It’s over 80 years ago that Sir Noel Coward, an English playwright, composer and performer, wrote:- Don’t put your daughter on the stage, Mrs. Worthington. Don’t put your daughter on the stage. The profession is overcrowded, And the struggle’s pretty tough.
But it appears that very few have taken his advice to heart as The X Factor television talent show, seen in over twenty countries, appears to have changed everything. Across the world thousands of wannabes turn up for the open auditions. From Australia to USA, India to UK, they all presumably have dreams of becoming the next multi-dollar international star. Why is it that they all try when the chances of them achieving their dreams or even surviving, if they get on this showbiz whirligig, is so elusive and onerous? How many winners can you remember and as for those who were runners-up? Of course, as with anything, there is always the exception which proves the rule. In the UK 2010 X Factor whilst 1st place winner was Matt Cardle, runners-up in 3rd place were five guys known as “One Direction” and looked what happened to them! The X Factor format ran into difficulties in the US, but even now those desperate to appear are signing petitions of support. Elsewhere the show takes on board the cultural and social demands of its TV audience. In the UK celebrity judge Cheryl Cole is compared with India’s judge Sonu Nigam, whilst in the US Britney Spears endeavoured to take on an identical role. From Pop to Punk, Bollywood to Bhangra, Rock to Reggae the show reflects a country’s musical heritage ensuring its mass appeal. Surely it must be true that a bad singer is a bad singer, no matter where you are in the world? So why is it so many want to appear when, in some cases, they just make fools of themselves?
As the impact of X Factor has grown so has the involvement of psychologists giving their views about the dangers of this type of reality TV show. It has been realised for many years that a successful show needs to generate the emotions of “Ooh”, “Arr” and “Ugh”, so as to appeal to viewers and correspondingly increase ratings. Just think of how many emotions a sports fan summons up whilst watching their favourite football or cricket team.
No wonder sports programmes are very popular. Well shows like The X Factor play similarly on people’s emotions, hope and expectations. Contestants, on being asked what taking part means to them, often results in heart-jerking tearful tales. However after a couple of series we tend to be less sympathetic as we have heard it all before. This is why TV producers keep up the pressure by adding new twists and turns in the on-going format. Contestants equally start performing with more “off the wall” routines so as to attract attention. Eventually we become fed-up and the consequence is that the series starts to lose viewing figures.
So why do singers try to get on the show? Amongst contestants it’s a mixture of ambition, fun and determination jumbled in many variable ways. They have to have a belief in themselves which drives them onwards above everything else. The mass auditions are whittled down to another group, and so on, until only a few are left for the auditions viewers eventually see. By the time any contestant is seen by the TV judges, they have already been through at least two auditions. The show’s originator and powerhouse Simon Cowell is reported as being upset that there are people who come on the show just because they want fame. They’ll do anything before and afterwards because that is why they’ve entered The X Factor.
So if you are everso slightly tempted to view The X Factor as your road to success and stardom, let’s finish with another thought provoking quote from Sir Noel Coward:-
Work hard, do the best you can, don’t ever lose faith in yourself and take no notice of what other people say about you !