The second live show of the X Factor Malta took place on Sunday, and with it the contest took another step towards selecting Malta’s act for Eurovision 2019. This week’s show had a throwback theme, with the acts performing songs from decades past. And as the show works, two acts were also sent home.

First, let’s take a look at some of the acts who made an impact, based on social media reactions and just our general wiwi instinct.

Nicole Frendo tackled Prince’s iconic ballad “Purple Rain”. It’s a song that’s been a favourite with X Factor singers, with Ruth Lorenzo and Dami Im both having given stand-out performance in their time. While Nicole didn’t quite go to the extremes of Ruth and Dami, she still gave a powerful performance that showed off her vocals.

Luke Chappell has established himself as a talented songwriter, but being throwback night, he had to perform a cover. His song of choice was the Plain White T’s tune “Hey There, Delilah”. He delivered it with his trademark understated vocals. Ain’t no vocal acrobatics here — but sometimes less is more.

After last week, Petra was one of the two Overs left. She performed Etta James’ bluesy classic “Just Want to Make Love to You”. Petra brought plenty of old-school glam to the performance and delivered some gutsy vocals. Her backing dancers were a little distracting, including the two female dancers who weren’t wearing any pants.

We hear that Michela Pace is getting a serious fan following in Malta, to the point of needing to be escorted from the venue to avoid getting mobbed! But behind all that, there’s one talented singer. She performed Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s ballad “The Power of Love” and nailed it. At this stage, Michala seems a very strong contender to win.

And that leads us to the eliminations. Immediately sent home was girl group Xtreme, who had the lowest number of votes. They had won the sing-off last week and this week was their chance for redemption. While they gave a decent performance of Michael Jackson’s “They Don’t Care About Us”, there was still the sense that they hadn’t quite gelled as a group. The performance also suffered from the dozens of backing dancers cluttering the stage.

Facing the sing-off was Overs singer Ben Purplle and the last remaining girl group 4th Line. In the sing-off, Ben performed the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris”, while 4th Line tackled Whitney Houston’s “Queen of the Night”.

Dramatically, the judges’ vote was tied, meaning a Deadlock tie-break was required. In the end, 4th Line had received the lower number of public votes, meaning they were the fourth act to be send home. We hope that there’ll be a future for the group — especially previous MESC act Miriana Conte.

This also means that the Groups category is totally depleted — so category judge Alexandra Alden can relax and enjoy the show, while fellow judges Ira Losco, Howard Keith Debono and Ray Mercieca gotta keep working.

We’re now at the halfway point of the X Factor Malta live shows. Next Sunday is has a movie theme and will be the final elimination show before the grand final in two weeks time.

X Factor Malta – Live show 2 performances

What do you think? Who will be next to get eliminated? Who should represent Malta in Tel Aviv? Share your thoughts below!

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Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
5 years ago

Good. Girl groups and boy bands are not what the current market wants.

Ani
Ani
5 years ago

Janice was bad on x factor though

Starmine45
Starmine45
5 years ago

On another note, why aren’t there any polls regarding Malta’s XF?

Starmine45
Starmine45
5 years ago

Fantastic show Malta! Now they have to make sure that they work hard on the song they are sending for EV. Most of the contestants left in the show can deliver and perform. My favorites are Michela (OBVIOUSLY), Nicole, Owen, Kelsey and Petra. Also, I don’t mind seeing Luke and Ben.

Loin dici
5 years ago

Was Michela Pace singing the Gabrielle Aplin rendition, or were both renditions the same?

Riapo
Riapo
5 years ago

Owen is so underrated by you

Mr. Vanilla Bean
Mr. Vanilla Bean
5 years ago

It’s obscene that this woman is judging anyone on talent in the first place. Where and what is her own talent? She’s hiding it very well, if she has any.