MANILA, Philippines — The girls finally gave what Simon Cowell has been asking for.
All-Filipino girl group 4th Impact impressed Cowell and the other judges during the fifth live week of the reality talent show "X Factor UK" on Saturday night (Sunday morning, Philippine time).
Sisters Almira, Mylene, Celina and Irene Cercado performed two songs for the week's Jukebox and Mentor's Choice theme.
The girls sang Michael Jackson's "I'll Be There" for their jukebox song, as chosen by the public via online voting earlier this week, and a mash-up of "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea and "Rich Girl" by Gwen Stefani, as chosen by their mentor Cheryl Fernandez-Versini.
This week saw 4th Impact sing their first ballad in the competition, with Almira showing off her whistle note during the song's chorus.
Watch 4th Impact's performance of "I'll Be There":
Watch 4th Impact's performance of "Fancy/Rich Girl":
Last week, Cowell criticized the girls for not showing their individually, referring to them as A, B, C and D. Nonetheless, he praised 4th Impact for their performance in general.
"B, your vocal is absolutely outstanding," he said, referring to Almira.
But with the "Fancy" and "Rich Girl" mashup, 4th Impact finally showed their individuality, Cowell said.
"At last, we see four personalities. Why has it taken so long," he said. "It was fun, it was cute, it was current. I now know you as Almira, Irene, Celina and Myrene. It was so much better... This was great."
Rita Ora, however, said "was not a fan" of the whole production, although added she's "a fan of your voices, so that's okay."
"That's an absolutely slam dunk," Fernandez-Versini said.
One contestant will be eliminated from "X Factor UK" on Sunday night (Monday morning, Philippine time). — Chuck Smith