An Outlet

4 December, 2016.

I have loved Fifth Harmony ever since they were formed.

Needless to say that I watched the entire season of X Factor that year. That was the the only X Factor I had watched in its entirety until this August.

I am currently following the 13th season of X Factor and I feel so nostalgic! I can always appreciate a good singer and X Factor is my favorite singing show because they not only showcase the contestants' singing skills but also shape them into performers ready for the real world outside the competition. Also, listening to them makes my inner singing personality pop out.

Even though this season is not as good as the last season (yep, I watched the 2015 season on YouTube last month. They were PHENOMENAL), they're pretty good!

My ranking and thoughts for each of the 12 finalists are as follows:

1) 5AfterMidnight- Everyone says this and I have to agree. They are a complete package. They can sing, they can dance, they look good together, they sound good together, they've got great individual personalities. I really enjoy watching their performances as well as their off screen talks. Their ability to dance well sets them apart from other contestants. I hope they become the second group ever to win this competition!

The only drawback is that I get a feeling that they might disband soon? It's probably because of the rumours but I can't help but think that they feel uncomfortable whenever someone talks about them doing well together outside the show. I know that they were planning on pursuing solo careers and came together as a group when that didn't work out. What if their motive was just to get recognition and then go back to pursuing their individual careers? That'd be really sad.

2) Emily Middlemas- As I've noticed, it's very unlikely for a group to win the X Factor. The only one to ever do so is Little Mix (who are super talented, by the way). So if 5AfterMidnight don't win it, I want Emily to win this season's X Factor. I fell in love her voice since her very first audition. She has a very sweet and melodic voice, kinda like Halsey. I totally get what the judges mean when they say she has a 'current' voice. Almost all the other contestants are about having bold and strong voices but her voice stands out for me. Though she has only done slow songs, I like it.

I feel like she's very underappreciated just because the judges want her to move around while singing. Even I would love to see Emily do an upbeat number but the balad type songs she sings are bomb. I also feel like her and Ryan Lawrie's relationship has been a very unnecessary topic of discussion. Sure, no one has ever had their significant other competing on the same show (when they've been dating before the show began), but they've made the two of them look like inseparable love sick fools.

From what I gather, Emily and Ryan have not been successful in creating good bonds with the other contestants and often find each other as their only company. So it's not surprising to see them support each other so much. I mean, come on, last year Lauren cried when she had a sing off against her bestie Ché.

3) Saara Aalto- This one has got a KILLER voice! Her range is so good and she makes all those high notes seem so effortless. According to me, she's never ever had a vocally bad live performance. She is a serious competitor. Her voice is so good that she mostly has to concentrate on her performance rather than singing.

Yeah, she was annoying in the beginning. She over reacted a lot and to be honest, she still does. Some of her acts have been too cheesy and over done. I earlier used to think that she used the Finnish card for sympathy but I now realise why she works so hard to impress the British audience.