Birmingham-based hopeful Georgina Panton made quite a stir during her audition for the 2017 series of The X-Factor. She couldn’t contain her excitement as she ran before the judges, bursting with energy. Initially, Simon Cowell’s eyes widened with alarm upon hearing the 20-year-old mom’s excited scream. Thankfully, the judges were captivated by her wild dancing and shouts of delight. “Now that is an entrance!” exclaimed Alesha Dixson.
Panton’s confidence was undeniable. She told the judges, “I know I am the winner of The X-Factor 2017.”. She even cheekily asked Cowell to give her a smile, which he obliged her with. Having made sure she had the judges’ attention, she began her version of Rhianna’s 2016 track “Love on the Brain.”. But could her singing performance live up to her energetic introduction to the judges?
Her performance carried the same raw energy she had shown in bounding before the judges. She swayed around in expressive dance moves while displaying a powerful soul voice. Simon eventually held up his hand, having heard all he needed from her. He described her performance as “a little bit all over the place” but nonetheless found her “mesmerising” and gave his approval.
The other judges echoed Cowell’s praise, with Sharon Osbourne describing her as “fearless” and having raw talent like an “untrained racehorse.”. The judges unanimously gave Panton the yeses she needed to go through to the next round. Panton went on to the Six Chair Challenge. During this, she sang another Rhianna track, “Diamonds.”. Cowell again lavished her with praise, saying, “You just give everything you’ve got. You literally lay it on the floor.”
After this, Panton went through the Judges’ House stage, where she was eliminated. The series was won by the group Rak-Su, who were mentored by Simon Cowell. Although she didn’t win the series, as she had declared she would, she certainly won the judges’ approval with her spirited performances. There may never have been an entrance in the auditions quite as energetic as Panton’s, the video of which has been viewed over 6.5 million times on YouTube.