Stephanie Fsadni has a chat with three ‘Maltese’ girls behind the pop group Beatz who placed in the top five in the Australian edition of The X-Factor

Three young ladies of Maltese descent are carving out a name for themselves in the music industry after taking part in Australia’s edition of The X-Factor.

Elishia Semaan, 22, Brooke Azzopardi, 22, and her sister Tayla, 20, who form the pop group Beatz, placed in the top five in the eighth season of the popular talent show and lately released their first single.

Elishia’s mother was born in Malta.

“My mum was a Spiteri from Paola and she came to Sydney in 1980. My grandparents were born in Malta too,” says Elishia.

Brooke’s and Tayla’s parents and grandparents are all Maltese.

“So we know nothing more than the Maltese way!,” they claim. “Mum, whose maiden name was Zerafa, was born in Gozo, while dad was born and raised in Sydney.”

It’s thanks to the girls’ Maltese roots that the now best friends met. While they were taking part in a dancing and singing competition in 2001, their mothers overheard each other’s accent and started chatting.

“From that day on, we started meeting at competitions, where our mums would talk and we would hang out,” says Elishia.

The girls, who reside in Sydney, started singing at a young age and worked hard over the years to develop their talent.

Tayla started singing when she was about eight years old and won a scholarship to go to the US at the age of 10.

Brooke started dancing at the age of two and singing at five. At seven, she started singing lessons and went on to feature in the Australian show Camp Rock – Rock This City on Disney Channel. She also appeared in two music videos in her teens. She studied musical theatre at The McDonald College, which has a core culture of performing arts, and consequently became involved in many musical theatre productions.

Elishia also started dancing at two and singing at the age of seven. She was involved in the Sydney production of Billy Elliot the Musical at 11 and furthered her stage experience in a production of The Cat in the Hat at the Sydney Opera House. She travelled to the US on two occasions to compete with her singing and dancing skills and continued to expand her musical knowledge by studying at the Australian Institute of Music, where she graduated in Bachelor of Contemporary Performance.

The girls with mini-versions of themselves while shooting the video to their first single.The girls with mini-versions of themselves while shooting the video to their first single.

The trio is inspired by many artists including Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande, Jessie J, Nicki Minaj and Little Mix to name a few but they are also very inspired by their parents.

We are so proud to be Maltese girls and hope we are doing the island proud

“Our parents have always motivated us to push for our dreams and never give up. Without them we wouldn’t be where we are today,” Tayla says.

Their support was crucial for the trio as they made it through The X Factor auditions and week after week performed on stage before judges Guy Sebastian, Iggy Azalea, Adam Lambert and Mel B.

“Our time on The X Factor was incredible… a once-in-a-lifetime experience, we learnt so much! Getting to perform every week in front of four superstar judges was amazing and it really taught us to work hard for what we loved doing,” enthuses Elishia.

“One of the most exciting things we got to do on the show was to spend time with our amazing mentor Mel B. She put so much time and effort into every performance. We had a really great connection with her from the beginning.”

The cover of Beatz’s debut single.The cover of Beatz’s debut single.

The live audience and the thousands of viewers at home were also very supportive.

“During the show and after, they would send us lovely messages, encouraging us to continue making music,” says Brooke.

The trio just got eliminated before the grand final of the competition but this did not dampen their spirits. They released their first single, Ain’t Your Girl, under the Holla Records label on April 9. This was followed by a lyric video a few days later and a music video on April 27.

The girls penned the lyrics to the song alongside producer Michael D’Arcy.

“Ain’t Your Girl was inspired by girl power. It’s all about standing up for yourself, being strong and independent no matter how big or small you are. This is exactly why we thought it would only be fitting to cast mini-versions of ourselves to try and help lead the younger generation,” says Elishia.

“We have a young, supportive fan base and we wanted them to know that no matter how tough things become in life, it’s essential to stay strong and fight for what you believe in.”

The group is 100 per cent committed to pursuing their music career.

“We’re going to keep pushing forward and writing new material. We’re already working on our next single,” reveals Brooke.

“Our dream is to travel the world doing what we love, making music and inspiring other young artists to pursue their own dreams. We hope to soon be collaborating with other amazing artists and releasing more original music.”

The trio performing on The X-Factor stage.The trio performing on The X-Factor stage.

They also wish to visit Malta in the near future. Brooke and Tayla have never visited the country even though they come from a big family and have many relatives here.

Elishia visited when she was still very young: once in 1996 when she was only one-and-a-half years old and in 2003, when she was seven. She also has a big family from her mother’s side, including her grandmother’s 12 brothers and sisters and her great-grandmother who is still alive at 104 years.

“We can’t wait to come and visit and perform for our family, friends and our ever-increasing fan base over there. We are so proud to be Maltese girls and hope we are doing Malta proud,” they exclaim.

Follow Beatz on www.beatzofficial.com and on their official sites on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. To watch their first music video, visit http://bit.ly/aintyourgirlYT .

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