Maltese soul singer Marilena Gauci, is still trying to come to terms with her exhilarating experience at one of Britain's biggest music shows.
Marilena was selected to audition for the first phase of the X Factor UK that took place over last weekend.
She qualified through multiple rounds of nerve-racking auditions before being told "no" but the 25-year-old is determined more than ever to pursue a musical path.
Working as a full-time Project Support Officer at the University of Malta, as well as reading a Masters of Science in Economics, Marilena is careful to not let her dream fall by the wayside.
"To work full-time in music is one of my major goals, and I do believe that with enough perseverance and hard work, we can all achieve our dreams," Marilena told Times of Malta.
She proves to have catered for her passion since she was young, boasting a handful of impressive experiences in the field. Among others, she took part in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Norway at the age of 12 and performed as a Malta Eurovision Song Contest finalist.
My advice to all fellow singers, musicians and artists is really to be encouraged to empower one another throughout each and every step of our journey.
Marilena explained the sudden and unexpected nature of the X Factor:
"This was my very first time applying and in no way did I expect to get this far, so much so that every evening we were making new flight arrangements for the following night to make it for call-back auditions."
Accompanied by her mother and her boyfriend, Marilena arrived at the audition venue in London at 5.45am last Saturday, however, it was not until 4pm that she was asked to perform.
"It was a very empowering experience for myself personally, in the most humble and genuine way that is. I tried my very best to maintain a calm frame of mind and not get carried away with the competitive pressure."
Following intense auditions, Marilena found out she did not manage to get through to the live auditions, the stage at which contestants audition in front of a live audience and a panel of world-renowned judges.
Describing the feeling as truly "disheartening", the singer is sure to maintain a very positive attitude: "I am so grateful to have gotten to that stage, the feedback received from the judges at every stage was incredibly positive."
Marilena's advice to fellow singers, musicians and artists is to empower one another throughout each step of their journey.
"We are such a small nation but we can make a great impact even among thousands from around the world."
Not letting her exit discourage her, but instead motivate her, she hinted at the possibility of applying for The Voice UK in the near future, another hugely popular televised music competition.
Marilena said the pursual of singing is of utmost importance to her personally.
Having been working on fresh material for the past year or so, she looked forward to releasing it during the upcoming summer and later an EP for the international scene.