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MAMARONECK, N.Y. – Carly Rose Sonenclar, the 13-year-old "X Factor" contestant from Mamaroneck, must still have a good feeling after making it into the show's Top 12 Thursday night.
Sonenclar sang "Feeling Good" by Flo Rida on "X Factor" Wednesday night after stunning judges, Simon Cowell, Demi Lovato, Britney Spears and L.A. Reid, with a soulful rendition of Nina Simone's "Good Feeling" back in September.
Thursday, the crowd could be heard chanting "Carly" as Spears was deciding which contestants she was sending into the next round. Beatrice Miller was called first, but the chant grew louder and Sonenclar made it to the next round.
"I feel amazing, I can't believe that just happened," she told host Mario Lopez after the decision.
Following her performance Wednesday night, judges told Sonenclar that her vocals were strong but they questioned her presence on stage. "Carly, you obviously have one of the best voices in the competition," Lovato said, echoing Reid's comment that her act lacked fun.
"Seeing you up there with other kids, it's not really believable," Lovato said. "I'm worried that it's not really your time right now, but I have no doubt that you have a future in the music industry."
Cowell and Spears disagreed with the other judges about Sonenclar's stage presence. "My issue was, and I think you felt it as well, Carly, is that you felt uncomfortable with the song," Cowell said.
"And I think, based on how brilliant you are," he continued, "I think you could have done a much better song. But it would be criminal if you were to leave the competition tomorrow."
"I thought your vocals were amazing and you did a great, great job," Spears said.
Comments (1)
Carly did a fantastic job with Feeling Good. Britney's choice for her was brilliant. Carly showed her "pop" chops and got through to a different group of fans. Her Twitter followers jumped dramatically after that performance.
Watch the video of her performance and she looks very comfortable and played well to the audience. Buy the song from iTunes and listen to just how professional she sang. The sound is so much better in the download than what was broadcast.
Her expression immediately after she sang appears to be a reaction from what she saw on the judge's faces who were all prepared to rip into her, as planned, purely for "reality show" tension.