0:00:02 > 0:00:04Six of Britain's young singer-songwriters...
0:00:04 > 0:00:06I'm really passionate about songwriting.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Whenever I get back from school, I start to write new songs.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11..and award-winning choirmaster Gareth Malone...
0:00:11 > 0:00:14- Say it more! - I am an expressive singer.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16..team up with big name stars...
0:00:16 > 0:00:18Really feel it from your heart.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22..to prepare for a Big Performance of historical significance...
0:00:22 > 0:00:25- Gas, gas, gas!- Gas, get your gas masks on, quick.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29..on the 100th anniversary of World War I.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Only one song will be picked to represent the nation.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Writing the right song for the right occasion, that's the challenge.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Can they make their ancestors proud,
0:00:38 > 0:00:40or will the responsibility be too great?
0:00:40 > 0:00:42I think it's risky to put them under so much pressure,
0:00:42 > 0:00:44but, you know, he who dares, wins.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47This is something we're going to remember for the rest of our lives,
0:00:47 > 0:00:49so I just don't want to mess it up.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Today, the music maestros must dig deep
0:00:54 > 0:00:56for their next songwriting challenge.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00- Nobody's going to cry? Just Sid.- I'm sorry, guys(!)
0:01:00 > 0:01:02They enrol at a wartime school...
0:01:02 > 0:01:06If you have ears, use them to listen!
0:01:06 > 0:01:09..and the group give it everything they've got
0:01:09 > 0:01:11for superstar Pixie Lott. But is it enough?
0:01:11 > 0:01:14The big question is, were you moved, Pixie?
0:01:44 > 0:01:46At Big Performance HQ,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49the kids are busy working on their World War I songs,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51and the mood is positive.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57Last time, the group had success writing an upbeat song
0:01:57 > 0:01:59for Eliza Doolittle.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02- Yeah, I loved it! - Well done, everyone!
0:02:02 > 0:02:04I think it went really, really well.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06One of our best performances yet.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08I think it is a real confidence booster for everyone.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11I think we all really connected, and the dance moves,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14we were all enjoying it and the energy was high.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18But their writing task today is the toughest yet.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22They've got to write a song this time that I think is going to push them
0:02:22 > 0:02:24emotionally as well as technically.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27We had a really, really strong performance last time.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29I want to make sure the next one is even stronger.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34Very excitingly, this week's singer you're going to be performing to
0:02:34 > 0:02:38- is already here, and I'm going to go and get them now.- What?
0:02:38 > 0:02:40- Oh, my God.- They're actually here?
0:02:43 > 0:02:47Hi, it's me, I'm Pixie! KIDS GROAN
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Yes, I'm here.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Pixie Lott, Pixie Lott is coming to see you. Excited?
0:02:53 > 0:02:56- Yes!- Yes, I love Pixie Lott so much!- Me too!
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Brit pop princess Pixie Lott began her career aged just 14,
0:03:04 > 0:03:08and now has a string of number one hits to her name.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Ah! I can't believe it.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Her voice is just amazing, and that I'm really in awe of.
0:03:14 > 0:03:15She's very unique and individual
0:03:15 > 0:03:18and there's not many other pop stars like her at the moment.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22I am definitely the biggest fan here of "the Lott".
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Gareth has chosen her ballad Cry Me Out as inspiration
0:03:26 > 0:03:29for the kids' emotional songwriting challenge.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33# The tears that will fall mean nothing at all
0:03:33 > 0:03:36# It's time to get over yourself. #
0:03:36 > 0:03:40It's a hard thing for any performer of any age to make an audience
0:03:40 > 0:03:43feel something, especially to make them feel moved.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46To help give their song genuine emotion,
0:03:46 > 0:03:50Gareth wants the group to draw on their own life experiences.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53I think Pixie Lott's song is about a break-up,
0:03:53 > 0:03:57so what everyone can relate to are painful goodbyes.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01Does everyone have an experience of saying goodbye to somebody or
0:04:01 > 0:04:04- something that you've loved? - My rabbit died a few years ago.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07No, not a rabbit! Oh, that's the worst.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Sid, who have you had to say goodbye to?
