Читать книгу Union J - The Story - Tina Campanella - Страница 12
ОглавлениеJudges’ Houses – What Happens in Vegas
Landing in Las Vegas, it must have seemed like a whole new world for the Union J boys. The acts that perform here are mega-stars – singers who pack out casino stages, night after night. Mariah Carey, Elvis Presley, Elton John, Barbra Streisand… The echo of every music legend’s voice has reverberated around this very city.
Tulisa had taken the girls to St Lucia with Tinie Tempah, while Nicole jetted the boys to Dubai with R&B star Ne-Yo. Gary and the over-28s remained in England, travelling to Boughton House in Northamptonshire, where they were joined by a surprise guest: Cheryl Cole. Her appearance was so top-secret that she had to hide under a tablecloth while the acts performed!
But our two favourite bands were in Vegas for one reason only – to prove to Louis Walsh and his sidekick Sharon Osbourne that they should go through to the live stages. It was a dramatic backdrop for the next stage of the battle.
Sitting in a plush hotel, more decadently decorated than their wildest dreams, Union J spoke from the heart about their experience so far.
‘We weren’t even meant to be here, originally,’mused Jaymi. ‘We’ve been given such a lifeline.’
Josh was keen to include George in their new band, and said: ‘George has only been with us for three or four days so it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster, to say the least.’
George certainly looked at ease with the boys, who could hardly keep still with excitement.
Reclining in his leather seat, JJ said: ‘We feel like brothers, he fits like a missing puzzle piece. We feel ten times stronger than ever we were as a three.’
Having been together for such a short period of time, the boys must have been nervous about singing for Louis and Sharon. But as night fell over Vegas, it was time for the foursome’s first performance together. They walked down a huge cast-iron staircase onto an amazing roof deck, which overlooked the famous Vegas strip. Millions of coloured lights twinkled and flickered behind them.
The walk must have felt as if it took hours, but in just a few seconds they were sat facing the judges.
Breaking the tense silence, Louis spoke first. ‘What would it mean to you guys to get through to the live shows?’ he asked.
‘It would mean everything, it’s what we want so much,’ said Josh. ‘Going back to our normal jobs after Bootcamp was horrible because reality hit us and it’s something we’ve dreamed of.’
Nervously shuffling their feet, they tried to keep the fear from their faces as Louis said, simply: ‘Off you go…’
George started strumming on his guitar and Josh began to sing ‘Call Me Maybe’, the song they’d performed as Triple J at the auditions. One by one George, Jaymi and JJ joined in and together their confidence grew. On their own they could sing, there was no doubt about that, but together they were transformed into a professional slick group, brimming with talent.
They may have been a little rough around the edges, but this was the real start of their journey and it had a huge impact on their growing fan base.
Sharon, wearing a white jacket, grinned at Louis. She nodded her head as Union J finished their song.
Waiting for their reaction, the boys must have been disappointed when Louis signalled for them to leave, saying: ‘Thank you very much.’
Silently they trooped back to where Dermot O’Leary was waiting for them. ‘How did it go?’ he asked, gently.
It was, they agreed, very emotional.
Under the stars, Louis and Sharon discussed their performance. ‘A couple of them have picked up really novice bad habits,’ said Sharon, gravely. However, Louis came to their defence, saying: ‘But with a bit of work they could be fantastic.’
There was nothing the boys could do now but wait for the verdict.
DID YOU KNOW?
Jaymi has a whopping 17 tattoos and claims that some of them are very tricky to find…
The next day the sky was a brilliant blue. The sun shone on the handsome boys as they stood on the same deck on which they had performed the night before. They were dressed casually, but there was nothing casual about what was about to happen. At last they would find out if all the heartache had been worth it – would they be in the final 12? Would they grace the X Factor stage in the live shows?
Josh clutched his hands together as if he was praying, as Jaymi said: ‘We’ve already had one no and we don’t want to go home devastated again – we’ve waited so long for this. Louis brought us back because he saw a spark in us and then to come here and blow it – we’d be devastated.’
Josh tried to say that he didn’t want to let his family and friends down, but the tears falling down his cheeks were so heartfelt that no one was listening to the words coming out of his mouth – those tears spoke volumes enough.
Seeing his bandmate cry affected JJ deeply, and the pair of them broke down and had a little weep together. They’re such a close bunch that it was bound to happen. George tried to comfort them so that everyone could compose themselves for the verdict, which was merely moments away.
Biting their nails, they listened as Louis, sporting sunglasses, began to reveal his decision.
‘Guys, we loved your first audition, we saw great potential and in the sing-off that’s when you showed a little bit of spark.’
The boys nodded and tried to take deep breaths to calm themselves down.
‘George, putting you in, it was a bit of a gamble. I think you fitted in very well with the band but there’s an awful lot of work to be done and we haven’t got months, guys.’
It wasn’t sounding very positive and Josh, who had just finished wiping his tears away, began to sob once more.
‘The problem is, boys, there are other boybands in this competition who have the edge on this group because they’ve been together longer. I thought long and hard about it, guys. We’re in Vegas and I’m not a gambling man…’
The moment was coming and it was all too much for the boys. They’d been through such an emotional time; they didn’t know what to think or feel anymore. As they all began to weep, they could hardly hear Louis.
‘…until today. You’re through!’
The boys were stunned and for a split second they let it all sink in. They were in! They would sing live on the X Factor stage, seen and heard by millions of potential fans. All they could do was jump up and down and hug each other, yelling: ‘We’re going to the finals!’
‘Don’t let me down,’ warned Louis.
DID YOU KNOW?
When Union J were announced as one of Louis’ final three, One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson went crazy with excitement, tweeting: ‘Yeyyyyy I really like Union J!!’
Here are the final 13 lucky acts who made it through to the first live show:
James Arthur
Rylan Clark
Jahmene Douglas
Jade Ellis
Ella Henderson
Lucy Spraggan
Christopher Maloney (wildcard)
Melanie Masson
Carolynne Poole
Kye Sones
District 3
MK1
Union J
