Simon Cowell Interview About "X Factor"
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 1:48AM 1:03:48
“The show is basically it's a singing competition, just to be clear, but it's a singing competition with a twist. The show is open to anyone who can sing from 12 years old up to -- there's no upper limit. So solo artists can enter of any age and groups can enter, but vocal groups. So, a Destiny's Child, The Jacksons, ‘N Sync, Spice Girls, Justin Bieber, Diana Ross, they're all in the same competition.”
1:04:25
“Essentially it’s young guys, young girls, older singers and vocal groups, all competing in one competition.”
1:04:35
“We called the show THE X FACTOR because it was an expression we used a lot, which was you don't have to necessarily have the best voice. You may not be the best-looking person, but you have something which defines you as a star, like Lady Gaga. She's got THE X FACTOR. And you never know until he walks in the room.”
1:04:59
“I'm going to put my money where my mouth is. It's a 5 million dollar recording contract. That means the winner walks away with 5 million dollars guaranteed if they win.”
1:05:34
“On this show, the contestants are going to have to do the auditions in front of 3,000 or 4,000 people. This way we bring the audience into the audition process as well. They effectively become like the fifth judge. And if they hate somebody, which they will, they'll know about it, and when they like somebody, you get a different kind of reaction.”
1:05:44
“I love having the audience there because everyone's suddenly a judge - everyone's an expert. But actually, on this show, you get that chance, because you make your presence felt. I mean if you love somebody, you show the support. If you hate them, you can make your presence felt. And if you think we're wrong, - rare - you can also change our minds occasionally. But if you've ever wondered what an audition process is like, you get to come along to one of these and you become a judge for a day.”
1:06:02
If you want to audition, we're going to be going to the following cities
- · Miami
- · New York
- · Seattle
- · Los Angeles
- · Dallas
- · Chicago
1:06:12
“Anyone can audition. That's the whole point. You know for years when I was in America the one thing I used to get told to me more than anything else was, "Why is there an upper age limit?" You know people in their 30s and 40s would come up to me and go you know, "I want a chance of winning a competition like this," and that was part of the reason why we brought THE X FACTOR to America”.
1:06:35
“I'm not looking for something we've seen before. The reason we do these shows in America is, is that the best singers in the world are American and I still believe that there is an undiscovered artist out there. Now it could be somebody who's in their teens. It could be someone in their 30s, 40s, or it could be a group. I mean the great thing about this show is, is that I think there's a gap in the market now for another Spice Girls, another Destiny's Child, another ‘N Sync.”
1:07:07
“Why I'm back is that I believe America has the best talent in the world. I believe that with all my heart, and if I didn't believe that, I wouldn't do the show. I'm not looking for somebody who's just going to be a hit in America; I'm looking to find a global star.”
1:07:23
“Four judges and what happens on this show is that each judge has a category you look after. So you could be looking after the young guys, you could be looking after the young girls, the older category, or the groups. And if you have a category, you mentor your contestants. So you get three or four contestants into the final each, and then you make all the decisions - what they sing, what they wear, what dances you use, what choreography, everything. So if you get it wrong it's your responsibility.”
1:07:58
“There’s more than a little competition. I mean, basically, you are in the competition as well. So if your contestants leave you're out of the competition. If one of your contestants wins, you win - and I like winning.”
1:08:13
“We work with choreographers. We work with the best choreographers in the world. You work with dancers. Basically, you've got to put on a show every single night. You can't just stand and sing the song. You've got to entertain. And the competition is about who is the best performer, because that's the real world. You know the real world now is the biggest artists in the world, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, this whole new generation of recording artists, they put on a show every single night, and that's what we've got to do on this show. We've got to compete in the real world.”
1:08:47
“Well I can't tell you what the show is going to be like because I haven't shot it yet. What I can tell you, it's going to look like nothing you've ever seen before. And I'm going to put the whole weight of Sony music behind the winner of this show. They're committed to it. We have a lot of money to spend and I want to find a star. And whoever wins this show is going to get complete, total support from me, from Sony Music worldwide, because I don't want somebody who's just going to be a star in America. I want somebody who's going to be a star all over the world. That's what you want at the end of this. You want a global super star, and the first person who wins this show I guarantee that will happen. I've just got a feeling.”
1:09:31
“We want someone who's going to become a global super star and they're out there in America. There's somebody in a group. There's somebody who's 12 years old. There's somebody who's 50 years old now saying, "You know I missed my chance." That's why you've got to enter this show to prove that it doesn't matter about age. If you're 40, if you're 50, you can still be a star. If you've got THE X FACTOR, you think you can take everyone on, bring it on. And you win this competition I guarantee it will change your life forever. And for people who haven't seen this show, it's like nothing you've ever seen before.”
1:10:07
“I'd love to find somebody different. I'd love to find somebody who can become a star all over the world, and I'd love to say we found this person on this show. You know it's not just about selling a few records. It's just about selling records in America. You want to give somebody a career; you want to give them a platform and you want the whole world to know about them. That's why I make these shows. You don't want to think small.”
FOX, X Factor in Reality Show No Upper Age Limit
Monday, February 21, 2011 at 4:55AM An interesting note about the "X Factor" is there is no upper age like there is on shows such as "American Idol" which means a talented older performer could do well and even win. I think this is a positive move and means the show has access to a wider range of talent. At the audition stage they don't show all auditions on television anyway and they can still sku the performances younger but if they have a great older performer they can show that as well. It will be interesting how this twist affects the show as well as the lower age limit of 12 which is lower that the recently lowered age of 14 on "American Idol."
American Idol, X Factor in Reality Show