Has Horsham’s singing superstar got the X Factor?

A teenage singing sensation from Horsham will take the next step on his X Factor journey when the hit television show airs this weekend.
Nathanael Landskroner pictured earlier this yearNathanael Landskroner pictured earlier this year
Nathanael Landskroner pictured earlier this year

Nathanael Landskroner, 16, wowed Simon Cowell and the other judges with his performance of Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror on the programme last weekend.

The youngster performed alongside other solo artists and a group, and was revealed to have made it through to the next stage of the show’s boot camp.

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Nathanael was watching the programme with his family and a few friends. He said: “My phone went crazy, I thought it was going to break.
“You don’t know how you are going to come across on TV. It wasn’t weird seeing myself on TV, it’s not as weird as you think.”

The former student at Oriel High School in Crawley was given the thumbs up by celebrity judges Cowell, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Nick Grimshaw and Rita Ora.

Nathanael, who has been singing and performing since the age of five, said he ‘just needed to man up’ and tackle the X Factor this year.

He flew through his audition, performing a medley of Bon Jovi’s ‘Always’ and Sam Smith’s ‘Lay Me Down’.

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He said: “The first line I sang, I have never been so scared in my life, it was terrifying.”
But he had no reason to be worried, as the audience and judges loved the performance.

“The audience got behind me and I could see the judges smiling.

“Simon put his hand up to stop me and my heart completely dropped and there was this pause, and the audience gave this massive roar and started standing up.”

All four judges said ‘yes’ to the teenager, who was whisked off to a secret location for boot camp within a matter of days.

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In the next challenge shown this weekend, the last 180 hopefuls, including Nathanel, perform a track solo.

Only 60 acts will remain in the competition after the challenge, and Nathanael has been sworn to secrecy over his fate.

Proud mum Jill said: “It has been an interesting year, in the last year Nathanael has gone from singing in a field of pouring rain to pre-support for The Vamps up in Birmingham.

“It has been an incredible journey so far. I am incredibly proud of him, not just for the talent side of things but his attitude throughout has been stunning.”

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