- music artist onstage - MarcoMaru
With another edition of The X Factor about to begin on UK screens in what will be the seventh series, it can logically be considered time for the series to end, especially when you consider that a new series is about to start on US television for 2011.
The X Factor, not a new Concept
The idea behind The X Factor is not a new one to UK screens; it is a talent show searching for future talent in everyday situations, and the concept was previously tried in New Faces and in Opportunity Knocks, both of whom had a reasonable level of success. Although with New Faces, the acts were a little more known within the circuit, while in Opportunity Knocks, they were mostly amateur acts.
The idea of The X Factor follows on from Pop Idol, which ran for two series, after which it sought a new home without much success.
ITV, who have aired both programmes, have made a sizeable profit on the format and for this reason they continue to produce a new series every year but unlike previous talent shows, The X Factor is only about singing and surely there is a limit to the amount of talent that can be found.
Appearing on the X Factor does not Guarantee Notable Success
The thing with The X Factor is that even those who don't win manage to record a record or in some cases to have moderate success. Although this will not apply to all of them, the fact that apart from the first series which only contained nine contestants, every series since has had 12 finalists. When you consider that after seven years that equates to 81 people, it is amazing that there are still possible gaps in the music industry for any more.
Out of those who have won the contest, only one has had any notable success. Leona Lewis, the 2006 winner, has done moderately well but she can by no means be called a music artist. The other winners have been overshadowed by either their inability to perform as expected, or, as in the case of 2008 winner Alexandra Burke, to be discovered after Leona Lewis.
Stereotypes Starting to Emerge on the X Factor
The man behind the show, Simon Cowell, is certainly making a name for himself, making the Times rich list this year with an estimated fortune of 165 million pounds.
According to former Pop idol judge Pete Waterman, the reason for the impulse on The X Factor is that he is ultimately trying to turn the show into a bigger star than the Eurovision Song Contest. The Eurovision Song contest itself only takes place once a year but gets over 122 million viewers.
What appears clear as we approach series seven is that the stereotypes of those who appear as finalists every year is now starting to become more prevalent. Back in 2009, Sting made much about this fact in interviews regarding The X Factor and there have recently been concerns regarding voice doctoring in order to make contestants sound better than they actually do. This clearly goes against the notion of a talent contest and appears to be more of an indication that the show is heading towards a the end of the road.
Jaime Solloso - Jaime Solloso is a former graduate who divides his time between the UK and mainland Europe. He has over five years experience in online ...
