Tonight on ‘X Factor,’ the remaining five contestants performed not one, but two songs for a spot in the semi-finals. The show started off with a bang courtesy of vocal powerhouse Melanie Amaro. For her first performance, the contestant, who is one of two left on Simon Cowell‘s team, was challenged to perform a dance song, and she chose to tackle a remixed version of Adele‘s ‘Someone Like You.’

Amaro’s first performance of ‘Someone Like You’ was strong, as the songstress belted out the lyrics and strutted down an illuminated catwalk to the heavy techno beat. As Simon said, Amaro embodies the word ‘diva’ and she rocks nearly every performance with that huge voice and wonderful stage presence. “What I love about that [performance] is that it wasn’t karaoke. It was taking a track and doing something different with it,” Cowell told his pupil. “You’ve got confidence … You would have a hit record with that version [of the song].”

For her second performance, Amaro kept up the diva persona as she blew the roof off with a rendition of Whitney Houston‘s ‘When You Believe.’ There were some issues with the song scheduling for the competition, and the contestants were informed the night before the show that they would have to choose their own song for their second performance. Amaro made a wise choice when she chose the exhilarating Houston track.

Amaro’s strong, beautiful vocals gave us goosebumps as she showed off the pipes that she was gifted with during her version of ‘When You Believe.’ Paula Abdul summed up Amaro’s second performance as she said, “It’s when I close my eyes … I can hear Whitney and I can hear Mariah. I can hear those greats … Less is more totally works for you. It was [a beautiful performance].” Simon Cowell added a more-than-interesting tidbit when he said, “Actually, a very good friend of mine is in the audience tonight. The man who signed Whitney, Clive Davis.” How’s that for some added pressure, Mel?

Do you think Melanie Amaro has secured herself a spot in the semi-finals? We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out! In the meantime, let us know if you are rooting for Amaro by leaving a comment below.

Watch Melanie Perform Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ on ‘X Factor’

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