Student X-Factor queen crowned

After weeks of auditions Liverpool has finally crowned its Student X-Factor winner. Rosie Ashton, aged 19 from Stockport, won the competition. The contest was hard fought with some great performances but Rosie was the final victor. She said: “I can’t actually believe it. I thought it was a joke. I’m in shock.”

On the night, Rosie’s second song wouldn’t play for technological reasons. She was saved when a member of the band she sings in played an acoustic cover. Rosie said: “I’d just started the song and I was quite nervous so I thought I’d started badly. I thought it was going to be embarrassing but luckily Dave stepped in and played the song.”

Rosie had never performed in front of an audience before the event except for karaoke nights with friends. She said: “At the first rehearsals when I heard everyone else I thought 'oh God, why am I here... I’m going to lose'.”

First prize was £150 and the chance to record a track with music producer and studio engineer Gaylor Mupingu. Second prize went to Gemma McDowell, aged 16 from Liverpool Community College.

Since winning the competition Rosie has been practising with her band, Back to Frank, working on new material. She has been contacted by a producer interested in recording her singing. Rosie said: “Maybe now I will try at a music career. I thought it was a bit of a joke in the beginning but who knows?”

Alexander William Bollands, a contestant in the final, said: “It’s been really exciting. I’m a drama student but I’ve never done singing before so I was a little nervous.”

The performers were selected from some of the top universities and colleges in Liverpool. Dave Makungu, Chairman of Fusion Corps who organised the event, said: “We’ve been really chuffed by how straight forward the audition process went and the variety of talent from the cities universities and colleges.” He added: “The standard of the performers has been generally high although some of the auditions served to be quite comical.”

Fusion Corps is a project set up by a group of students and friends to put on student orientated events. Dave Makungu said: “It’s something to kick start the year with a bang. We hope its achieved recognition not only as a student event, but as a public one too and can become an annual thing.”