0:04:09 > 0:04:14I think when I was about five or six, my dog died.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16- Sad?- Sad.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20- So you know the pain of saying goodbye.- Yeah.- What about you, Molly?
0:04:20 > 0:04:23I think, I don't know what age I was, I think I was about...
0:04:23 > 0:04:31five, my mum and dad split up, so... That was really hard.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34A very difficult thing. Very difficult.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37These things happen, don't they, in life?
0:04:37 > 0:04:42And that's real life, and it's worth putting into a song, isn't it?
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Molly was very honest and said that her parents split up
0:04:44 > 0:04:48when she was young and she remembers saying goodbye in that situation.
0:04:48 > 0:04:49A very difficult thing.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52But this could turn into a very positive use of that
0:04:52 > 0:04:53emotion in a song.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57I think everyone in the group has had a goodbye moment,
0:04:57 > 0:05:02and I think that will really help all of us to connect to the song.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Sharing their emotional stories has got the group thinking.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11But how do the professionals approach writing a moving song?
0:05:11 > 0:05:14I've tried in the past to write a universal song that would
0:05:14 > 0:05:17appeal to millions of people all over the world, and it always fails.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19When I just try and write a song that connects with me,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22people understand it because it's true.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25I probably just think about the emotions that I would want to
0:05:25 > 0:05:28get across to the audience - who is going to be in the audience?
0:05:28 > 0:05:30What kind of setting will it be?
0:05:30 > 0:05:32People know when it's natural.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34- It's real as well. - It's coming from you.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38Now it's time for the group to turn their emotions
0:05:38 > 0:05:39into lyrics for the song.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42- Farewell.- I was going to say that!
0:05:42 > 0:05:43Fare-well!
0:05:43 > 0:05:47- I'll be waiting for you. - Watching you walk out of my life.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49- HE GASPS - Whoa, deep!
0:05:49 > 0:05:53- We both see the same sky up above us.- We've got a romantic here.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55I like it.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58One of today's soloists is 11-year-old Molly,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01whose songwriting comes straight from the heart.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04I normally write songs about love, which is weird,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07because I've never been in a real relationship before.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11Back at the auditions, she performed one of her own tracks.
0:06:11 > 0:06:16# It's like everything in the world has fallen apart
0:06:16 > 0:06:20# Really miss you, but where should I start? #
0:06:20 > 0:06:23And Gareth was in no doubt when it came to picking her
0:06:23 > 0:06:24for the Big Performance.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28I think she's full of life, full of fun, she's got a nice voice.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31I hope she's ready for this challenge.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Writing all those love songs seems to have paid off for Molly,
0:06:39 > 0:06:43but Gareth is concerned about today's other soloist - Sid.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50- Nobody's going to cry? Just Sid. - I'm sorry, guys(!)
0:06:50 > 0:06:51You can't carry on.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54He can sometimes be a bit silly and mess around.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56I really need him to work hard this week,
0:06:56 > 0:07:00because he's going to have to actually sing emotionally.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Putting today's Pixie Lott challenge on the back burner,
0:07:08 > 0:07:12the musicians must now focus on their World War I songs.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15In two weeks, they will be performing a track
0:07:15 > 0:07:17one of them has written at an historic event
0:07:17 > 0:07:20in front of Princes William and Harry.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22To help inspire their writing,
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Gareth wants to show the kids a side to World War I
0:07:24 > 0:07:26they can easily relate to.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29Right, here we are. Find a place.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32The classroom.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34To complete your World War I songs, I think you need to have an
0:07:34 > 0:07:38appreciation of what was going on on both sides of the Channel.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42None of you have considered what was happening back home.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45Today is going to change all that.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50Are they ready to find out what school was like 100 years ago?
0:07:50 > 0:07:53BELL RINGS
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Eyes front.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04Anyone who messes around in my classroom will be punished.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09You can wipe that smile off your face immediately.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11In 1914, teachers were very strict,
0:08:11 > 0:08:15and punishments if you misbehaved were harsh.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18But the class don't seem to be taking this seriously.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20You! Into the corner.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22And Ben is first to discover the consequences.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Stand facing the corner on one leg.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27KIDS GIGGLE
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Right, you may sit.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35- Malone here shall be my classroom monitor for the day.- Yes, Miss.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37- Malone, you may get the slates. - Yes, Miss.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43Young sir, you may rejoin the class. Do hurry up, Malone.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Yes, Miss. Sorry, Miss.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Hands behind your backs, no giggling. Repeat:
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Peter Piper picked a pick of peckled pepper...
