Cyrus Villanueva ended up dividing The X Factor Australia judging panel on this week's episode.
The eight acts were tasked with singing rock hits from any decade. American rocker Chris Isaak, who mentors the 19-year-old Filipino-Australian Villanueva, assigned him to sing Lenny Kravitz's 1991 track It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over.
Isaak’s fellow judges took the contestant to task for the song choice.
After Villanueva’s performance, Guy Sebastian said: “Cyrus, you know I’m a huge fan and you know I love every performance that you do. To me, that was the worst I’ve seen you perform – it was just a really terrible song. I don’t know how anyone can look at that song for rock week. Chris, I have to say to you, there’s never ever going to be a moment for Cyrus to shine on that song.”
Turning back to Villanueva, Sebastian added: “I think you’re amazing and that didn’t reflect who you are.”
Fellow judge James Blunt agreed, saying: “I think it’s a slow funk song, not a rock song. Cyrus, I don’t want to call you a cheat, but I think Chris is cheating here.”
Isaak countered: “To hear James tell me what rock’n’roll is – I don’t know what they pass for rock’n’roll in a disco in Ibiza, but that was rock’n’roll.”
When Blunt began to interrupt, Isaak shouted: “James, can you shut up for a second, please? Shut up. I don’t wanna hear your gags right now.”
Dannii Minogue, the panel’s lone female mentor, told Villanueva: “Cyrus, I think you are important in this competition, I really do. You got the chops, you got the moves. And the energy in this room when you walked around – it’s the X factor. I don’t think it’s your best week, but I think you need to be here.”
Isaak applauded, then went on stage and gave Villanueva a hug.
Villanueva remains a hit with viewers, who voted him through to next week’s episode, which will feature the top seven.
Sebastian’s two remaining acts, the boy band In Stereo and the folk-pop duo Jess & Matt, received the least number of audience votes and were the week’s bottom two. The panel then voted to eliminate In Stereo, the show’s youngest performers.
This week’s musical guests were American pop star Adam Lambert and Australian singer Conrad Sewell.
Filipino-Americans advance on The Voice
On another reality programme in another part of the world, two singers with a Filipino connection are impressing the judges of the American version of The Voice. Amy Vachal and Tim Atlas have advanced to the next level after surviving this week's Battle Rounds.
Vachal defeated country duo Jubal and Amanda. Their coach Pharrell Williams assigned them the Bee Gees classic To Love Somebody. Pharrell declared Vachal the winner, praising her soulful crooning.
Based in Brooklyn, New York, the 26-year-old Vachal discovered songwriting after suffering a traumatic injury while playing lacrosse in college. “In recovering from my concussion I ended up just writing songs in a prolific way. It became my new project, my new focus. It was really like a blessing in disguise,” she told NBC News.
On the support she’s getting from Filipino viewers, Vachal said: “It’s crazy that there has been such a huge response and I have been overwhelmed by it. My mum was born and raised there. My most recent visit was last fall and I went to visit family. It happened to be right after this crazy hurricane hit the area where my mum is from [Cebu] and we weren’t sure if there was going to be a runway. We ended up going and we just jumped right into the relief efforts. Ever since I’ve felt a special connection to the Filipino culture. I’m so grateful to be considered one of their own even though I’m a ‘hapa’ [mixed race] baby.”
Meanwhile, Atlas is an indie-pop musician from San Jose, California. Coached by Gwen Stefani, Atlas battled with Ellie Lawrence in a performance of Sweater Weather, a song by American rockers The Neighbourhood. Stefani chose Lawrence as the battle's winner, but Atlas was saved by Pharrell to remain in the competition. Each of the show's four coaches can "steal" two losing artists from another coach. "OK, this guy is a shark," Pharrell said of Atlas. "I like your passion – you know how to turn it on – you've got it."
Later backstage, Pharrell told Atlas: “Bravery – that should be the only crutch you lean on. I think today was a good exhibition of that.”
Both Vachal and Atlas have advanced to the show’s next round, the Knockouts.
artslife@thenational.ae