Ellona Santiago

Ellona Rano Santiago (born July 16, 1996) is an American singer from San Lorenzo, California who finished in 6th place on season 3 of The X-Factor. She was a part of the Girls catagory, mentored by Demi Lovato.

Background
Ellona first gained notice when she tried out for season 1. She didn't make it as a solo artist but got another chance as part of the all-teen pop group inTENsity with Paula Abdul as their mentor. Despite being considered to be one of the group's strongest vocalists, they finished in 12th place and later disbanded. Ellona admitted to being crushed by her group's elimination.

While Arin Ray tried out for the show again in season 2 and finished in 10th place with Britney Spears as his mentor, Ellona opted to focus on school and improving as a singer.

The X-Factor
Ellona tried out for season 3 on a whim in Los Angeles where she wowed the judges with her take on the Little Mix hit "Wings". Despite Simon Cowell not remembering her at first, Ellona proved to be very impressive and made it to the next round where she made the top 40 and got Demi Lovato as her mentor, something she had been hoping for.

Ellona proved to quite an entertainer durinf her time on the show, showcasing her vocie and her dance skills on songs such as "Til The World Ends" by Britney Spears, "Burn" by Ellie Goulding, and "Applause" by Lady Gaga. However, she began to get criticized, especially by Simon Cowell, for taking on songs that allowed her to showcase just her voice. Still, Ellona kept going and had the support of her mentor, Demi Lovato.

Depsite that, Ellona was eliminated, finishing in 6th place,

Post X-Factor
Since the show, Ellona has been busy on her music, collborating with fellow season 3 contestant Josh Levi on their version of the Katy Perry hit "Unconditionally", which is on his YouTube channel. She also posted a music video of her version of the Beyonce song "Pretty Hurts" on her Youtube channel. Ellona is also focused on finishing her senior year of high school.