Two Rotorua residents have revealed they have reached the live audition stage of TV's X Factor show.
Music student Stella Maris, 19, and John Paul College student Sam Yeoward, 17, impressed producers in the first round, and are hoping to impress judges Melanie Blatt, Stan Walker, Natalia Kills and Willy Moon at the live auditions in Auckland next Thursday.
Maris went into the initial audition stage with an open mind, she said.
"It's another opportunity so that's exciting. I didn't go in expecting to be let down or expecting anything, so it's quite cool."
She has just finished her diploma in Contemporary Music Performance from Waiariki Institute of Technology, and said she would perform a reworked version of All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor.