The Clique were an Australian pop duo consisting of members Jacinta Gulisano and Jordan Rodrigues. They were formed in 2013 originally as the

trio Trio may refer to: Music Groups * Trio (music), an ensemble of three performers, or a composition for such an ensemble ** Jazz trio, pianist, double bassist, drummer ** Minuet and trio, a form in classical music ** String trio, a group of three ...

Third Degree, who competed in the fifth season of ''

The X Factor Australia ''The X Factor'' is an Australian television reality music competition, based on the original UK series, to find new singing talent. The first season of the show premiered on Network Ten on 6 February 2005. Ten dropped ''The X Factor'' after ...

'' and were the tenth contestant eliminated. The group subsequently signed with

Sony Music Australia Sony Music Entertainment Australia is the predominant record label operated by American parent company Sony Music Entertainment in Australia. Prior to 1995, SMEA published and distributed video games in Australia & New Zealand on behalf of So ...

and released their debut single "

Different Kind of Love "Different Kind of Love" is the debut single by Third Degree who finished fourth on season five of '' The X Factor Australia''. It was released digitally by Sony Music Australia on 1 November 2013. Background and release "Different Kind of Lo ...

", which peaked at number 22 on the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. Following the departure of Kelebek in 2014, Third Degree changed their name to The Clique and were no longer signed to Sony Music. The group disbanded in 2015 to pursue solo careers.

History

2013: Third Degree

Third Degree was formed in 2013 on the fifth season of ''

'' by judges

Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer, songwriter, actor and presenter. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop g ...

Dannii Minogue Dannii Minogue (; born 20 October 1971) is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. As a child, she became known for her appearances on the television talent show ''Young Talent Time'' (1982–1988). She went on to play the r ...

and

Redfoo Stefan Kendal Gordy (born September 3, 1975), better known as Redfoo, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, record producer, DJ, dancer, and tennis player. He came to prominence as one half of the duo LMFAO, formed with his half-nephew Sky ...

. Their initial line-up included Kelebek, Jacinta Gulisano and Jordan Rodrigues. All three members originally auditioned on the show as solo contestants and progressed to the super bootcamp stage, where they got eliminated. However, the judges called them back to form a mixed group for the Groups category. All three members were notably unhappy at first about being put in a group, stating that it was an "odd trio". Third Degree entered in the third day of bootcamp, where they sang "

No Diggity "No Diggity" is a song by American R&B group Blackstreet featuring American rappers Dr. Dre and Queen Pen, serving as the first single from their second studio album, '' Another Level'' (1996). The song was released on July 29, 1996, by Inter ...

" by Blackstreet to the judges and a live audience of one thousand. They received a standing ovation, and subsequently progressed to the home visits stage. During home visits, Third Degree sang "

Can't Hold Us "Can't Hold Us" is a song written and performed by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring American singer Ray Dalton, originally released on August 16, 2011, as the second single from the duo's debut album '' The Heist'' (2012 ...

" by

Macklemore Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (born June 19, 1983), better known by his stage name Macklemore ( ; formerly Professor Macklemore), is an American rapper. A native of Seattle, Washington, he started his career in 2000 as an independent artist rele ...

and

Ryan Lewis Ryan Scott Lewis (born March 25, 1988) is an American musician and record producer based in Seattle, Washington. Along with producing his own album, ''Instrumentals'', Lewis produced the albums ''The VS. EP'' (2009), '' The Heist'' (2012), and ...

in front of their mentor

Natalie Bassingthwaighte Natalie Bassingthwaighte (; born 1 September 1975) is an Australian singer, actress and television personality. Born and raised in Wollongong, New South Wales, she began her career in musical theatre. She later pursued an acting career in 1998 ...

and guest mentor

Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer who rose to fame after winning the Australian Idol (season 1), first season of ''Australian Idol'', in 2003. Born in Malaysia and raised in Adelaide, Australia, Sebastian h ...