0:08:57 > 0:08:58LAUGHTER
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper!
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05You, spell "foreign".
0:09:05 > 0:09:06F-O-R-E-I-G-N.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10- Repeat.- F-O-R-G-E...N.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14If you have ears, use them to listen!
0:09:14 > 0:09:17Rise, follow me.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22I can't believe there were teachers anywhere near her severeness
0:09:22 > 0:09:24in World War I.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Stand up, you snivelling idiot.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32But super strict teachers were the least of your worries
0:09:32 > 0:09:33in wartime Britain.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35You see, children,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39it's not just the soldiers at the front that are being attacked.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42We at home in London are also under attack.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47The recent invention of planes meant that, for the first time,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49the country was at risk from air raids.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53German bombing resulted in thousands of casualties,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55and no-one was safe.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00At some point during this class, you will hear an air raid siren.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02As you know, we are at war.
0:10:02 > 0:10:03When the siren sounds,
0:10:03 > 0:10:07I want you to get under your desks as fast as you can.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11Am I quite understood? Yes, Miss McCreadie!
0:10:11 > 0:10:14- ALL:- Yes, Miss McCreadie!
0:10:14 > 0:10:16BELL RINGS
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Everyone, get under your desks, immediately!
0:10:22 > 0:10:26I would have been really, really scared when there was an air raid.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28And when they had to get under the desks,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31they would have probably thought, "Am I going to die now?"
0:10:31 > 0:10:34It's just awful, thinking that.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38Even hiding under your desk didn't guarantee safety if a bomb struck.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43Have you heard about the school in east London where 18 children
0:10:43 > 0:10:46have been killed by a German bomb falling on it?
0:10:51 > 0:10:55On 13th June 1917, a German bomb fell
0:10:55 > 0:10:59on an infant school in Poplar, east London.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02The 18 children were given one of the biggest funerals
0:11:02 > 0:11:05London has ever seen.
0:11:05 > 0:11:06Had you thought about
0:11:06 > 0:11:08what it would have been like for children at home
0:11:08 > 0:11:09while the war was going on?
0:11:11 > 0:11:13No, I hadn't actually thought about that,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15I was just so focused on the soldiers,
0:11:15 > 0:11:17about them doing what they were doing,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19that I wasn't really focusing on what was going on back home.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21It wasn't just the people
0:11:21 > 0:11:24on the front-line fighting that were fearing for their lives,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27all the people collectively made an effort in the war.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30It is horrible to think that their life is going to end
0:11:30 > 0:11:33because of a war.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Class dismissed.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38A tough lesson, but it's more food for thought
0:11:38 > 0:11:40for the young songwriters.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46Almost everyone in the country has a link to World War I.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51Today Gareth is taking Sam and Molly to the Imperial War Museum
0:11:51 > 0:11:54to find out how their ancestors were involved.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57They are meeting historian Nigel Steel.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Tell us what we've got here.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01We've got a little medical group here to start with.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03I think one of you has got a medical connection,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06- someone was a nurse, I think? - I think it is my great-grandmother.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Your great-grandmother. This in fact is your great-grandmother.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12- Have you seen this photo? - No.- There she is.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14Obviously this is after the war.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Molly's great-grandmother Mary Jones
0:12:18 > 0:12:21was born in Bangor, in north Wales.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24But as a young teenager she moved to London
0:12:24 > 0:12:25and trained as a nurse,
0:12:25 > 0:12:29caring for soldiers returning from the front at the end of the war.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33What would it have been like for my great-grandmother in the war?
