The fourth and final round of auditions for X Factor USA kicked off in the New York City area, Newark, New Jersey to be specific. Young performers with attitude and confidence were particularly good as the final set of contestants to advance to bootcamp were chosen.
1. Jazzlyn Little, age 16
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16 year old Jazzlyn Little had a tremendous set of nerves in advance of her performance. From the first notes of Mary J. Blige's song "I'm Going Down," the nerves took a back seat to her phenomenally soulful and mature vocals. Three of the four judges gave Jazzlyn Little a standing ovation. L.A. Reid said, "That's a superstar name with a superstar voice."
2. Tora Woloshin, age 21
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21 year old Tora Woloshin's look and sound are utterly contemporary. Her aspirations outside of music are to be an automotive technician and build race cars. She sang the Jackson 5 classic "I Want You Back." The full throated sound she gave to the song took it a new, more current direction. Nicole Scherzinger said, "There's something funky and cool and different about you, and I really dig you."
3. Brennin Hunt, age 26
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Is it confidence or conceit? Few other contestants are as confident as Brennin Hunt. He stated, "My ultimate goal is to rule the world." Looking at him and listening to him before the performance, it was impossible to know whether he really could sing or the show was setting us up for another woefully misguided contestant. Brennin Hunt took the risk of performing a self-written song "How We Make It." Fortunately, as he said, he is "the total package." Paula Abdul said simply, "The tone of your voice struck a chord in my heart."
4. Brian Bradley, age 14
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14 year old Brian Bradley took the stage with attitude and confidence to burn. His infectious rap, "Stop Looking At My Mom" had judges joining in by the end. Brian Bradley's performance does raise questions about whether he can actually sing or can only rap. However, the audience and judges were caught up in the energy and stage presence. Simon Cowell said, "You are arrogant, obnoxious, argumentative, but you are one of the most talented young people I've heard in a long, long time."
5. Nick Dean, age 14
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We did not see a very long segment, but 14 year old Nick Dean was another young contestant brimming with confidence. He sang his first single "Walk Away." The four judges gave easy yes votes for him, and I expect we will definitely see more of Nick Dean as the competition advances.
