Melanie Amaro On Meeting Elton John For Their Super Bowl Spot & ‘The X Factor’ Judging Shakeup

Melanie Amaro didn’t just win a $5 million recording contract on “The X Factor” back in December, she won the starring role in Sunday’s Pepsi Super Bowl spot and she revealed her co-star – music legend Elton John – actually gushed over her at their first meeting.

“When he first saw me, he was like, ‘Oh my God! It’s an honor to meet you!’ I was like, ‘Really?’ It’s an honor to meet you!’” Melanie told Access Hollywood Live’s Billy Bush and Kit Hoover on Friday in Indianapolis.

The singer said Elton told her the stateside version of “The X Factor” was a runaway hit in his native England.

“He said to me in [the] UK, the U.S. version of ‘X Factor’ is more popular than the UK version, which kind of shocked me ‘cause that’s where it started,” she said.

Melanie performs a dance version of Aretha Franklin classic “Respect,” in her Super Bowl spot, and she said performing the number was a childhood dream come true. Click HERE to watch the spot.

“I love Aretha Franklin and when I heard I was gonna do ‘Respect’ for the commercial, I was so happy, because I would see myself in the mirror when I was younger [singing that number],” she told Billy and Kit. “To do it in a commercial with Elton John, I just think is amazing.”

While “The X Factor” ended its inaugural run on FOX in December, it’s continued to stay in the headlines, most recently because of the news earlier this week that show host Steve Jones will not be returning for Season 2, nor will judges Nicole Scherzinger or Paula Abdul.

“Judging is a hard something and them being judges, I know they had to make some like big decisions on the show, but I’m just, I’m happy I had a chance to work with all of them,” Melanie said. “They’re amazing judges. They will be missed, but I just feel as though I need to look forward to what next season’s gonna bring, who [Simon Cowell] has up his sleeve to bring as a judge.”

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