0:12:33 > 0:12:36I think for most of the nurses the principal thing was
0:12:36 > 0:12:40the emotional strain. They would see these very, very serious wounds.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45This here, it is a fairly heavy piece of shrapnel,
0:12:45 > 0:12:47this hit somebody in the jaw.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49So that is going to do some serious damage.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51You would have literally a hole.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54The first way they started to try and mend these
0:12:54 > 0:12:57is they used to make these tin implants.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00So, say if that part of your face was missing, they would make this,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03on a mask, and it would just sit in the corner there.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06I can't imagine ever having to go through what she did.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09She had to do some really terrible things like deal with people
0:13:09 > 0:13:13who had shrapnel in their faces, really bad injuries.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15It is quite horrific seeing what she had to go through.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19By 1918 it wasn't just the nurses
0:13:19 > 0:13:22who knew about the horrors of World War I.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25The public were well aware of the terrible conditions
0:13:25 > 0:13:27and dangers of the front line.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30But young men were still ready and willing to do their duty
0:13:30 > 0:13:33and Sam's ancestor was one of them.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39Sam, here we have something very exciting from your family history.
0:13:39 > 0:13:45This is your great-great-grandfather and his brother. This is Reginald.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Towards the end of the war, Reginald wrote
0:13:48 > 0:13:51some letters to his then sweetheart,
0:13:51 > 0:13:53these are the letters that he wrote.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58Have a little look at this bit. This was written in 1918.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03In 1918 Sam's great-great-uncle Reginald was only 16 years old,
0:14:03 > 0:14:05but with the war raging on
0:14:05 > 0:14:07it looked like it wouldn't be long
0:14:07 > 0:14:09before he joined the battle.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13Interesting bit here, it says, "Dear, I should like to get up
0:14:13 > 0:14:15"in the air with my pals, who follow me wherever I go."
0:14:15 > 0:14:18He obviously wanted to go up in an aeroplane.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20"We are in the same place now as when it started.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25"But I am willing to do my bit up in the air, tomorrow, if they want me."
0:14:25 > 0:14:29How does this feel, to read these things from your relative?
0:14:29 > 0:14:34I suppose as it was written in 1918, he sort of would have known
0:14:34 > 0:14:39what it was like in the war, but he was still willing to do his bit.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41I sort of feel quite proud, in a way.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43- Do you? It's quite brave, isn't it? - Yeah.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47He has drawn a little plane. "This seat is reserved for me."
0:14:49 > 0:14:50It was a bit weird,
0:14:50 > 0:14:54because it was like obviously 100 years ago
0:14:54 > 0:14:56and obviously he is not alive now
0:14:56 > 0:14:59so I wouldn't be able to talk to him about it.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03But having the letters sort of put me in the shoes of him
0:15:03 > 0:15:07and made me feel what he would have felt.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Sam and Molly have both discovered a bit more
0:15:09 > 0:15:11about their ancestors
0:15:11 > 0:15:13but now Nigel has a surprise for Gareth.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16- We've also been doing research into your family.- Oh, really?
0:15:16 > 0:15:19So now we have a direct connection with the First World War for you,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21which we will run you through
0:15:21 > 0:15:23and explain a little bit more about that for you as well.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26The Imperial War Museums have just launched
0:15:26 > 0:15:28their Lives of the First World War website.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32These are the bits of evidence that various researchers have found,
0:15:32 > 0:15:34all entered here.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36It aims to document the lives of all those
0:15:36 > 0:15:37involved in the conflict
0:15:37 > 0:15:41and Gareth's great-grandfather, James McEnroe, is on their system.
0:15:41 > 0:15:46- This is a photograph of him.- I have never seen this man. That is amazing.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49He looks like my dad!
0:15:49 > 0:15:52He is wearing the uniform of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54The Royal Dublin Fusiliers.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58And this date here, May 19, 1915,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01is the date on which he then goes into the fighting front.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03It is written down here as the Balkans.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05At that date, that puts him at Gallipoli.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09The Gallipoli campaign in Turkey was one of the biggest disasters
0:16:09 > 0:16:12for the British in World War I.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16More than 20,000 men died in the terrible conditions.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20One of the common things was sickness.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23You got terrible diarrhoea, dysentery...
