# X Factor (Danish TV series) season 8

X Factor 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, Remee and Lina Rafn returned as judges for their respective seventh, fifth and fourth seasons.

## Judges and hosts

On 29 March 2014 Remee 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 Thomas Blachman, Lina Rafn and Remee would all be returning as judges for season 8.

## Selection process
### Auditions

Auditions took place in Copenhagen and Aarhus.

### 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; 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
| Act | Age(s) | Hometown | Category (mentor) | Result |
| Emilie Esther | 15 | Aalborg | 15-22s (Remee) | Winner |
| Jógvan Joensen | 25 | Faroe Islands | Over 23s (Rafn) | Runner-up |
| Ivarsson, Bang & Neumann | 16-21 | Frederiksberg, Holbæk & Holte | Groups (Blachman) | 3rd place |
| Citybois | 15-16 | Gentofte | Groups (Blachman) | 4th place |
| Baraa Qadoura | 15 | Gellerup | 15-22s (Remee) | 5th place |
| Tannaz Hakami | 16 | Odense | 15-22s (Remee) | 6th place |
| Sophia Nohr | 25 | Frederiksberg | Over 23s (Rafn) | 7th place |
| Finn & Rie | 56-60 | Tølløse & Slagelse | Groups (Blachman) | 8th place |
| Nanni Klitte | 26 | Randers | Over 23s (Rafn) | 9th place |

## Live shows

The live shows started on 13 February 2015 at DR Byen. The final will be held at Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning on 27 March.

### Colour key

| – | Contestant was in the bottom two and had to sing again in the final showdown |
| – | Contestant received the fewest public votes and was immediately eliminated (no final showdown) |
| – | Contestant received the most public votes |
Contestants' colour key:
    – Over 23s (Rafn's contestants)  – 15-22s (Remee's contestants)  – Groups (Blachman's contestants)
| | Contestant | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 7 |
| | Contestant | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | 1st round | 2nd round |
| | Emilie Esther | 2nd 13.7% | 3rd 14.7% | 1st 18.8% | 1st 20.8% | 1st 24.1% | 1st 32.7% | 1st 51.2% | Winner 59.8% |
| | Jógvan Joensen | 8th 7.3% | 2nd 15.6% | 4th 14.4% | 4th 16.3% | 2nd 20.8% | 2nd 25.6% | 2nd 27.4% | Runner-Up 40.2% |
| | Ivarsson, Bang & Neumann | 4th 13.2% | 5th 11.9% | 3rd 15.1% | 2nd 17.2% | 4th 18.5% | 3rd 22.2% | 3rd 21.4% | Eliminated (Week 7) |
| | Citybois | 5th 12.4% | 1st 16.4% | 2nd 15.7% | 3rd 16.7% | 3rd 18.6% | 4th 19.5% | Eliminated (Week 6) | Eliminated (Week 6) |
| | Baraa Qadoura | 1st 14.6% | 6th 11.2% | 7th 9.5% | 6th 14,4% | 5th 18.0% | Eliminated (Week 5) | Eliminated (Week 5) | Eliminated (Week 5) |
| | Tannaz Hakami | 6th 11,9% | 7th 10,0% | 5th 13,9% | 5th 14.6% | Eliminated (Week 4) | Eliminated (Week 4) | Eliminated (Week 4) | Eliminated (Week 4) |
| | Sophia Nohr | 3rd 13,3% | 4th 12,4% | 6th 12,6% | Eliminated (Week 3) | Eliminated (Week 3) | Eliminated (Week 3) | Eliminated (Week 3) | Eliminated (Week 3) |
| | Finn & Rie | 7th 7.8% | 8th 7.3% | Eliminated (Week 2) | Eliminated (Week 2) | Eliminated (Week 2) | Eliminated (Week 2) | Eliminated (Week 2) | Eliminated (Week 2) |
| | Nanni Klitte | 9th 6.4% | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) |
| Final Showdown | Final Showdown | Jógvan, Nanni | Finn & Rie, Tannaz Hakami | Baraa Qadoura, Sophia | Baraa Qadoura, Tannaz Hakami | Ivarsson, Bang & Neumann Baraa Qadoura | The act that received the fewest public votes was automatically eliminated. | The act that received the fewest public votes was automatically eliminated. | The act that received the fewest public votes was automatically eliminated. |
| Remee voted out | Remee voted out | Nanni Klitte | Finn & Rie | Sophia Nohr | Tannaz Hakami | Ivarsson, Bang & Neumann | The act that received the fewest public votes was automatically eliminated. | The act that received the fewest public votes was automatically eliminated. | The act that received the fewest public votes was automatically eliminated. |
| Rafn voted out | Rafn voted out | Nanni Klitte | Finn & Rie | Baraa Qadoura | Tannaz Hakami | Baraa Qadoura | The act that received the fewest public votes was automatically eliminated. | The act that received the fewest public votes was automatically eliminated. | The act that received the fewest public votes was automatically eliminated. |
| Blachman voted out | Blachman voted out | Jógvan | Tannaz Hakami | Sophia Nohr | - | Baraa Qadoura | The act that received the fewest public votes was automatically eliminated. | The act that received the fewest public votes was automatically eliminated. | The act that received the fewest public votes was automatically eliminated. |
| Eliminated | Eliminated | Nanni Klitte 9th | Finn & Rie 8th | Sophia 7th | Tannaz Hakami 6th | Baraa Qadoura 5th | Citybois 4th | Ivarsson, Bang & Neumann 3rd | Jógvan Joensen Runner-Up |
| Eliminated | Eliminated | Nanni Klitte 9th | Finn & Rie 8th | Sophia 7th | Tannaz Hakami 6th | Baraa Qadoura 5th | Citybois 4th | Ivarsson, Bang & Neumann 3rd | Emilie Esther Winner |

