Is it worth it?

This week saw the first live show of X-Factor hit our screens and as per usual it has been headline news all week in the tabloids with over eleven million people watching over the weekend. One of the headline stories have been twin act John and Edward who have encountered the wrath of the tabloid press and the general public.

The twins have been highlighted throughout the audition process for their over the top personalities, their attitude and their antics which included singing over others or signing other peoples lines at bootcamp and then giving one of the worst auditions at the Judges house section and still getting picked.

Without knowing them the press has brandished them as vile creatures and the general public have got on the bandwagon by starting up Facebook groups which are about wanting them kicked off, voted off etc. It was to the amazement of many that they managed to survive the first round of the live shows as they were the favourites to go out. The scorn against the pair has got that bad now that the judges and presenters are having to try and counterbalance it with being nice to them at any chance.

Yes they aren’t the most talented act on X-Factor but I think they know this and this is why they have done what they have and acted in the way they have to get where they are. Instead of being credited for how they have managed to get themselves in to the top 12 they are being despised because of it. To get in to the top twelve if you aren’t the most talented on the show must be harder than if you are the most talented.

However in light of the reaction to the pair they now must be thinking was it worth it? Yes they have got themselves their fifteen minutes of fame but I think they are going to find it hard when they come out of X-Factor to either be taken seriously or to get work. Sometimes we can get so shortsighted in our goals and will to succeed that we forget to look at the bigger picture.

I think there is something to admire in John and Edward’s determination to get where they are but it is a great case to look at for long term success. If you are going to put a lot of hard work in you need to make sure it is going to be worth it and if you are going to use a high risk strategy you have to be very careful and be prepared to accept the risks.

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

If it isn’t broke don’t fix it

This Saturday sees the return of the X-Factor to our screens in the UK. After many seasons of the same format this year the producers have made a range of changes including auditions now being held in front of live audiences instead of just in front of the judges to name just one.

Using the same format the X-Factor has been a hit in the UK for many years now but this is the first time the producers have played with the format. I’m not sure if this is because they are scared about viewing figures or people just want to make change for change sake.

If something is successful or you are successful you should keep doing things the same way as yes a change could make you even better but there is a risk if you change things up for no reason that it could make you less successful. If you are going to make changes there should be a purpose behind them and they should be well thought out.

It is hard in today’s world to find a winning formula and with things like TV programmes the viewers obviously like the programme for a reason and if you change it you may alienate those viewers that liked the programme before you changed it.

In a fast changing world there seems to be this atmosphere and culture of having to change to keep up with the times and for entities to keep evolving but I think it is important that we don’t go blindly in to this cycle and sometimes fight the urge to change some things.


Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

Miming

Britney Spears has launched a press and PR assault on the UK this weekend with an appearance on X-Factor and a 90 minute supposed bare all interview which was broadcast on Sky One this week. People should be talking about her new album which she is here to promote but this week many people have been left talking about her alleged miming on her so called live performance of here new track “Womanizer.”

People have been miming for years and this isn’t a new thing for music artists to do but when big names do it, it gets headlines. This week I ask when is miming acceptable and even is it acceptable at all? Should TV companies and music companies be doing more to make sure they perform live? And should we be told before an act performs if they are live or miming?

When people pay to see a concert are they paying for a show? Are they paying for entertainment? Or are they paying to see the act perform live? Now I can slightly understand if you are going on to a TV show at last minute and they can’t set the audio production up properly for you that you wouldn’t want to go on live. With sites like YouTube if you give a bad performance its going to be plastered all over the internet and through one performance could ruin your image but when it comes to concerts you play in venues which are designed for gigs and in which you have the whole day to set up and do sound checks so to me there is no excuse for miming at a gig.

When an act goes on to a TV show to do an interview and a performance do you just see this as a promotion / an advert for the music or should it be held in the same position as a performance at a gig? With a TV show no fan or member of the general public has paid anything to hear you sing live so is it acceptable not to?

You play a dangerous game when you mime and try and pass it off as a live performance. If you youtube Ashlee Simpson and Saturday Night Live you will see what I mean as on live TV her track started before she was ready and within a few seconds left the stage in embarrassment. Or if like Britney you have one of these headset mics and then when you have to be interviewed after the performance the interviewer has to put their mic in your face. As much as a bad performance can be bad for your image getting caught miming can be equally as bad just ask Ashlee Simpson.