0:16:23 > 0:16:27And we can see that your grandfather is eventually discharged sick
0:16:27 > 0:16:30by March of 1916.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33I've spent so much time getting you into your family histories
0:16:33 > 0:16:35and making you understand the First World War,
0:16:35 > 0:16:39and I've realised I knew nothing myself about my own family history.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42It's really brought it powerfully to life.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Especially to see this amazing photo.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49It's 100 years ago, but everybody has a connection.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51It's very exciting to find out about a part of my family
0:16:51 > 0:16:53that I knew nothing about.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56That they did something that's worthy of being proud.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00Everyone is starting to feel a bigger connection to the war.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02But are Molly and Sam's commemorative songs right
0:17:02 > 0:17:05for the prestigious occasion in Belgium?
0:17:05 > 0:17:09Gareth has assembled a rather imposing audience for a dummy run.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13It's time for you, Molly and Sam, to try out your WWI songs.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17And what better place to do it than at the Imperial War Museum,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20to four historians? Shall we start with you, Molly?
0:17:21 > 0:17:23# Friendship and unity
0:17:23 > 0:17:26# All one community
0:17:26 > 0:17:28# We all stand together as one
0:17:30 > 0:17:35# Let's relive the moment of the Christmas truce
0:17:35 > 0:17:39# When a football match was all we had to lose
0:17:39 > 0:17:44# A hundred years have passed and peace is here to last. #
0:17:44 > 0:17:47APPLAUSE Well done, Molly.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51So, historians, experts in this period,
0:17:51 > 0:17:54you know when things are at the right tone.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Do you feel that Molly's got it?
0:17:56 > 0:17:59What I really liked about it was that it sounded quite folky.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02And you mentioned in the song, the word "friendship".
0:18:02 > 0:18:04I think your song picked up on that.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06Both in the way it sounded and the words that you used.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08You had some really nice phrases in there.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12- The flow of the piece was really nice.- I feel like the tone is good.
0:18:12 > 0:18:17It's not overly sombre, but it has an emotional heart to it
0:18:17 > 0:18:18that I think is appropriate.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21So, a very strong start, I think.
0:18:21 > 0:18:22So, Sam, off you go.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29# Both sleeps over, 5am
0:18:29 > 0:18:34# Depart in the morning rain
0:18:34 > 0:18:39# I have to leave my family behind
0:18:42 > 0:18:44# I know I'll miss them
0:18:44 > 0:18:49# When I'm far, far away
0:18:49 > 0:18:52# But I'm sure
0:18:52 > 0:18:55# That I'll be fine
0:18:57 > 0:18:59# In the Great War. #
0:18:59 > 0:19:03APPLAUSE
0:19:03 > 0:19:07There we are. Sam has quite a different song. What did you think?
0:19:07 > 0:19:11I think using the phrase the "Great War" is very good, actually.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13We call it the "First World War",
0:19:13 > 0:19:16but, for a long time, it was known as the "Great War"
0:19:16 > 0:19:19because it was the first of the 20th century's total wars.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21The only thing I would look through
0:19:21 > 0:19:24is maybe try and find two or three phrases
0:19:24 > 0:19:28that the soldiers then may have used. Put that in the language.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30What I like about Sam's song
0:19:30 > 0:19:32is that he's taken everything that he's learned about WWI,
0:19:32 > 0:19:34and put it into the first person.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37So, it has a simplicity, it has a kind of truth about it.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39- Thank you so much.- My pleasure.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41We must get on with our songwriting! Come on!
0:19:47 > 0:19:51Back at base, the group must get rehearsing for today's challenge.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53# I'll miss you while you're gone... #
0:19:53 > 0:19:57Gareth is doing some coaching with soloist Sid.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00The group have written an emotional goodbye song for Pixie Lott,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03inspired by her hit, Cry Me Out.
0:20:03 > 0:20:04For this to be a real success,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07I would want Pixie to have a tear running down her cheek
0:20:07 > 0:20:10at the end of it. I would love her to be genuinely moved by our song.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12I don't know whether we can pull that off.
0:20:12 > 0:20:19# Give me one escapade before you're gone! #
0:20:19 > 0:20:22BOOM! And you've exploded!
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Sid's definitely got the lungs for a solo,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28but can he deliver real emotion in his performance?
0:20:28 > 0:20:29Well, I think your voice is good.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32I think, sometimes, you overblow it a bit and push a bit hard.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36With singing, it's about SHOWING your audience what you're feeling.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41You don't want to feel here what you should be feeling here.
