Want to be on ‘X Factor?’ Don’t sing this song to L.A. Reid
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If you want to make it on “The X Factor,” don’t sing “And I Am Telling You” from the movie “Dreamgirls.”
If you do, you will not get the support of judge L.A. Reid.
“Everybody knows it on the (judging) panel that as soon as somebody says they're singing that song, it's an automatic no (from Reid),” says ‘The X Factor’ judge in a conference call with CTV.ca.
“Every time somebody gets on stage and sings that song, I just think it’s so ‘talent show’ and it just gets under my skin.”
The current contestants seemed aware of this little fact about Reid, and have stayed clear of the song during the audition process.
Instead, many hopefuls have tried a different angle and are opting to perform original songs instead of covers to earn a spot in Boot Camp (the second stage of the audition process).
But Reid says contestants are usually better off performing a song the audience will recognize.
“I think that when a contestant decides to do an original song, they really run the risk of performing something that's so unfamiliar that the crowd finds it difficult to participate,” he explains. “I mean, the ones that do well, they do extremely well. The ones that blow it, it's usually not because of just the song. It usually because they're pretty dull themselves.
“My preference is to have the contestants come on and I prefer to hear them sing songs that I'm familiar with,” he continues. “But surprisingly enough, I've enjoyed the original songs this year.”
Now, as the show is about to head into the Boot Camp and Mentoring phases of the competition, L.A. Reid says the hardest part of his job is about to begin.
“When you're judging, you’re taking what these contestants come up with, and you’re telling them that you like it or you don't and maybe you're telling them why,” Reid explains. “When you're mentoring, you're putting your own creativity on the line as well. Now you're going to be judged by the entire viewing world and that's tougher.”
Don’t miss all-new episodes of ‘The X Factor’ Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CTV, and Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on CTV two.
