Sam Bailey
Sam Bailey could be going on tour with Michael Bolton.
The singer met Bolton and discussed going on tour with him when her time on the ITV show comes to an end, after discovering he is a huge fan of her "amazing" voice, but the 60-year-old star doesn't want the negotiations to distract Sam from taking the 'X Factor' title.
He said: "I would love to duet with her. She has an amazing voice. We're talking about her coming on tour with me. But that's for further down the line.
"When she's a soul singer she sings from that place where someone with very powerful human experience can relate to, she is inspiring herself by the act of singing, so there's something spiritual there at the same time."
"We've been secretly talking about her coming on stage with me when I'm on tour but I'm not talking to her too much about that right now as I don't want her thinking about other things when she's on the show and has to get up on that stage."
While Sam, 36, has voiced concerns about being too old to forge a successful music career, Michael insists her age can work to her advantage.
In an interview which will be broadcast on tomorrow night's (09.11.13) 'X Factor', he added: "The ironic thing is that she's worried about her age and whether she can develop a career for herself, but she now has so much to bring with her voice that a lot of young artists and contestant's on these shows don't have.
"It's great that they are discovered but they haven't developed yet and it can be really tough to develop when success is happening.
"Sam brings her life experience and her pure love of singing to the microphone. I can see and sense all of that when she is singing, and so can other people but I recognise it really well because I didn't have my first hit until I was 34 so we're not that far off."
Sam has displaced fellow wannabe Tamera Foster as the 2/1 favourite to win this year's 'X Factor' with bookmakers William Hill.
Tamera is second favourite at 11/4 followed by Nicholas McDonald (3/1) and Luke Friend (6/1), but those looking for value can back Abi Alton at 33/1 or Sam Callahan, who came under fire from judge Gary Barlow on last weekend's show, at 66/1.
'The X Factor' airs on ITV tomorrow at 8pm.
Tagged in Michael Bolton Luke Friend Tamera Foster