She has managed to steal the hearts of the British public during her time on X Factor UK, surviving three sing offs on her journey to the Top 5.
And on Saturday’s “Louis Loves” themed show, Saara Aalto did her absolute best to make next week’s semi-finals, covering ABBA’s “The Winner Takes It All” and a mash-up of “Diamonds Are Forever” by Dame Shirley Bassey and Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend”. But how did she do?
In her VT, Saara and her friend from home were treated to an afternoon at a ski lodge. Afterwards, Saara was shown naughtily spying on a focus group. The best thing about Saara? Well, “everything” according to the group. However, they felt that “big costumes cheapen her”, which we kind of agree with.
For her first appearance, Saara worked her magic on one of ABBA’s signature ballads. Check it out below!
Saara Aalto – “The Winner Takes It All” – X Factor UK
Having previously covered the ABBA staple at Sharon’s home in L.A, it was obvious that Saara would nail this song. And our girl did not disappoint.
The flawless performance began with Saara at the piano, seated on a red and gold throne. Sartorially simple with chic hair and makeup, Saara took the advice of the focus group. The gold headpiece was a subtle nod to her individuality, and it worked.
The track was given a dramatic, epic rearrangement which gave Saara the opportunity to show off every facet of her insane vocal range. During the huuuge note at the end, Sharon stood up to cheer, while the audience actually applauded over the track. The love was plain to see y’all!
in a world full of Honey G's , be a Saara Aalto #Xfactoruk #fakefactor
— Meg (@megalves) November 26, 2016
Saara received a standing ovation from the judging panel, which was totally unanimous in its praise for the Finnish songstress.
Nicole Scherzinger gushed: “You just took first place in the competition. You just showed that you are a real fighting contender to win X Factor 2016”.
“We talk a lot about having a moment. You just had the moment with that song” said Simon. “That sounded like a current record, it could be a hit. It wasn’t so crazy, it was genuinely you.”
Louis admitted that he intentionally chose a tough track for Saara, but loved the performance: “I picked the hardest ABBA song for you. You were note perfect. I think we’ve seen one of the best performances we’ve ever seen on X Factor vocally.
And Saara’s mentor Mrs O kept it short and sweet: “You just took my breath away, you were so perfect, it was so beautiful.”
When questioned by host Dermot O’Leary, Saara confessed that this week was a “hard week, it was so perfect, I enjoyed it so much. I’m also so surprised when I hear my name, I just can’t believe it. I’m just so grateful, thank you.” Girl, we believe in you!
Saara Aalto – “Diamonds Are Forever/Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” – X Factor UK
In her second VT, Saara said that she chose this mash-up in order to prove her creativity and versatility. Can she actually be any more versatile?
The performance began with Saara lounging seductively on a cloud for the Shirley Bassey section of the number. This girl knows how to work the camera! Saara literally dived backward into the uptempo “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” part of the song, and that’s where the fun began. Las Vegas darling! With her dance troupe, Saara ramped up the camp, and we loved it! Everyone likes some cheese now and again, no?
This time however, only Louis and Sharon gave a standing ovation, and the judges’ comments were noticeably divided, as some of them felt that Saara’s first performance was markedly better.
Nicole declared: “That was batshizzle bananas, with whipped cream all over. A little bit of a cheese explosion. You were born to be on that stage”
Simon appeared unusually speechless and admitted “I feel like I’m drunk. You are incredible. Cheesy is an understatement.” However, he felt that the first song was better.
“Nobody works harder than you. You sing, you dance, you bring everything” said Louis. “I want everyone in Finland to lift their phones and vote. They can try!” There were serious Louis lols tonight!
Even Sharon admitted that she preferred the ABBA cover, but maintained that Saara is “multi-talented.”
Regardless of the judges comments, social media was awash with support for Saara as usual.
@saaraaalto one word…amazing #XFactor
— Paul Quick (@pquickey) November 26, 2016
@TheXFactor @saaraaalto just nailed that song #XFactor2016 #winnertakesitall
— ChyChy (@chynkwo) November 26, 2016
@ITV @saaraaalto @MrsSOsbourne ???She was Perfect hope she is a winner ???
— S. K. Fowler 59 Ex-Marathon Runner(Fav-Pet-Snakes) (@sunrinder13) November 26, 2016
VOTE FOR SAARA AALTO
If you are in the UK, you can either vote by phone, text or on the X Factor app. Voting will close on Sunday during the live results show.
The bottom two acts will compete in a sing-off, with the judges choosing which act will stay and who will go. If the judges are tied in their decision, this weekend’s public vote between the two acts will decide the result.
If you’re calling from a landline or mobile, Saara is #2. You can dial:
Landline: 090 20 50 51 02
Mobile: 6 50 51 02
So, what did you think of Saara Aalto on X Factor’s “Louis Loves” week? Which performance did you prefer? Let us know in the comments below!
Sarah is the only contestant left that have been consistent when coming to her singing abilities. She has been spot on vocally every single time. I do understand if someone gets tired of her vibrato – but I am seriously more tired of Matt’s falsetto to be honest. Some thinks her performances are over the top, but to be able to sing perfectly AND to perform that well at the same time is just AMAZING and noone else is able to do that of this years contestants. Honey G has been such a rollercoaster – she has been horrible and… Read more »
The love for this girl is getting a little bit obsessive for my taste … it’s scary …. The way fans love rejected Eurovision acts due to their uptempo crappy music is just beyond anybody’s understanding … where is the love for anyone singing a rejected ballad? Hell no that will never happen … But i’ll say this … I am surprised the Sarah Dawn Finer’s version was used here instead of something closer to the ABBA original … Still … this girl as a singer is no storyteller … she’s amazing for an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical but to… Read more »
Saara Aalto is technically perfect, but boring. Sorry. I loved her UMK entry and it is shame she did not win. But I do not get why wiwi is so obsessed with her. She is just a girl who desperately wants to become famous but never will be.
Her imitations leave me totally unimpressed. She is a typical vocal show-off who is featured in every casting show and who won’t sell records when it’s over. Very “German Idol”-esque.
She’s now the bookies’ 2nd favorite to win! It’s amazing that she’s come so far
Her version of Abba was simply amazing!
Both performances are spot on. Good for her.
Also SDF sang it in the final in 2013 i believe! The real winner of that night lol
Yes Matthew, it’s literally the exact same arrangement for some improvisations/deviations thrown in for good measure. @wiwi y’all should have made the connection and read Saara for it! It’s one of my favorite versions of TWTIA but that doesn’t excuse her for having been lazy. IMO she should have worked harder to really make the song her own. Not her strongest performance. Also, if you are going to put yourself in a position to be compared to both Abba and SDF (and why would you do that to yourself henny?) you should let your talent and singing speak for themselves.… Read more »
@Mathew
That’s what some people on Twitter pointed out as well
I liked that with both songs, Saara got to show two different sides of her personality: the powerful singer and the quirky entertainer. The second performance was fun, but the first performance was absolutely phenomenal. It’s great to see the UK public really embracing her and I really hope she makes the semifinals because she deserves to be there.
Nobody can compete with Agnetha, and I didn’t particularly appreciate this arrangement, but it was still very good.
UMK could use a Saara Alto this days lol she would be the runaway winner by a huge margin
Is that the same version of TWTIA that Sarah Dawn Finer sang at the Eurovision semi-final?