X Factor: The Zero Factor?

It may seem somewhat unfair to Simon Cowell’s disciples (is ