Sam Bailey has claimed her days of fame would be numbered if she was to enter this year’s series of The X Factor, because of the younger judges.
The 38-year-old singer – who won the ITV show in 2013, when she was mentored by Sharon Osbourne as part of the Over 25s category – said she wouldn’t even get a look-in with new judges Nick Grimshaw and Rita Ora, who are joining the panel alongside Simon Cowell and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini.
“The Overs don’t stand a chance this year. Would I survive? No, because three of the judges are very young and looking for young talent,” she told the Daily Mirror.
Of BBC DJ Nick, she said: “You have got someone from Radio 1 and I’m not really played on Radio 1. So I wouldn’t have much of a look-in there.
“I’m a bit confused about the Nick Grimshaw thing. And Rita Ora has only been in the business a few years but I’ve been in it for 20 years. They will be looking for a new star – someone who will be competing against the likes of Rita or Cheryl.”
Sam, who spent years singing in clubs and on cruise ships before her X Factor win, said she would prefer more experienced judges on the panel.
“I’m old school. I’d rather have someone like Michael Bolton, Celine Dion or Bette Midler judging me. They’ve been in the business long enough to be respected in it. I couldn’t have been luckier with the line-up I had in 2013,” she said.
“Sharon Osbourne is amazing – she’s managed bands, worked with all sorts of people. Louis Walsh is the same and Nicole Scherzinger is a classically trained singer who has been singing for years.”
Sam continued: “Then there was Gary Barlow, who deserves the biggest respect because as a singer, he knows intonation, phrasing and how you work that voice. People go on The X Factor because they are serious about becoming a recording artist or performing.
“But it got a bit pantomimey last year. I hope it is still all about the contestants and not as much about the judges as last year.”
The new series of The X Factor will air on ITV in coming weeks.
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