-25 boys – revealed their decisions in London.
Among those who made it to the final 12 is Filipino-Australian Cyrus Villanueva, a 19-year-old graphic-design student from Wollongong, New South Wales. His first audition, an acoustic performance of The Weeknd's Earned It, received a standing ovation from the judges. He continued to impress in successive rounds with his stripped-down renditions of Robyn's Dancing on My Own and Bob Marley's Is This Love.
“When you’re on top of your game, nobody can stop you. We’re gonna show people that every week,” Isaak told Villanueva upon selecting him as a finalist.
Villanueva credits his passion for music to his Filipino father, a professional entertainer.
“Because Dad is a musician, I grew up listening to jazz and classical music,” he said. “All the old soul, pop. That’s the music I love.”
The X Factor's final 12 acts are set to do battle in the first live show, which will be broadcast in Australia today. The first live results show will be on Tuesday, during which one act will be sent home.
The previous season of The X Factor Australia was won by 15-year-old Marlisa Punzalan, whose parents are Filipino immigrants. Her album topped the UAE iTunes charts last year.
artslife@thenational.ae