. Bassingthwaighte later selected Third Degree, along with JTR and Adira-Belle, for the live finals—a series of ten weekly live shows in which contestants are progressively eliminated by public vote. For the Judges' Choice-themed first live show, Third Degree sang "

thatPower #thatPower is a song by American recording artist will.i.am, taken from his fourth studio album, '' #willpower''. The song features Canadian singer Justin Bieber, who wrote the song alongside will.i.am, Verrigni, and Damien Leroy (DJ Ammo). Th ...

" by

will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "will I am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is the frontman of the musical group Black Eyed Peas, which he ...

and received positive feedback from the judges. In week six of the live shows, Third Degree fell into the bottom two alongside JTR but was saved after Keating, Minogue and Redfoo all opted to eliminate JTR. Following the eliminations of Adira-Belle and JTR, Third Degree became the only remaining act in the Groups category. In week eight of the live shows, Third Degree fell into the bottom two alongside

Jiordan Tolli Jiordan Anna Tolli (born 17 June 1994) is an Australian actress and singer, known for playing the role of Lolly Allen in the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours''. In 2013, Tolli competed in the fifth season of ''The X Factor Australia'' and re ...

. The judges' vote went to deadlock, and Tolli was eliminated after it was revealed she received the fewest votes. In the semi-finals, Third Degree sang "

Give Me Everything "Give Me Everything" is a song by American rapper Pitbull featuring Dutch DJ Afrojack and American singers Ne-Yo and Nayer. Written by the former three and produced by Afrojack, it was released on March 18, 2011, through Polo Grounds Music, M ...

" by

Pitbull Pit bull is an umbrella term for several types of dog believed to have descended from bull and terriers. In the United States, the term is usually considered to include the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American B ...

and "

Pound the Alarm "Pound the Alarm" is a song by rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on June 12, 2012 by Young Money, Cash Money, and Universal Republic as the fourth single from her second studio album, '' Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded'' (2012). The song was writt ...

" by

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...

, gaining positive reviews from the judges. Despite this, they fell into the bottom two alongside

Taylor Henderson Taylor James Henderson (born 23 March 1993) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Originating from Ceres, Victoria, Henderson rose to fame after placing third on the Australia's Got Talent (series 4), fourth series of ''Australia's Got Tale ...

. The judges' vote went to deadlock, and Henderson advanced to the grand final after it was revealed he received the most public votes, leading to Third Degree being eliminated.

Performances on ''The X Factor''

After ''The X Factor'' ended, Third Degree received a recording contract with

and released their debut single "

" on 1 November 2013. "Different Kind of Love" debuted and peaked at number 22 on the

. On 23 November 2013, Third Degree toured alongside Henderson, Tolli,

Dami Im Dami Im ( ; ; ; born 17 October 1988) is an Australian singer and songwriter. She represented Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 held in Stockholm, Sweden with the song " Sound of Silence", placing second and achieving the highes ...

and

Jai Waetford Jai Waetford (born 25 January 1999) is an Australian pop singer and songwriter who was the last contestant eliminated on the fifth season of '' The X Factor Australia''. He subsequently signed with Sony Music Australia and released his debut s ...

for The X Factor Live Tour, which ended on 2 December 2013. On 7 March 2014, it was announced that Kelebek had left the group to pursue a solo career, leaving Gulisano and Rodrigues as a duo.

2014: The Clique

On 22 May 2014, Gulisano and Rodrigues announced in a video posted to their YouTube and Facebook accounts that they changed the group's name to The Clique. Their first song as The Clique, titled "Live the Life", was released independently on 12 June 2014. The group disbanded in 2015 to pursue solo careers.

Members

Jacinta Gulisano

Jacinta Gulisano, born , is from Sydney. She was a student at Aquinas College in

Menai, New South Wales Menai is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 29 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the Local government in Australia, local government area of the Sutherland Shire. History Menai ...

. In 2009, Gulisano was a semi-finalist in the

third series Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...

of ''

Australia's Got Talent ''Australia's Got Talent'' is an Australian reality television talent show. The show is based on the '' Got Talent'' series format that originated in the United Kingdom with Simon Cowell. The first six seasons aired on the Seven Network, from ...

