Name: Dionne Mitchell

Age: 26

From: London

Occupation: Student

The Story So Far…

* Dionne auditioned in London singing ‘Natural Woman’ by Aretha Franklin. Simon said “overdressed, not a good song choice but yes�, Louis said “on the fence but I think yes� and Sharon said “on the fence. Strong voice – yes�.
* When Dionne found out Sharon was her mentor she was really worried and shed a few tears about it. She thought that Sharon was the least positive of the three judges about her singing. On the first day of Bootcamp Dionne sang The Beatles track ‘Come Together’. Sharon thought she had a great personality.
* On the second day of Bootcamp Dionne sang ‘Without You’ by Mariah Carey. Mark Hudson said “he loved her presentation and that “he couldn’t take his eyes of her� He said she seemed like a completely different person. Adrian Williams agreed with Mark saying she looked great, Sharon however was not sure if the public would warm to her.
* At Judges Houses Dionne sang ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ by Tina Turner. She stopped mid-way, so Sharon told her to take five minutes out and then come back in. During this time Dionne broke down in the holding area. Sharon and her panel were disappointed with her first attempt and commented on the fact that she seemed petrified of performing.
* When she performed the second time Sharon was really impressed but her main concern was if she could cope with the studio. Mark loved her voice and liked her melody, but was also worried about her nerves. Adrian loved her voice too.
* Dionne was in tears for the result. But screamed for joy when she got a yes.

History

* Dionne was born and raised in London, and currently lives with her mum and dad.
* Dionne has four brothers and two sisters, but she is the youngest. The oldest is in his 40s.
* She has been singing for the past six years after joining a theatre company and performing in a play. After the show the company asked her to stay on. She has performed in clubs and as a backing singer at concerts.
* She’s not auditioned for The X Factor before because she was too scared but her family were pestering her to do it so she decided to give it a go.
* She says she tried to follow the academic route in the past and studied Psychology but she just knew it wasn’t for her. She said she got herself very depressed about it and decided then she had to follow her dream of singing.
* Dionne’s musical influences are Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.
* This is by far her biggest challenge, she has a massive fear of putting herself in the firing line and failure.

What would winning The X Factor mean to you?

“Winning The X Factor would be the start of a whole new life and would be like a dream! It would mean everything to me, my family and my friends and the first thing I’d treat myself to would be a house�.

What are you looking forward to about taking part in the competition?

She’s looking forward to moving to The X Factor house to get to know all the other contestants. “I can learn so much from them. You can really help to enhance yourself from bonding and supporting each other’ she explains.

She continues ‘I’m going to miss my friends and family and watching my favourite soaps - Home and Away and EastEnders! My family are so proud of me. This was the first time I have entered the competition and I feel blessed to have got this far.�

Where did you go to school and what were your favourite subjects?

Dionne went to Sydenham Girls Comprehensive, South East London. She doesn’t come from a musical family, but rates drama and singing as her favourite subjects. Her proudest moment was singing at a family member’s funeral. “I felt like I did him proud� she says.

Who are your musical influences?

Her musical influences are dominated by legendary female singers. “I love Eta James, Mica Paris, Shirley Bassey, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Judy Garland, Tina Turner - the list goes on. I’m a huge Whitney fan and I’d love one day to perform with her. ‘I Want To Dance With Somebody’ is my favourite ever single.� But to really impress the Judges, Dionne says that she’d sing the sexy ‘I Just Want To Make Love To You’ by Eta James.

Has singing always been an ambition of yours?

Singing has always been an ambition of Dionne’s but it was a family tragedy that has spurred her to finally pursue her dream. “When I was 16, a girl came up to me in the school corridor and said I had a good voice so from then on I kept on singing. It was only when I lost a close family member that I thought life was for living and really went out to achieve my goal.