I didn't think it would happen but it has: Astro was my fave performance on X Factor this week - by far. He was so much better than everyone else he would have snatched the five million without question if it had been the final showdown.
I've felt conflicted about him, for two reasons:
1) It's a singing competition and I haven't been convinced that it would work with him rapping week after week. Now I am.
2) Much more importantly: I've been suspicious that he's the next Justin Bieber, which filled me with understandable dread. With him being so young and mentored by L.A I've been verrry wary that he would follow the same path as Bieber and become more annoying than spam.
Turns out he hasn't. Instead everything he did was the bomb: his intriguing re-wording of Lose Yourself, his performance itself and his insistence that he perform Eminem despite the difficulties involved in getting the rights to the track.
As they mentioned on the show, Eminem's never given permission for a song of his to be used on a show but made an exception for Astro.
According to this behind-the-scenes article on
The Hollywood Reporter L.A. called Eminem's manager, asked for his permission and he agreed because he's been watching the show and he's pleased there's a rapper on it.
Interestingly, the article also talks about Chris Rene's rewording of Gangsta's Paradise. I couldn't hear what he was singing during the show - I rewound and still couldn't. Apparently he changed the words to: "Pastime Paradise".
Whatever. He gives a long blah blah explanation about what it means, which makes no sense.
I don't know about you but I'm quickly losing interest in him. Yes, he's got a story but that's boring now and so far he hasn't proven that he's got the pipes or zing to make it.
Unlike LeRoy who continues to impress. It's bizarre because his
lip-synching fiasco from last week has somehow made him even cooler, when it didn't seem possible that he could be. I don't know how he manages it but it's as if the hugest embarassment could befall him and it would simply increase his cool-factor.
His performance of I Still haven't Found What I'm Looking For was defs my second best of the night.
My third best was Lakoda Rayne. Not for their song necessarily but because they're an all-girl group and I always develop girl crushes on such groups, possibly 'cos I have a secret desire to be in one.
Even when they're bad I like them. Not that they are. They're groovy in their own way - but their name isn't. I've got a weird dyslexia with them - I keep wanting to call them Dakota Rayne for some inexplicable reason.
The only notable other performances came from Marcus and Melanie who deliver quality each week. Everyone else was rubbish: Drew completely missed the meaning of Fix You, Josh imitated Joe Cocker instead of making the song his own, Rachel sang about a relationship she's too young to relate to and Stacy looked like an alien gone nuts. Do you think its because we now know she's a scientologist? Crazy stuff!
As for The Hoggz getting the chop ... I would have preferred it to be someone else - Josh or Chris preferably. I've been enjoying them but it's clear that the audience isn't connecting with the groups so I'm antipating Dakota Rayne will sadly be next and Paula will be left with no-one.
Do you think the show would let this happen? They'd have to I suppose.