LOS ANGELES — The Sequim-bred band Emblem3 is another step closer to a $5 million prize after viewer votes were tallied on the band competition show “The X Factor.”
Audience votes for the three-member Emblem3’s performance of Neil Diamond’s “I’m a Believer” put the trio in the No. 3 spot of six musical acts on Fox-TV’s “The X Factor” when results were revealed Thursday night, said the show’s website, www.thexfactorusa.com.
The band — comprising Sequim natives Drew Chadwick, 19, and brothers Wesley Stromberg, 18, and Keaton Stromberg, 16 — will next perform on Wednesday’s episode, set to air at 8 p.m. on Fox affiliate KCPQ-TV, channel 13.
The results of a subsequent round of viewer voting will be revealed the next night, same time and same channel.
Kristy Sallee, a Sequim resident and Chadwick’s mother, said the band members will be able to perform original songs with their own instruments.
That will allow them to show off all their talents, she said.
“I think it’s going to be huge when they get their instruments out,” Sallee said Friday.
“I’m really excited because [without instruments], they’re only using about 25 percent of what they are.”
Wesley and Chadwick play guitar, Sallee said, while Keaton plays bass.
Sallee said she is incredibly proud of the band and her son, adding that she’s sure Emblem3 will stay successful no matter the final results of this season of “The X Factor.”
“Even if they get knocked out this next week, they’re going to go far,” Sallee said.
Over the course of this year, Sallee said she has flown back and forth to California to visit her son at least a half-dozen times, her most recent visit coinciding with Thanksgiving.
Outside of the in-person visits, Sallee said, she speaks with Chadwick three or four times a week, though most calls are relatively short because the band’s schedule leaves time only for the basics.
“It’s [mostly] ‘I love you, too’ back and forth, real quick,” Sallee said with a laugh.
“It’s so hectic for those kids down there.”
Sallee said when conversations last for more than a few minutes, she tries to keep Chadwick updated on goings-on in Sequim and talks with him about staying grounded in the music industry, which Sallee said isn’t difficult.
“He hasn’t changed much as a person,” she said.
“He’s still the same old Drew.”
Five other musical acts remain in contention on “The X Factor.” They are:
■ Carly Rose Sonenclar.
■ Tate Stevens.
■ Fifth Harmony.
■ CeCe Frey.
■ Diamond White.
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Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
