X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

'' is a Danish television music competition to find new singing talent. The eighth season premiered on 2 January 2015 and ended on 27 March on DR1. Eva Harlou returned as host for her second season.

Thomas Blachman Thomas Blachman (born 1963) is a Danish jazz musician, composer, and judge on the Danish version of ''X Factor''. Biography Blachman is the son of Henning and Annie Blachman. One of his grandfathers is Isak Blachman, a Jewish immigrant from Vit ...

Remee Remee Sigvardt Jackman (né Mikkel Johan Imer Sigvardt; born 8 November 1974), better known as Remee, is a Danish rapper, songwriter, producer and composer. Career Remee has written more than 60 hits and has sold over 25 million records. He has c ...

and

Lina Rafn Lina Rafn Sørensen (born 12 August 1976), known professionally as Lina Rafn is a Danish people, Danish female singer, songwriter and producer active in the band Infernal (Danish band), Infernal. Additionally, she is a former VJ (media personali ...

returned as judges for their respective seventh, fifth and fourth seasons.

Judges and hosts

On 29 March 2014

announced that he would not be returning as a judge for season 8. On 11 August it was announced that Eva Harlou would be returning as host. On 18 August it was announced that

and Remee would all be returning as judges for season 8.

Selection process

Auditions

Auditions took place in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

and

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...

5 Chair Challenge

For the eighth season, superbootcamp was replaced by 5 Chair Challenge. 5 Chair Challenge was filmed from 28 to 29 October 2014. The 14-22s category was changed to the 15-22s. Remee received the 15-22s category, Rafn received the Over 23s and Blachman received the Groups. Before the Groups were due to perform, Blachman removed two of the chairs. The 15 successful acts were: *15-22s: Baraa, Daniel, Emilie, Johannes, Tannaz *Over 23s: Jògvan, Nanni, Peter, Rene, Sophia *Groups: The CCS, Citybois, Finn & Rie, Ivarsson, Bang & Neumann, Second Venue

Bootcamp

Remee took the 15-22s to a military base; Rafn took the Over 23s to

Horsens Statsfængsel Horsens Statsfængsel (Horsens State Prison), formerly called Horsens Straffeanstalt (Horsens Correctional Institution), is a former prison in Horsens, Horsens, Denmark. Today it is a crime and Prison Museum, prison museum called Horsens Prison M ...

; and Blachman took the Groups to a school. For the first time since the show's inception in 2008, the judges had no assistants. The 6 eliminated acts were: *15-22s: Daniel, Johannes *Over 23s: Peter, Rene *Groups: The CCS, Second Venue

Contestants

Key: : – Winner : – Runner-up

Live shows

The live shows started on 13 February 2015 at

DR Byen DR Byen (; ) is the headquarters of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, DR, located in Copenhagen, Denmark, in the northwestern part of Amager. The first employees moved into DR Byen in 2006 and 2007, but the entire building, including the Ko ...

. The final will be held at

Jyske Bank Boxen Jyske Bank Boxen is an indoor arena, located in Herning, Denmark, that is part of the Messecenter Herning. Opened in October 2010, it has a maximum capacity of 15,000. It hosts concerts, ice hockey, basketball, volleyball, team handball and gymnas ...

Herning Herning () is a Denmark, Danish town in the Central Denmark Region of the Jutland peninsula. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Herning Municipality. Herning has a population of 51,782 (1 January 2025)

on 27 March. ;Colour key Contestants' colour key: :

Live show details

Alien Beat Club Alien Beat Club (often abbreviated as ABC) were a Danish pop/ R&B group, best known as second-place winners on Series 2 of ''The X Factor''. Its members - Kasper Spring Ehlers, Marcel Mark Gbekle, Patricia Namakula Mbabazi and Stephanie Lykkehø ...