'', as a member of the singing trio Soundcheck. In 2013, it was revealed she had been dating ''

Dance Academy ''Dance Academy'' is an Australian teen drama television series produced by Werner Film Productions in association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and ZDF. Series one premiered on 31 May 2010, and series two began airing on 12 Ma ...

'' actor

Jordan Rodrigues Jordan Rodrigues (born 20 July 1992) is an Australian actor and dancer. He is best known for his role as Trey Emory in the Hulu original series ''Light as a Feather''. He has starred and appeared in TV series ''Dance Academy'', ''Home and Away'' ...

. Gulisano auditioned for ''The X Factor'' singing "

LaserLight "Laserlight" is a song by English singer-songwriter Jessie J featuring French DJ David Guetta, taken from the platinum edition of Jessie J's debut studio album, '' Who You Are'' (2011). The artists co-wrote the song with The Invisible Men, ...

" by

Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind ...

, and progressed to the super bootcamp stage of the competition. During bootcamp, she sang a mash-up of "

Who's Lovin' You "Who's Lovin' You" is a Motown soul song, written in 1960 by William "Smokey" Robinson. The song has been recorded by many different artists including The Miracles, who recorded the 1960 original version, The Temptations, The Supremes, Terence T ...

" by the

Jackson 5 The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Ti ...

and "

Telephone A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most ...

" by

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

. Prior to entering ''The X Factor'', she was a vocal coach and a dance teacher. Gulisano cites

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

, Jessie J,

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

and

The Black Eyed Peas The Black Eyed Peas are an American musical group formed in Los Angeles in 1995, composed of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo (rapper), Taboo. Fergie (singer), Fergie was a member during the height of their popularity in the 2000s, and ...

as her musical influences.

Jordan Rodrigues

Jordan Rodrigues, born , is from

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. He auditioned for ''The X Factor'' singing "

DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" is a song by American singer Usher featuring American rapper Pitbull, who wrote the song with Savan Kotecha and producers Shellback and Max Martin. It was originally intended for Rihanna's 2010 album ''Loud'', b ...

" by Usher, and progressed to the super bootcamp stage. During bootcamp, Rodrigues sang " Lately" by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

. He cites Michael Jackson, Usher and

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

as his musical influences.

Kelebek

Vanessa "Kelebek" Skrypczak, born , is from

Albury, New South Wales Albury (; ) is a major regional city that is located in the Murray River, Murray region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the twin city of Albury–Wodonga, Albury-Wodonga and is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of ...

. Kelebek is of Filipino and German descent. She previously auditioned for the fourth season of ''The X Factor'', under her birth name Vanessa Skrypczak, and made it to the top 24. She auditioned for the fifth season singing " Good Feeling" by

Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), known professionally as Flo Rida ( ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 debut and breakout single "Low (Flo Rida song), Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the ...

, and progressed to the super bootcamp stage. During bootcamp, Kelebek sang " Change Your Life" by

Little Mix Little Mix are an English girl group that formed on the eighth series of ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor.'' They are the first group and the only girl group to win the original UK series. The lineup consisted of Leigh-Anne Pin ...

. Kelebek cites Michael Jackson,

Eve Eve is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Creation myths develop through oral traditions and there ...

, Beyoncé, Jessie J,

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman. With over 30 million records sold worldwide, she was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix ...

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...

Slaughterhouse In livestock agriculture and the meat industry, a slaughterhouse, also called an abattoir (), is a facility where livestock animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a mea ...

and The Black Eyed Peas as her musical influences. On 7 March 2014, Third Degree's ''X Factor'' mentor Natalie Bassingthwaighte announced on her Twitter account that Kelebek had left the group. Kelebek stated that she wanted to re-pursue her solo career, saying: "I began as a soloist but it has been hard splitting from the group."

Concert tours

;Headlining *The X Factor Live Tour (2013)

Discography

Third Degree

Singles

Other charted songs

The Clique

Singles

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clique 2013 establishments in Australia Musical groups established in 2013 The X Factor (Australian TV series) contestants Australian pop music groups Australian musical duos Pop music duos Male–female musical duos