X FACTOR 2024: The evening of the unreleased. Report cards and live comments. LOWRAH on the ballot

The X Factor 2024 competition enters a decisive phase. This evening, Thursday 21 November, the competitors will present their unreleased songs for the first time, marking their official entry into the recording market.

In the X Factor Arena, the spotlight will be on one of the most significant episodes for artists and judges – Achille Lauro, Jake La Furia, Manuel Agnelli and Paola Iezzi – under the guidance of Giorgia, firmly at the helm of the show.

The evening will be divided into two rounds: in the first, each artist will perform their own unreleased piece, the result of weeks of creative and productive work.
Change of plan, only one elimination.

REPORT CARDS

THE FIRST ROUND: debut of the unreleased songs

Les Votives – “Monster” (written by themselves, produced by Gianmarco Manilardi and Danien)
Maneskin wannabe, pounding rhythm and non-trivial structure but unattractive from a melodic point of view. Good live performance but it seems like I ordered Thirty Seconds to Mars online…
Rating: 6 and a half

LOWRAH – “Malasuerte” (written by LOWRAH, Matteo Montalesi and others, produced by ESSEHO and Andry The Hitmaker)
A Rosalia who didn't make it. A concentration of what has already been said and heard that not even the Zarro prince would be able to resist. A badly worn mask.
Rating 5

PUNKCAKE – “Gloom” (written by PUNKCAKE, produced by Gianmarco Biancardi)
The underground or underdogs of the edition. They don't disappoint expectations and even Sonia's voice comes through like a blade. It's not entertainment and their totally anti-radio unreleased song delimits the border between punk and intercom.
Rating 7

Francamente – “Fucina” (written by Francamente, produced by Tomer Levy and Gianmarco Manilardi)
Frankly certainly has on his side that he can weave words together more than admirably. It leans on 80s musical frames giving a vague hint of something already smelled over time. Definitely credible.
Rating 7

I PATAGARRI – “Caravan” (written by themselves, produced by Bias and Danien)
The Patagarri, upright and doubtful about their entry into XFactor, seem to have adapted very well. The result is exactly the single that has everything, except the much vaunted coherence. They modernize the sounds by squinting and grimacingly trying to pimp some radio airplay with a slang song with an almost Latin atmosphere.
Rating 6

Lorenzo Salvetti – “A thousand concerts” (written by Lorenzo with Antonio Mazzareillo and Gianmarco Merolle, produced by Danien)
“Mille concertos” seems like a song that could easily have been written by Lorenzo Fragola. A source of words (to quote Frankly) already heard. Definitely a ready and finished product for radio with noteworthy openings. The chronological age clashes with the intensity that the song should arouse.
Rating 6

Mimì – “Dove si va” (written by Madame, produced by Gianmarco Manilardi)
You could understand that “Dove si va” is written by Madame without even reading it. Mimì neither adds nor subtracts anything. The fast-paced rhythm required by a piece that seems to be more of a photograph of Madame than of Mimì certainly flounders, even in terms of age. Good song, free-diving interpretation.
Rating 5

The first to go to the ballot is LOWRAH.

SECOND ROUND: great covers

Lorenzo Salvetti, “Tango” by Tananai
Faithful to the original. Lorenzo doesn't leave his comfort zone and with this choice (a bit of a paracula) he secures salvation (almost certainly). This continuous obstinacy over his melancholy is always nothing new.
Rating 6

PUNKCAKE featuring “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Pancakes take a risk regardless of the danger with a song that takes them far from their origins with Sonia who tries her hand at a cornerstone. Naked without entertainment, butts in the wind. Pancakes are real, regardless of what revolves around them.
Rating 7

Frankly with “Believe” by Cher
Frankly, he tries his hand at a sacred monster like Cher. A Believe that seems to have been destined by its musical impact known to most to weigh every word giving it an emotional impact of great weight. The revenge of the Sottoni also starts from here.
Rating 6

Mimì with “Lilac Wine” in Nina Simone's version
Manuel drops the ace. Mimì takes up the challenge. Intense, profound despite her young age. Interpretation with a very high caliber emotional metronome. She could have gotten hurt, she came out of it with her head held high.
Rating 8

Les Votives with “You Know I'm No Good” by Amy Winehouse
I understand the challenge, the competition, but when something cannot be done it should be stopped by the judge first and foremost instead of fighting an unreachable monster. Amy's version of the song was somehow exploited and distorted of all its intensity.
Rating 4

PATAGARRI in a jazz mashup between “Tu vuò fa l'americano” and “Bella ciao”
A perfect fit at the expense of time. As a side note, hearing Bella Ciao singing as if you were at a fried fish festival gives you a bit of a shiver. The Patagarri are the Patagarri.
Rating 5

LIVE GUEST

Guests of the fifth Live will be Coma_Cose.

Intimate, delicate and at the same time disruptive, California and Fausto Lama are the most interesting duo on the current musical scene and this Thursday they will present “PLOSTI VUOTI”, their new single with an energetic groove and melancholic story, recently released after the success of the engaging and hypnotic “MALAVITA” (platinum record), which reached first position in the radio charts during the summer of 2024.

ON AIR

The X Factor 2024 Live Shows will be every Thursday at 9.15pm on Sky Uno and streaming on NOW, always available on demand and visible on Sky Go; on the Tuesday following the first on air they will then be shown at 9.30pm on TV8, at button 8 on the remote control.

– each Live Show will be preceded by the special and unmissable appointment with the Ante Factor, hosted by the very confirmed Gianluca Gazzoli live from the backstage a few meters from the stage, which in a few minutes will allow us to enter the already very hot climate of the X Factor Arena thanks to the live voice of competitors, judges and guests;

– the daily strip that accompanies Live, X Factor Daily, already broadcast on Sky and streaming on NOW from Monday to Friday at 7.20pm and always available on demand;

– the Wednesday appointment, at 9.15pm on Sky Uno and streaming on NOW, with the Road To, the recap of the journey of the X Factor 2024 contestants: rewatch of the performances, the assignment of the new songs, the rehearsals in the room, until the stage was turned on for studio rehearsals.

WEB & SOCIAL

Official website xfactor.sky.it
Official hashtag #XF2024