### Live show details
#### Week 1 (13 February)

* Theme: Signature
Contestants' performances on the first live show :
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
| Tannaz Hakami | 1 | "Take Me to Church" | Safe |
| Jógvan Joensen | 2 | "Forget Her" | Bottom two |
| Finn & Rie | 3 | "(That's How You Sing) Amazing Grace" | Safe |
| Emilie Esther | 4 | "We Are Young" | Safe |
| Ivarsson, Bang & Neumann | 5 | "White Winter Hymnal" | Safe |
| Nanni Klitte | 6 | "Kører for dig" | Eliminated |
| Citybois | 7 | "Former" | Safe |
| Sophia Nohr | 8 | "Ghost" | Safe |
| Baraa Qadoura | 9 | "We Are Here" | Safe |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Blachman: Jógvan
* Remee: Nanni Klitte
* Rafn: Nanni Klitte – felt the competition was not the right place for her

#### Week 2 (20 February)

* Theme: Grammy nominated hits
Contestants' performances on the second live show :
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
| Sophia Nohr | 1 | "American Pie" | Safe |
| Emilie Esther | 2 | "Chandelier" | Safe |
| Finn & Rie | 3 | "Harvest Moon" | Eliminated |
| Baraa Qadoura | 4 | "Brave" | Safe |
| Ivarsson, Bang & Neumann | 5 | "Holocene" | Safe |
| Tannaz Hakami | 6 | "I Want to Know What Love Is" | Bottom two |
| Jógvan Joensen | 7 | "Stay with Me" | Safe |
| Citybois | 8 | "Maniac" | Safe |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Remee: Finn & Rie – backed his own act, Tannaz Hakami
* Blachman: Tannaz Hakami – backed his own act, Finn & Rie
* Rafn: Finn & Rie – thought Hakami would get more out of a recording contract

#### Week 3 (27 February)

* Theme: Contemporary hits
* Musical guests: Heidi Svelmøe Herløw, Lucas, Asian Senstation, Alien Beat Club, Thomas Ring Petersen, Babou, Tandberg & Østenby, Jean Michel, Karoline, Zaina, Anthony Jasmin, Lucy Mardou and Henriette Haubjerg ("A Sky Full of Stars")
Contestants' performances on the third live show :
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
| Baraa Qadoura | 1 | "When Love Takes Over" | Bottom two |
| Sophia Nohr | 2 | "Prototypical" | Eliminated |
| Citybois | 3 | "The Strip" | Safe |
| Tannaz Hakami | 4 | "Back to Black" | Safe |
| Ivarsson, Bang & Neumann | 5 | "Miles and Miles" | Safe |
| Emilie Esther | 6 | "Wild Eyes"/"Pompeii" | Safe |
| Jógvan Joensen | 7 | "Radioactive" | Safe |

##### 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
Contestants' performances on the fourth live show :
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
| Citybois | 1 | "Lørdag aften" | Safe |
| Emilie Esther | 2 | "Glimpse of a Time" | Safe |
| Jógvan Joensen | 3 | "Når tiden går baglæns" | Safe |
| Baraa Qadoura | 4 | "Better Than Yourself (Criminal Mind Pt. 2)"/"Faded" | Bottom two |
| Ivarsson, Bang & Neumann | 5 | "Comforting Sounds" | Safe |
| Tannaz Hakami | 6 | "I Danmark er jeg født" | Eliminated |

##### 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"
Contestants' performances on the fifth live show :
| Act | Order | Song | Movie | Result |
| Ivarsson, Bang & Neumann | 1 | "Yellow Flicker Beat" | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 | Bottom two |
| Baraa Qadoura | 2 | "Don't Let Go (Love)" | Set It Off | Eliminated |
| Citybois | 3 | "Earned It" | Fifty Shades of Grey | Safe |
| Jógvan Joensen | 4 | "Creep" | Happily Ever After | Safe |
| Emilie Esther | 5 | "Poker Face" | N/A | Safe |

##### 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")
Contestants' performances on the sixth live show :
| Act | Order | First song | Order | Second song | Result |
| Emilie Esther | 1 | "One Last Time"/"Love Me like You Do" | 5 | "FourFiveSeconds" | Safe |
| Ivarsson, Bang & Neumann | 2 | "The Balcony" | 6 | "Empty Room" | Safe |
| Jógvan Joensen | 3 | "Use Somebody" | 7 | "Josephine" | Safe |
| Citybois | 4 | "Kongens Have" | 8 | "Belong to the World" | Eliminated |
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")
* Group Performances: "Break Free" (Ariana Grande featuring Zedd; Performed of Ivarsson, Bang & Neumann, Emilie Esther, and Jógvan); "Born This Way" (Lady Gaga; (auditionees); "Vi er helte" (Performed of Peter Bjørnskov and X Factor 2015 contestants)
Contestants' performances on the seventh live show :
| Act | Order | Free Choice Song | Order | Duet with Musical guest (Musical Guests) | Order | Winner's single | Result |
| Jógvan Joensen | 1 | "Yellow" | 4 | "København" (with Ulige Numre) | 8 | "Best Kept Secret" | Runner-up |
| Ivarsson, Bang & Neumann | 2 | "The High Road" | 5 | "Lipstick Lies" (with Julias Moon) | N/A | N/A (Already eliminated) | 3rd Place |
| Emilie Esther | 3 | "Nature Boy"/"If I Were a Boy"/"Bitter Sweet Symphony" | 6 | "Karma Town" (with Stine Bramsen) | 7 | "Undiscovered" | Winner |

## 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 on DR1, stated that all contestants were checked by a psychologist to see if they were fit to handle the pressure.