, Thomas Ring Petersen, Babou, Tandberg & Østenby, Jean Michel, Karoline, Zaina,

Anthony Jasmin Anthony Jasmin sometimes Anthony & Jasmin is a Danish pop duo who on 28 March 2014 won season 7 of the Danish version of ''X Factor'' in 2014. After Anthony Lopez and Jasmin Dahl were eliminated as solo artists at bootcamp, the duo was formed and ...

, Lucy Mardou and Henriette Haubjerg (" A Sky Full of Stars") ;Judges' votes to eliminate * Remee: Sophia Nohr – backed his own act, Baraa Qadoura * Rafn: Baraa Qadoura – backed her own act, Sophia * Blachman: Sophia Nohr

Week 4 (6 March)

*Theme: Danish hits ;Judges' votes to eliminate * Rafn: Tannaz Hakami: decided to go with the talent instead of the voice * Blachman: decided to let Remee decide between his two acts * Remee: Tannaz Hakami

Week 5 (13 March)

*Theme: Songs from Movies (accompanied by DR Bigband) * Group Performance: "

Uptown Funk "Uptown Funk" is a song by British record producer Mark Ronson featuring American singer Bruno Mars. It was released on 10 November 2014, as the lead single from Ronson's fourth studio album, '' Uptown Special'' (2015). "Uptown Funk" was wri ...

" ;Judges' votes to eliminate * Blachman: Baraa Qadoura – backed his own act, Ivarsson, Bang & Neumann, and also said to Baraa Qadoura that he never thought a contestant had been sent through after three times in the bottom two * Remee: Ivarsson, Bang & Neumann – backed his own act, Baraa Qadoura * Rafn: Baraa Qadoura – because it was Qadoura's third time in the bottom two

Week 6: Semi-final (20 March)

* Theme: Viewers choice; Judges choice * Musical guest: Basim ("Picture in a frame") and ("

I Believe I Can Fly "I Believe I Can Fly" is a song written, produced, and performed by American singer R. Kelly from the soundtrack to the 1996 film '' Space Jam''. It was originally released on November 26, 1996, and was later included on Kelly's 1998 album '' R ...

") The semi-final did not feature a final showdown and instead the act with the fewest public votes, Citybois, was automatically eliminated.

Week 7: Final (27 March)

* Theme: Free Choice; Duet with Musical Guests; winner's single * Musical guests: Ulige Numre ("Halvnøgen"); Julias Moon ("Palace"); Stine Bramsen ("The Day You Leave Me"); OMI ("

Cheerleader Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ent ...

") * Group Performances: " Break Free" (

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...

featuring

Zedd Anton Zaslavski (; born 2 September 1989), known professionally as Zedd (), is a German record producer and DJ. His stage name, Zedd, was derived from ''zed'', the Z#Name and pronunciation, English pronunciation, barring American English, for ...

; Performed of Ivarsson, Bang & Neumann, Emilie Esther, and Jógvan); " Born This Way" (

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 ...

; (auditionees); "Vi er helte" (Performed of Peter Bjørnskov and X Factor 2015 contestants)

Controversies and criticism

On 25 March, two days before the final, Bente Boserup, leader of BørneTelefonen, criticized the Danish ''X Factor'' for exposing children under 18 to high pressure and stress, after contestants Baraa Qadoura and Tannaz Hakami broke down in tears during the fourth live show. This was supported by psychologist John Halse, as well as contestant Finn Irs, who protested by not showing up to the all-stars song during the final live show. Irs stated that the producers were more interested in their contestants showing their emotions, rather than making a musical show. Jan Lagermand Lundme, the

contributing editor A contributing editor is a newspaper, magazine or online job title that varies in its responsibilities. Often, but not always, a contributing editor is a "high-end" freelancer, consultant, or expert who has proven ability and has readership dra ...

on DR1, stated that all contestants were checked by a psychologist to see if they were fit to handle the pressure.Politiken: Børneeksperter: Fjern alle under 18 år fra X Factor.
(Danish)

References

{{X Factor (Denmark) Season 08 2015 Danish television seasons