'Gutted' Ola out of X Factor

MELISSA DOUGHTY

DESPITE a spirited performance at the first week of "live" shows at the UK X Factor competition, Olatunji “Ola” Yearwood was voted off of the show. Ola performed a new song called Jiggle It at Saturday’s "live" show. The results from Saturday’s show was broadcast yesterday on CNC3 at 3 pm.

When it was announced that Ola was eliminated, his mentor Ayda Field said, “I am completely devastated. I just don’t get it. He smashed it last night. He brought the house down. I’m gutted. And not only that, he’s just an incredible human being. I’m at a loss for words.”

In an interview yesterday, hours before the result, Ola’s manager Kyle Clarke said they will accept the result whatever it may be. On his Twitter and Instagram pages, Ola said he was gutted by yesterday's result. He said on his page “Not the result we expected or wanted but this has been an extraordinary journey for us.

“Our aim was always to portrait (sic) soca music to the world and I think we succeed to an extent.” He thanked ITV X Factor and its judges saying, “Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for accepting soca music and giving me the platform to showcase it to the world. To very fan and friend new and old I salute you and say thank you. To all remaining contestants good luck. To my team I could not ask for more from you guys.”

SANG FOR

FLOODED TT

Clarke also told Newsday earlier that Ola gave his all during Saturday’s performance for TT after the weekend’s devastating floods. On his Facebook and Twitter pages on Saturday, Ola posted “Only just hearing what our fellow Trinbagonians are going through due to the rain and floods.

Our prayers go out especially to the residents of Greenvale Park, La Horquetta for each of you to be safe this morning. To everyone coming together to get them out of that disaster zone y’all are the real Champions. #trinidadstrong.”

Clarke who is currently in the UK with Ola told Newsday via a phone interview, “Checking our phones about 5 or 6 am UK time and seeing what happened Friday night in TT we were in total shock...To see an entire community...Ola follows I-Sasha on Instagram so that is where he would have seen it first.

“I-Sasha's car was almost covered. We were like what it is going on. Throughout the morning for us we were seeing an entire community basically gone through. It was heart-wrenching for us. I think we needed to let TT know, that even with all the hype and stuff, we still thinking about you all.

Clarke said the singer told him “Tadowee, I leaving everything on that stage for TT tonight’ and ‘it is the most I could to let them this is for them.”

“And he say let us at least try to bring a smile to their face even if it is for five minutes." Ola first appeared on the show on September 2.