Cowell pulls off the covers

‘New look’ X Factor hunts for fresh young stars singing their own songs

X FACTOR wants to replace contestants churning out cover versions with singers performing their own material.

Insiders say Simon Cowell aims to freshen up the ITV show following the huge success of original CHANGES Simon Cowell artists such as Adele and Ed Sheeran, pictured right. A big increase in the number of auditions for singer-songwriters is reported.

A source said: “Simon knows he can’t change the format too much but one thing he and the contestants can change is what’s sung.

“If there’s lots of new material it could attract a new audience.

“Original songs by young performers have generally been well received on Britain’s Got Talent too, so it seems a risk worth taking.”

The shake-up comes after it was announced that, for the first time, auditions will be held at Thorpe Park theme park in Surrey.

On Sunday and Monday Cowell, Louis Walsh, Nicole Scherzinger and Sharon Osbourne will meet acts aiming to make it big.