South African X Factor star Jeanette Akua s girl band heads to Live Shows

Jeanette Akua, Shereece Foster and Rielle Carrington perform for Gary Barlow in New York

South African beauty consultant Jeanette Akua is through to the final 12 contestants of the X Factor UK as part of new girl band Miss Dynamix, who will perform in the first Live Shows round this weekend.

The 21-year-old originally auditioned as a solo artist on X Factor 2013 but was dropped in the Bootcamp stage. However judge and groups mentor Gary Barlow, who felt there weren't enough girl groups in the competition, decided to give Akua and fellow rejected soloist Rielle Carrington another chance by uniting them with Shereece SeeSee' Foster, who entered as part of a group that was rejected by Barlow based on the weakness of her two bandmates.

Their rendition of Rihanna's We Found Love' just hours after the new trio was formed impressed Barlow enough to take them, along with five other groups, through to the Judges' Houses round to battle for one of three places in the Live Shows.

On Sunday's show, Miss Dynamix performed All Saints' hit Pure Shores' for Barlow and 2009 X Factor runner-up Olly Murs at sunset on a rooftop in New York. Murs could hardly believe they were a recently formed group. It looks like they've been together for ages, he observed.

Akua echoed this when she said, Since the moment we were put together, the most exciting part is we actually get along. We come from such different backgrounds, who thought me from Africa could be in a group with someone from Manchester and someone from London? We weren't supposed to be here, it was supposed to be over for us. To actually get a second chance and here we are in New York performing for Gary, it's just a dream come true for all of us. We just don't want it to end here.

She admitted afterwards, We know there are groups that sound better than us but we're hoping Gary's not judging on what he sees now but what we can become. We've had rejection but if Gary can give us a chance it's a shot at a career.

Barlow did just that the following day when he broke the news to Akua, Carrington and Foster that he'd chosen them for the Live Shows. They shrieked and then sobbed with joy as Barlow added, You deserve it so much.

Gary Barlow also gave the nod to boy bands Rough Copy and Kingsland Road, while Girls mentor' Nicole Scherzinger picked Abi Alton, Tamera Foster and Hannah Barrett.

They will join Over 25s' Sam Bailey, Shelley Smith and Lorna Simpson picked by Sharon Osbourne and boys mentor Louis Walsh's top three, Nicholas McDonald, Luke Friend and Sam Callahan.

*Vote for Miss Dynamix when they perform on the next X Factor episode on ITV at 8pm on Saturday 12 October.

LINK:	http://www.thesouthafrican.com/entertainment/south-african-x-factor-fi...
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