The whole miming side of the music industry helps reinforce the belief that many people have that pop stars can’t sing and all there stuff is just edited to sound good. This is a reason why I think more needs to be done to make people perform live because as long as people continue to mime people will continue to have these thoughts.

I think the problem lies in the overproduction of tracks when they are released. When an artist can go in to a recording studio and spend days just recording one song and record it in small chunks having hundreds of attempts of course it is going to sound a bit different when you have one take to belt it out live. I think the quality of the production of some of these tracks makes it near impossible for some acts to recreate live and this puts them off performing live.

Britney picked the worst show to do a mime on as the show is all about people who have none or very little professional training performing live every week and this is what has brought this in to the headlines. If Britney had mimed on a daytime TV programme I don’t think there would have been as much talk about it.

What do you think about singers who mime on stage? Do you think it should be stopped? Or do you just want to be entertained and not care if the act is miming or not? We want to know your view points on miming and you can share your views by joining in our topic of the week:

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=617

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

X-Factor Final – The Final Verdict

So who stayed in this Sunday to watch the X-Factor final? Millions of people across the UK tuned in to see who would win the forth series and the 1 million pound record deal that went with it. Being big supporters of young people with talent we here at Talented Young People were very glad to see four young people under the age of 25 vying to become the X-Factor winner.

As you probably already know the Scottish crooner Leon beat off competition from Same Difference and Rhydian to win the contract but not before a cracking final and series before it. What I thought was so great about it was what each contestant brought to the competition.

Many people watch X-Factor for a bit of escapism for every day life or the struggles they are going through. Regardless of whether they won the contest or not I though each contestant had one of the most awesome privileges there is which is to entertain the British public. Regardless of whether or not the people at home liked them or disliked them whether they voted for them or didn’t vote for them they were able to bring that entertainment in to people’s homes. When you perform on a show like that you never know who you may have just inspired which is why I think TV series like this need to be kept.

Now lets talk about what each contestant brought to the show:

Same Difference

It was great to have a bother sister duo so well in the competition. It is great to be able to show young viewers what your family and the support of your family can help you achieve. I think we need more positive family messages like this on our screens. It was also good to Same Difference do so well as it proves nice guys don’t always finish last and being a nice guy can help you win friends, admirers and supporters.

Rhydian

It was great to see how talent can win out in the need of a TV series and you don’t need an outrageous personality or a sad back-story. Some of the world’s greatest achievers have come from some of the hardest upbringings or experiences but we also need people that encourage and motivate people that may have nothing to fight against to succeed in life. So many people live life in relative comfort and it’s these people that could also achieve great things and the ones that need to be pushed as well. I believe Rhydian will get a record deal and have a successful life which proves that if you work and have a talent you will get your rewards regardless of whether or not you win every competition you enter, talent is the eventual winner.

Leon

It was great to see a young boy who had a dream and a reason to achieve something winning the competition. He wanted to change his mum’s life who had supported him by herself and I think he has already done that. It was also good to see someone with a talent so humble and that is the way it should be because young people need to be shown how to act and Leon is a great role model for that.

The one thing that show like these do is inspire people with many people vowing after watching the show that they are going to audition next year. The sad thing is that not all of them do. If these three acts hadn’t applied and gone to an audition there lives wouldn’t have been changed. In life it’s not the knowing whether we are good or not so good at something that stops us from achieving. It’s the not knowing which stops us from achieving and affects us for years and years. Don’t live your life not knowing and thinking about what ifs. You need to let talent shine and shows like this provide a great opportunity for that to happen. Shows like this won’t change your destiny they will help you get closer to success. If you go and they say you are not right for the show you then know you need to go and do some work on it or find a new direction for your life and if they say you have a talent and put you through you could have opened the biggest and best door in your life. So either way you are that one step closer to success.

We here at Talented Young People want to know your thoughts on the X-Factor in our discussion topic of the week on the forum. To post your views go to:

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=293

Also to coincide with the final of the show we have interviewed top Professional Vocal Coach and session Singer Kim Chandler about how to become a great singer and how to make it in the business. To read the interview go to:

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/experts/index.php?page=article&id=43

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com