First up win tomorrow nights X Factor show, we are in Ibiza with Dannii are the 14 – 24s boys, Rhydian Roberts, Andy Williams, Luke Bayer, Charlie Finn, Dominic Harris and Leon Jackson.

Dannii has hand picked a song for each of the boys and along with music writer and producer Terry Roland, who has worked with Girl’s Aloud, Westlife and our very own Dannii Minogue, they will have the hard task of picking just three from the six boys to go through to the live shows. Jubilant with the category she was given at Bootcamp Dannii is confident she has a potential winner within the six, “I know what I’m looking for” says Dannii, “But I don’t know which one will pull it out of the bag today. It’s completely open at this stage.”

First up to perform, singing Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word by Elton John, is 21 yr old Andy Williams from Newport. Andy’s dream of being a singer is a world away from his normal 9 – 5 job as an asbestos remover, “I have to suit up each day and put my mask on, everything has to be really air tight because of the obvious dangers of working with asbestos. I don’t think you could get much further away from what I am doing now, to sing for a living would be a million in one chance, like winning the lottery”. This has been a long term ambition for Andy and he has spent the last three years getting in shape for this moment, but will his nerves hold out? After his performance Dannii spots his weakness and comments to Terry that she “worries about his nerves”, but for a tearful Andy he’s done all he can and now he just has to wait for the others to perform.

Someone who should be feeling confident is 15 year old Dominic Smith who sailed through his first audition winning huge praise from Simon Cowell. “Months ago I was just dreaming of performing on the show, and now here I am in Ibiza about to perform in front of Dannii Minogue, it’s mad and like a dream come true.” Dominic’s family have been there to support him all the way and for Dominic, “they are the ones who inspire me to do this and I think this is what I was born to do”. Singing I’ll Be There by the Jackson 5, Dominic is hoping that he has done enough to bring his dream alive and to return home with good news for his family.

For all the boys being in a luxury villa in Ibiza is giving them a glimpse of what life could be like for them in the future, but for 18 yr old Leon Jackson, it really is a million miles away form the life he is used too. “Back home I live on a normal council estate and it is extremely different to this lifestyle. It’s always just been me and my Mum and she’s had to make so many sacrifices all her life to make sure there is food on the table and make sure she was doing all she could to bring up her son well.”

It’s been an emotional journey for Leon as he realises that achieving his dream could change his life completely for him, and his Mum. “I would love to just reward her for all her hard work over the years, and by doing well in this competition I’m a step closer to achieving that goal”.

Singing Chasing Cars by Snow patrol, Leon fluffs up on his first couple of lines, but will his nerves hold out to give a strong enough performance to impress Dannii and Terry?

It’s a nerve racking time for all the boys as they realise that messing up the song could cost them their dream. Worried more than most is the normally, very confident, 19 year old barman Charlie. Charlie messed his words up at Bootcamp and he knows that today he needs to put in a performance of a life time if he has any chance of staying in the competition, “The only person that is stopping me from doing what I want to do is myself. I don’t want to dream anymore I want to live it now, I want to chase it, I want to be somebody.”

After singing Take That’s Patience Dannii and Terry look quite impressed with his vocal performance, but as Dannii explains “there’s a few question marks there, but there’s something”.

Next up is the overtly confident 24 year old Rhydian Roberts, who sees The X Factor as a stepping stone to bigger things, “I feel like I am on this planet to perform” explains Rhydian. ”Performing in front of millions of people is the best thing someone like me could hope to do. Wouldn’t it be amazing to use my god given talent to sing around the world, have number one albums and singles. On the back of that be knighted and meet the Queen, these are the kind of dreams I’m filled with”. However there is one person standing between Rhydian and his dream and that’s Dannii, who certainly didn’t take to Rhydian in his first audition. “The fact that Dannii said no to me in the first round is playing on my mind and worrying me because she’s my mentor. But the fortune favours the brave, these things are possible. It is there on the plate and I just need to step up to that plate and take it”.

Singing Queen’s Somebody to Love Terry asks Dannii if she thinks whether he comes across as “slightly pompous…!” But Dannii does argue that if anyone could deliver on the live shows then it’s Rhydian. But Rhydian is not happy with his performance, “I really needed to nail it and I didn’t. I’m really upset now because I think I’m going home”.

Last to sing for the boys is the youngest male contestant, 15 year old Luke Bayer, who to date, has had an emotional journey and at times he’s felt the pressure all too much, “I know I am a really emotional person but that’s just because it means so much to me and if I was to have a no I’d feel like I’d let everyone down. I am hoping Dannii sees potential in me today and she can give me a chance, because I know I am quite young but I want to prove I can do it”.

After singing Mandy by Barry Manilow Luke runs off in tears declaring to Dermot that his performance was “awful” has he blown his chance and will there be even more tears to come?

With all the performances over it’s time for Dannii and Terry to decide which of the three to take through to the live shows but with Dannii unable to make a decision between two of the boys she chooses to sleep on it, giving the boys an agonising over night wait.

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From: Keighley, West Yorks

Job: Student

History:

o Luke lives with his parents and 2 sisters and is still in school studying for his GCSE’s.
o He once performed in the West End at the 20th Anniversary of Les Miserables – Oct 8th 1995.
o He has had singing lessons since the age of 7 and knows that he wants to be a professional singer.
o In 2004 he took part in BBC Talent’s Little Prince. He made the final 40 but was culled when they cut numbers to 35 – which he says is the worst thing that has happened to him.
o Being a 14 yr old, reaching this far he is so happy and excited to be in this competition.

View the original post X Factor: Luke Bayer on Unreality TV