Sam Callahan of 'X Factor' has been defended by Westlife's Shane Filan.
Filan has said the 19-year-old singer is "brilliant" and even compared him to a young Mark Wahlberg, who fronted the 1990s band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch before making a name for himself in Hollywood movies.
Shane - who helped show judge Louis Walsh to choose Sam for the Boys category during the Judges' Houses stage of the competition - told ITV.com: "Sam has a huge personality. He's funny, honest and cool - his confidence is brilliant. He reminds me of Mark Wahlberg back when he was singing as Marky Mark."
Shane is confident Sam's stage presence will give him the edge over Louis' other act Nicholas McDonald, as he insists personality is just as important in the competition as good vocals.
He argued: "His vocals are strong enough to be on the show or he wouldn't be there. He may not have the strength in his voice like Nicholas does, but he has the personality and that's part of being on 'The X Factor'."
Sam has had a tough few weeks on the show as his weak vocals have failed to impress the judges, in particular Gary Barlow who has repeatedly given the young hopeful scathing critique.
Shane added: "You couldn't have anyone better giving advice than Gary Barlow, but it isn't always about the best vocals; it's about putting on a performance too."
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