0:20:41 > 0:20:47Tell me why you're singing this song? It's your dog, wasn't it?
0:20:47 > 0:20:51It's one of the few memories I really have of my childhood.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55I remember he was really old, and for the last few months
0:20:55 > 0:21:00that I remember, he just lied in the corridor.
0:21:00 > 0:21:01Did you get to say goodbye?
0:21:01 > 0:21:05I don't actually remember saying goodbye because I was at school
0:21:05 > 0:21:09at the time and I think it was when I came home
0:21:09 > 0:21:11that I actually found out.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13- Oh, so you never really said goodbye? - I never said goodbye.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15So, this is the perfect opportunity.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17This is my opportunity to say goodbye.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21I think Sid's challenge as a soloist in an emotional song
0:21:21 > 0:21:23is to make Pixie Lott feel something
0:21:23 > 0:21:25and I think that's going to be really difficult.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28- Good luck.- Thank you. - Wow, you've got a big task ahead.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Thank you very much. Thanks, Sid.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33I'd really like Pixie to feel the emotion
0:21:33 > 0:21:38that I'm trying to put into it and how this means something to me.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41I'm trying to make this a really real performance.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Time has nearly run out for Sid and the other songwriters.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47Pixie Lott is now just minutes away.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50And everyone has high expectations for the performance.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52I hope that Pixie Lott feels the emotion
0:21:52 > 0:21:54that we're putting into the song.
0:21:54 > 0:21:55I'd like her to connect to it
0:21:55 > 0:21:57and think of somebody that she had to say goodbye to.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00If they really go for this and put their heart and soul into it,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02that will be moving.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Pixie Lott has three number-one songs to her name
0:22:05 > 0:22:07and knows what makes a hit record.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11I'm hoping to hear some amazing voices and some soul.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15I'm excited to see what they've come up with.
0:22:20 > 0:22:21ALL SCREAM
0:22:21 > 0:22:25- Welcome, Pixie. Come in. - Thank you. Hello, everyone.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29- This is Pixie Lott as I think you all know very well.- Nice to meet you all.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32So, how have you guys found writing this song?
0:22:32 > 0:22:36I think we're all connecting in very different ways.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38My one's a bit of a silly one, it's to my dog.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42So, I think, because we've got a connection to the lyrics
0:22:42 > 0:22:46in the song, I think we're all going to put in a lot of emotion.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49It's based on Cry Me Out in the sense that your song
0:22:49 > 0:22:51is a break-up song, ours is a goodbye song.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55- Yes, emotional songs.- An emotional song, yeah.- I can't wait to hear it!
0:22:55 > 0:22:59We're looking for emotional performances, aren't we?
0:22:59 > 0:23:01OK, dig deep, everyone! Are you ready?
0:23:01 > 0:23:03- Go for it, guys. Good luck! - Let's do it.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07Performing to Pixie is a big deal for the songwriters.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11Can they deliver their goodbye song with real emotion?
0:23:11 > 0:23:14# I miss you while you're gone
0:23:14 > 0:23:17# I'll be waiting for you
0:23:17 > 0:23:24# Give me my last goodbye before you're gone
0:23:24 > 0:23:28# My heart is weeping
0:23:28 > 0:23:31# Tears falling from my eyes
0:23:31 > 0:23:35# This pain is never-ending
0:23:35 > 0:23:40# Since we said goodbye
0:23:40 > 0:23:42# So we'll break up
0:23:42 > 0:23:44# Walk out of my life
0:23:46 > 0:23:50# Underneath the same stars
0:23:50 > 0:23:53# We'll see the same times
0:23:53 > 0:23:56# Goodbye!
0:23:56 > 0:24:00# Farewell
0:24:00 > 0:24:04# Goodbye
0:24:04 > 0:24:08# Goodbye. #
0:24:08 > 0:24:11CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:24:11 > 0:24:14- That was beautiful! - Pixie, how did you feel about that?
0:24:14 > 0:24:16I loved it, yeah, it was brilliant!
0:24:16 > 0:24:20I could see you guys really getting into it. Really, really great job.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22- I'm very impressed! - Well done, everyone!
