X-Factor winner has Grenadian connection

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, December 23, 2011 - The newly crowned X-Factor winner has Grenadian connection.

Melanie Amaro, 19, of Florida on Thursday became the first winner of the US version of the popular British show.

Melanie’s mother, Debra Sylvester-Amaro and Grandmother Enis Sandy-Sylvester are from Happy Hill in St George. She is also the cousin of Permanent Secretary Eunice Sandy-David of the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development.

Melanie is not a stranger to the Spice Isle since it’s believed that she made visits to family and friends.

The budding star won a $5 million contract with Simon Cowell’s record label SyCo and a role in a TV commercial.

Additional reporting from XFACTOR

Wow! Melanie Amaro has just won THE X FACTOR! We caught up with Melanie moments after the announcement was made, and she was in one word – ecstatic. She has beat out thousands of hopefuls to be crowned the artist with the X factor and we couldn’t be happier for her.

What was going through her head when she was waiting for Steve Jones to announce the winner’s name? “The entire time I was thinking to myself, he’s going to say Josh Krajcik,” she says. “Prepare yourself for Josh Krajcik. So when he said my name, it was just like, he said my name!”

Melanie couldn’t believe her ears and said she felt amazing. Did she ever think she would win this competition? “No, I honestly didn’t,” she says. “I didn’t think I would be in this position right now.”

And what about her mentor Simon Cowell? That’s another notch for him on his belt. How did he feel about Melanie’s win? “There’s nothing like winning,” he says. “I’m not going to lie, it is the best feeling in the world. I felt like a part of it up there.”

Not everyone gets second chances, but Melanie did when Simon Cowell brought her back after sending her home from judges’ homes. We asked whether that was a huge factor in motivating her to win. “It gave me the drive to do my best,” she says. She admitted that maybe she needed it in order to really go for it. And go for it, she did!

About bringing Melanie back, Simon says, “That will be replayed a lot. I don’t know what I was thinking at that moment, but I did know I had made a mistake. But I rectified it.” And boy, are we glad that he brought Melanie back. Melanie was so thankful about everything that Simon has taught her about the music industry and the things she needed to work on to help her career grow.

All right, Melanie has just won a $5 million recording contract. What’s the first thing she’s going to buy? “Good foot massages,” she replies. She mentioned how the shoes on the show were awesome but they were tough on her feet. We have a feeling she can afford all the foot massages she needs now.