Cyrus Villanueva


Cyrus Villanueva is a 19-year-old contestant from Wollongong, New South Wales. Villanueva is of Filipino descent and comes from a musical family; both his father and brother are professional entertainers. Prior to entering The X Factor, Villanueva was studying graphic design at university and performing gigs in bars, cafes and at weddings during his spare time. Aside from singing, he also plays the guitar and piano.
Villanueva cites Nat King Cole, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Ray Charles as his musical influences. He auditioned for The X Factor singing "Earned It" by The Weeknd and received a standing ovation from the judges. He then progressed to the bootcamp round, where he performed a piano version of Robyn's "Dancing on My Own". Villanueva then made it to the super home visits round in London and performed "Is This Love" by Bob Marley in front of his mentor Chris Isaak and guest mentors Simon Cowell and Rita Ora. Isaak later selected Villanueva as one of his top three for the live shows.