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Give yourselves a round of applause.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Well done, guys! Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!
0:24:26 > 0:24:28APPLAUSE
0:24:28 > 0:24:31The big question is, were you moved, Pixie?
0:24:31 > 0:24:35I was, especially from hearing some of the stories beforehand
0:24:35 > 0:24:37of what you were relating to when you were singing.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40These are actually my favourite songs to sing
0:24:40 > 0:24:43because you can really get into the character of the song.
0:24:43 > 0:24:44Are there any areas for improvement?
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Because we've got a very big performance coming up.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50The only thing that maybe you can work on more is just really,
0:24:50 > 0:24:52really delivering those lyrics to the audience,
0:24:52 > 0:24:54so they can feel that emotion,
0:24:54 > 0:24:56especially if you're not even singing a solo,
0:24:56 > 0:24:58to make sure you're still a part of it.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01And, don't blend in. Everyone has their story to tell,
0:25:01 > 0:25:03so make sure you tell it to your audience.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07How do you show your emotions to the audience when you're performing?
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Very good question, Jasmine.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14Again, I think I get back into the character of what the song is about.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16If it's about a personal experience of mine,
0:25:16 > 0:25:20I try to go back to that time and how I felt, and sometimes,
0:25:20 > 0:25:22when you really go into that character
0:25:22 > 0:25:24or that situation you were in,
0:25:24 > 0:25:27you can well up and get really emotional.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29So, you just have to tap into that, I think.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31To stand in front of somebody like Pixie Lott
0:25:31 > 0:25:33and pull off an emotional performance
0:25:33 > 0:25:37and one that is expressive and characterful, that's good news.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39I feel like we have achieved our aim,
0:25:39 > 0:25:43because our aim was to make sure Pixie Lott connected to the song.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46You could see her, she had teary eyes.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50So, so happy, because I proper pulled this one off,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53and because it was my solo, it was even better.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57Writing a convincing moving track is a fantastic accomplishment.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00But the singers face an even bigger challenge,
0:26:00 > 0:26:02finishing off their commemorative songs.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04That was their last group performance
0:26:04 > 0:26:06before I have to make the very difficult decision
0:26:06 > 0:26:08of which individual World War I song
0:26:08 > 0:26:11is going to be chosen to represent the nation.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13I've heard that the kids are going to be writing
0:26:13 > 0:26:15a song for the World War I event,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18and I think they're going to have to put themselves
0:26:18 > 0:26:20in those people's shoes and try and get the emotion
0:26:20 > 0:26:21of what it was like back then.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25So, they've performed for you, would you like to perform for them?
0:26:25 > 0:26:27I would love to, if you'd like to watch?
0:26:27 > 0:26:29I think they would. That's great!
0:26:40 > 0:26:43# You see me howling at the moon
0:26:44 > 0:26:47# It's what you taught me to do
0:26:49 > 0:26:53# I touched that flame just to get back closer to you
0:26:55 > 0:26:58# You see the ashes by the fire
0:26:58 > 0:27:01# The only life that I knew
0:27:04 > 0:27:09# I touched the flame just to get back closer to you
0:27:11 > 0:27:13# Show me the way
0:27:13 > 0:27:17# I've travelled too far with a cross on my back
0:27:17 > 0:27:19# And a hole in my heart
0:27:19 > 0:27:23# Now you say there's no love to be found
0:27:23 > 0:27:27# Went six feet down and I thought that'd make me closer to you!
0:27:27 > 0:27:31# Why don't you lay me down, lay me down, lay me down
0:27:31 > 0:27:34# Won't you lay me down, lay me down, lay me down... #
0:27:34 > 0:27:37The singer-songwriters' stint at the Big Performance HQ
0:27:37 > 0:27:38is nearly at an end.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Can they put all they've learnt into their World War I songs?
0:27:43 > 0:27:47Next time...the group's final history trip is an emotional one.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51- He's 19.- I can't believe he's so young...
0:27:51 > 0:27:54The songwriters make waves on the radio.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56That would be welcome in the Live Lounge any day.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58And it's decision time.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Whose song will be picked to represent the nation in Belgium?
0:28:01 > 0:28:04The song we've chosen is...