A former contestant from the BBC’s The Voice, Si Genaro from the New Forest, was among hundreds of other hopefuls who turned up to Bournemouth Square Obscura Cafe for the X Factor auditions yesterday.
Despite his previous talent show success, Mr Genaro, 43, failed to win a spot on this year’s series. He said: “I did a Damien Rice song called Volcano which I do very well and it got me through into The Voice but it didn’t work today.”
But he added that he still had a chance at the upcoming London auditions. “I’m already down for that, so I still have another crack at it,” he said.
His disappointment didn’t seem to last long as he broke out into an impromptu performance with his guitar in front of gathering crowds.
Mr Genaro currently organises open-mic nights in Bournemouth and Christchurch several evenings a week. Local musician Michael Newby is a regular performer at Mr Genaro’s open-mic sessions. He insisted they are always successful and have a good turn-out. “Si is great. It’s people like him that keep the music scene going in Bournemouth. He’s such a character and manages to create a buzzing atmosphere at his open-mic nights,” he said.
Mr Genaro would encourage anyone with a love for singing to audition for competitions. “I would say do it because it’s fun,” he said. Go in, have a good time, be yourself, be natural and perform as if you were playing a gig. Regardless of whether you get through or not, forget about it and move onto the next thing.”
