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After drafting the girl band 4th Power (despite protests that they’ve already performed professionally in Asia), X Factor UK has favored two more Filipinos in the ongoing auditions at the Wembley Stadium in London.
Neneth Lyons, 37, got all four judges to root for her after singing an emotional cover of Barbra Streisand’s “Somewhere” which also earned her a standing ovation from the audience — and the four judges, of course.
Lyons, a stay-at-home mom from god-knows-where Chelmsford, says her dad loves the song. She also used to sing it while working at hotels in Hong Kong and China.
Simon Cowell, known for being hard to please, also congratulated Neneth for her brave song choice: “When the song first started, I thought, maybe this is just a bit dated for our show. Then, I just thought, well, who cares? You are a brilliant singer and I also think people are going to like you…a lot.”
Fellow judge Nick Grimshaw told Neneth: “You came alive during the performance. You were, like, a different person. It was amazing.”
Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, meanwhile, praised Neneth for her awesome belting ability: “To be able to deliver that song with that power and that beauty, it was spellbinding. That was a stunning performance.”
In an interview, Neneth could not help but cry as she was overwhelmed by the reaction of the judges and the audience. “I’m so glad they liked it,” she said.
And then there’s 35-year-old Jenessa Gil, who got four “yes” votes after a wild rendition of Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie”.
Jenessa, who believes she is a “Catherine Zeta-Jones lookalike” — for realz, gurl? — unexpectedly went up to Cowell, sat on his lap, and kissed him during her performance.
Anyone looking forward to an all-Filipino finals? We know we are.
