By Sarah Bull


'They are a revelation': Simon Cowell has backed Little Mix to win, saying they will 'make history'


Cowell's prediction came after Tulisa became the fifth member of the girl group for a stunning duet as the collaborative act performed a mash-up of Alicia Key's Empire State Of Mind and If I Ain't Got You.

They have already made X Factor history by becoming the first girl group to make it through to the final of The X Factor.

And one person backing Little Mix to be the first ever group to win the competition is mogul Simon Cowell, who called the quartet a 'revelation' as he spoke to the judges via satellite link on The Xtra Factor.

Speaking from the comfort of his Los Angeles home, Cowell said: 'Little Mix are a revelation and if a girl group were to win the show, it makes history.'

Cowell's prediction came after Tulisa became the fifth member of the girl group for a stunning duet as the collaborative act performed a mash-up of Alicia Key's Empire State Of Mind and If I Ain't Got You.

Before the performance, the girls said: 'If it wasn't for Tulisa believing in us from the start, we wouldn't be here today.

'We cannot wait to stand on the stage in front of 10,000 people and sing it with Tulisa. We have to go out there tonight and give the best performance we have ever given.'

And Tulisa, who had changed into a pointed shoulder outfit for the group track, added she was feeling nervous about the performance, adding: 'This is my first experience singing with girls.'

Afterwards, Tulisa said of Little Mix: 'I really have met friends - such true, genuine, talented young ladies who deserve this more than anyone I know.'

And Jade added: 'We wouldn't have wanted to duet with anyone else - we couldn't be happier doing it with Tulisa.'

Meanwhile, Cowell, who said in a previous interview that Little Mix 'could be bigger than the Spice Girls', also backed the group to take home the X Factor crown in the final programme tomorrow night.

Asked whose performance he liked the best, Cowell said: 'If I had to pick someone - no question of a doubt, Little Mix won the night.'

He added: 'Watching the final really made me miss being back in Britain. It was absolutely amazing. One of the best finals I have ever seen and I wasn't on it!'

Cowell, who was reported to have been unhappy with the ratings figures for this year's series, also took the time to comment on the new judging panel - Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow, Kelly Rowland and Tulisa Contostavlos.


Four become five: Tulisa joined the girls on stage for a duet later in the evening

Energetic: The girls also performed an energetic rendition of Florence And The Machine's You've Got The Love


He said: 'The panel have done great this year. we could have had a little bit more controversy but at the end of the day it's all about finding stars and I think Marcus versus Little Mix is going to be sensational.'

Cowell, who wasn't on The X Factor this year as he wanted to concentrate on his role on the X Factor USA panel, said that he thoroughly enjoyed watching the judges duet with their finalists.

He said: 'I thought duets were great. I thought all three contestants did really well. I liked the opening number by Marcus and I thought Amelia Lily sang really well but Little Mix won the night.'

Waiting to hear the news: Tulisa and Little Mix wait to hear if they have made it through


But he added there is someone else he would like to see take to the stage for the 2012 series, adding: 'In terms of the duets, I want to see Louis next year, I would pay more money to see that!'

Meanwhile, Marcus said he was thrilled to have made it through to the final show, and was looking forward to competing against Little Mix.

He said: 'I don't mind who I'm up against - I just want to perform to the best of my ability. I'm so proud of those girls, Little Mix have worked so hard.'

And after making it through, Jesy said: 'We just feel like the luckiest girls in the world to be able to perform in front of 10,000 people at Wembley Arena.'

It was also claimed that Little Mix could be singing at next year's Olympic Games, as Cowell is in talks with organisers about getting the group a slot.

Tonight is the night: Little Mix and Tulisa jump for joy as they find out that they are through to the final show


A source told the Daily Star Sunday: 'This is the biggest opportunity an X Factor act will have been offered in the history of the show - it has taken months to pull off.'

Little Mix's young fan base were left fuming last night, however, when they realised that they could not vote for the girls to win.

Angry fans claimed that they were being denied the chance to vote after the normal 35p text message tariff was abolished in favour of expensive telephone calls.

The young fan base of Little Mix were unable to risk voting for the group because it would have meant racking up large phone bills.

One supporter took to Twitter and said: 'No text voting tonight on #xfactor = Little Mix screwed.'

Show bosses were accused of giving Marcus a huge advantage because his fan base is much older and more likely to own a phone line.

X Factor organisers claim that they had to scrap the text vote ahead of the final because they feared that an error would make some votes unable to be counted in time.




source:dailymail