Melanie Amaro says revealing her true Caribbean accent to The X Factor viewers on Tuesday night wasn't intentional or premeditiated.
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"To be where I am, from where I'm from, here today, is a big, big thing," the 19-year-old from Tortola, British Virgin Islands who currently resides in Coral Springs, FL, told People.
"Not lots of people come out of the Caribbean to become big stars. I'm so humbled and so gracious and so thankful to be where I am that it just came out. I could not help myself."
The 19-year-old The X Factor finalist had been speaking in an American accent until she got very emotional when discussing her well-received Tuesday night performance with the judges in front of the live audience. Amaro said she was hiding her accent simply because it made communicating with people easier.
"I would try to cover it up so that you could understand me," she explained. "Some people say they have a hard time understanding me when I speak."
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However, now that her true identity has been exposed and fans got to see and relate to a more personal side of the singer, Amaro admitted there's no going back.
"The comment [The X Factor judge Paula Abdul] made last week, 'Just let loose and be yourself,' really affected me. Now that everyone knows, I have no choice but to continue to speak this way," Amaro told People.
"I feel like something has just been let go, something has been dropped off my shoulders. I don't have to worry about covering up my accent anymore. So, that's good."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski