Ben Haenow sings 'Something I Need' on The X Factor UK 2014 Finals (VIDEO)
Ben Haenow sang 'Something I Need' on The X Factor UK 2014 Finals on Sunday, December 14, 2014.
In his VT, Ben sits in an empty movie theater, watching his X Factor journey projected on the big screen while he offers his commentary. He says he remembers every single second of his audition and how it felt. We get home videos of him, leading into his performance at judges' houses and the verdict that he would be going through to live shows. He says he feels like the luckiest guy in the world, noting just how much all this means to him.
Ben is singing "Something I Need" by OneRepublic as his winner's single, and I'll be interested to hear if Fleur changes her version up to make it different from Ben's, since we're going full-on American Idol Season 1 here (i.e., both finalists will be singing the same song as their potential single). It makes sense as a winner's single, although it doesn't really have that soaring, majestic, string-quartet-assisted quality that makes an X Factor winner's single memorable ("When We Collide" is still the gold standard, in my opinion). This performance came across less like Ben was making a case for the win, and more like he was simply enjoying the moment. And that made me like this way more than I would have otherwise, since he does end up getting pretty hoarse towards the end.
Louis says the obvious, noting that if you want Ben to be the winner, you have to pick up your phones and vote. Mel B praises Ben for finally showing "light and shade," a hokey phrase I really wish she'd stop using. That said, she does have a point when she notes that this actually sounded like a song made for him. Cheryl is similarly high on Ben. Simon says this is everything Ben has dreamed of, and that all his hard work is paying off. After the performance, we get some genuinely touching videos from his loved ones, from his mother saying "That's my Ben up there" to Ben's brother noting that Ben is so amazing up there that he doesn't even think of him as his brother. Ben fights tears, thanking his family for being his support.
But what do you think of Ben Haenow?
Watch the performance video below:
Live Blog: The X Factor UK 2014 Finals