He’s brash, divisive, and likes to wear prints that should never be paired together, but there’s a side to The X Factor NZ judge Daniel Bedingfield you might not expect.
Grinning from ear-to-ear as he nestles on the couch with his two remaining contestants, Jackie Thomas and Cassie Henderson, Daniel (33) acts like a proud dad as he sings the praises of his “two girls”.
“They are beyond magical,” he says, as Cassie (14) and Jackie (22) playfully roll their eyes. “They’re so special. They both have an amazing raw talent and are working as hard as they possibly can to turn that into something incredible.”
“We’re not that good!” Cassie interjects, laughing. Daniel is the girls’ biggest fan, and also their strongest defender in the face of harsh criticism – some of which the Every Little Thing singer says has been hard to take.
“Honestly, when comments from the other judges are made that are accurate, I want Cassie and Jackie to feel their weight,” he explains. “But when they get all schoolyard, which they have done, then I get defensive and protective. I tell the girls not to listen.”
Cassie and Jackie have shed self-doubt and insecurities.
Fellow judge Melanie Blatt has been especially hard on Cassie, and slammed Daniel for not knowing “how to deal with a 14-year-old girl”.
And it hasn’t been the easiest road for Jackie, either.
She was initially eliminated after boot camp, and only returned to the competition when Daniel fought to bring her back. Meanwhile, Cassie has been forced to weather some tough criticism about Daniel’s mentoring in the last few weeks.
But the girls, who are very close despite their eight-year age gap, say the criticism has only made them stronger.
“I was trying to listen to everyone’s opinion at once,” Cassie says, thoughtfully. “I was singing better before the live shows, but when I started trying to please everyone, I lost it. But I’m good now. This competition makes you get a really thick skin!”
Jackie had her own crisis of confidence after returning to the show, but since she “just let everything go”, a new-found self-belief has emerged.
“I over-analysed everything,” she says. “I don’t know what happened last week [when she sang Stay by Rihanna], but the weight of the world dropped away… I didn’t expect that voice to come out of me. It was awesome!” Daniel is ecstatic about the girls’ new self-assurance. “Being part of this show has been so worth it, just because of these girls,” he says.
“These are two artists that are emerging and finding themselves, and I care more about that, than I do about them winning.”
