Olly Murs Sings Tina Turner on the X Factor

Following a fairly strong opening from Lucie Jones, Olly Murs was the second contestant to take the stage on the second of the X Factor live final shows.

Olly has been consistently excellent so far, if a little unadventurous earlier at boot camp. But he more than made up for it last week with his performance of Robbie's "She's The One".

So what could he do tonight? Well, he moved things up a gear with his rendition of Ike & Tina Turner's "Fool in Love". It was an energetic, fun performance that you couldn't help but enjoy - I was certainly grinning all the way through.

There's something very natural and very likeable about Olly Murs. Unlike some of the other X Factor finalists, he seems to really enjoy what he's doing and it's obvious that he's just having a great time while he's onstage. The judges have all called him a natural entertainer in the past and that's exactly what he is, with his pitch perfect voice, his cheeky grin and his trademark dance moves.

Olly's performance on tonight's show was without doubt one of the strongest of the evening and it should safely see him through to the next round of the X Factor. Even Cheryl Cole (who has been a bit dismissive of Olly Murs recently) was really positive, saying it was his best performance so far.

Olly Murs Through to Next Round of the X Factor

We just wanted to write this quick post to congratulate Olly Murs on getting through to the next round of the X Factor. In what was a tense few moments, Olly was the last contestant to be announced as safely qualifying (although remember the results are read out in no particular order.

Olly, we look forward to seeing you again next week, congratulations!

Olly Murs – X Factor Live Show 1

Olly Murs was the third contestant to perform on the X Factor live show last night, singing Robbie Williams' hit “She's the One” (which was originally written by Karl Wallinger of World Party - Robbie's hit was actually a cover – not a lot of people know that!)

Olly is quite like Robbie in many ways. He's got a bit of a cheeky chappie way about him and he's great with the audience, a natural entertainer in fact. At his audition, and then again at boot camp, he had no problem getting the crowd on his side.

Last night's X Factor live performance had the same quality. Starting off mellow and then taking things up a gear, Olly Murs showed off a couple of his trademark dance moves (which the audience have now come to know and love) while giving a solid vocal performance too.

The judges were all very positive. Danii Minogue said that everyone wanted to be his friend (including Robbie!), Cheryl Cole said that he was a really nice, genuine guy and Simon Cowell also compared Olly to Robbie Williams, saying they both had the same sort of humility and charm about them.

So, Olly Murs looks safe for tomorrow's first vote off and will probably sail through to the next round of the X Factor without any problems.

Can Olly Murs Win the X Factor?

Can Olly Murs win the X Factor? He might describe himself as "just a normal geezer", but he doesn't do himself justice with that comment, judging from his performances so far.

Olly Murs is a 25-year old office worker from Essex, who works in an office by day advising energy customers how to save money on their fuel bills. But he says he would much rather be singing than talking on the phone.

His audition for the X Factor was hugely entertaining. Singing Stevie Wonder's "Superstition", he gave a fantastic performance showing the judges and the audience some cool dance moves as well as singing with real soul.

Cheryl Cole described him as a "natural born entertainer", Danii felt that he has the whole package (!) and Simon Cowell told him he was very, very, very cool, saying this was the easiest yes he had ever given!

This is the second time he has entered the X Factor competition - last year he never made it through to boot camp for some reason.

As well as singing, Olly is a talented footballer and planned to follow a career in the sport until a severe knee injury ended that dream.

So can Olly Murs win the X Factor? Definitely a strong contender and one to watch.