How Cowell’s minions tried to exploit daughter of shamed Cabinet Minister as an X Factor sob story
They say they can change your life . . . then they kick you
‘Oh, no, no,’ they insisted. ‘We’re not like that. We care about all kinds of singing. We’d really like to have you on our show because we like your music.’
Sophie was very strong and forceful. James was a bit meeker but kept giving me these knowing smiles and sort of saying: ‘You know this is good for you. You should do this.’
I was thinking: ‘You don’t want me on the show for my music. You want me for my sob story. But do you actually think I’d appear on The X Factor to say “I had everything and then I had nothing at all, and now I’m like a Cinderella hoping The X Factor is going to save me and that Simon Cowell will be my knight in shining armour and give me a record contract so I can ride off on a horse into musical Neverland”?
‘Or do you want me on it so you can ridicule me as a posh girl?’
I was lucky enough to go to the private Rugby School, then a school in Switzerland. Certain people in the British music industry have made comments about my accent. (Interestingly, no one seems to care in the U.S.) But it would be a potential issue on The X Factor.
The worst-case scenario would be that they wanted to tear my singing voice to pieces. However, why would I want to be judged by someone like Mel B? She’s the perfect judge to be on The X Factor because she came from a manufactured group — just as Cheryl Cole did.
But I don’t know if she writes her own songs, or what she does now. She’d be the sort of person who’d be good at judging if someone has the charisma to be a TV presenter, but not at assessing artistic integrity.
As for Simon Cowell, I think he’s mean, arrogant and cruel. Even if you do go on The X Factor and make it, you basically become a slave to Simon because you have to sign some kind of crazy contract where he makes a great deal of money and you’re worked into the ground.
Sophie and James insisted our chat had nothing to do with who my dad was or my back story. They said they’d approached me because they loved my music. So I asked if they’d be interested in any of my songs. ‘I’ve got loads of lyrics and I love to co-write for people,’ I said.
But when they realised they couldn’t persuade me to go on the show, they shut down any discussion about songwriting, and didn’t ask to look at any songs I’d written.
That was when the big guy, Barney Addison, came in. Whereas the efforts of Sophie and James felt quite pushy, he was much more subtle. It was as if they’d had a chat in the corridor, saying: ‘We tried this approach on her, it didn’t work. You try something else.’
It was like good cop, bad cop. The second guy even reminded me of the nice policeman who’d questioned me over my father’s case.
Barney said if I wanted to come in and watch some of the open auditions so I could see how nice and friendly they were, I could. He saw me down in the lift and paid me loads of compliments.
However, I didn’t change my mind — and I don’t regret my decision.
To have a career in music, you have to learn your craft. I was studying international relations in America at Georgetown University when I just knew music was where I wanted to be. I took piano lessons, songwriting courses and attended conferences to improve. I’m still learning. The X Factor claims to nurture talent but it doesn’t. The old Motown record label was a music factory like X Factor — but the difference is they looked after their artistes. When their records didn’t sell, the A&R (artists and repertoire) guys would examine what was going wrong and redress it. Motown gave us the likes of Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye… the list goes on and on. But with X Factor, the themed weeks mean a singer can be made to sing a song that doesn’t fit their voice. It’s more of a musical Olympics — who can sing the highest or loudest. I wonder how Bob Dylan would have fared on it.
Going on the show is like going into the lions’ den. It’s gladiatorial, and the only stars are X Factor and its judges. Contestants are cannon fodder, manipulated for ratings.
Last night an X Factor spokesman told the Mail: ‘There are a number of avenues by which people can apply for the show, and we do on occasion approach some to see if they’d be interested. We would, on occasion, meet with them ahead of them deciding to audition.
‘A meeting would never replace an audition though. All acts, whether they apply through an open audition or are invited to apply, go through the same process. No one is fast-tracked or given preferential treatment.
‘The emails to Ms Aitken appear to have come from a freelancer who no longer works for the company.’
But I think music is about so much more than winning a reality TV show or even landing a record deal.
I get lost in music — whether I’m writing, singing or just listening to it. It’s a feeling that takes you over. If you have complex things happening in your life it’s an emotional outlet.
You put those emotions into your music — you don’t rake them up for a soundbite to make good reality telly.
I know from experience that when you’re going through a hard time, you’re very sensitive. But shows like The X Factor say: ‘Your granny’s just died? Wow, we love you. Come on our show and we can change your life.’ And then they kick you.
But what I find most breathtaking is the pretence that X Factor has a fair and open audition process.
Imagine how those 50 or so hopefuls warming up for their auditions in their ‘dress to impress’ outfits would have felt if they’d known people like me were being secretly whisked upstairs to a VIP suite to be persuaded to appear on the show. Cynical doesn’t even begin to describe it.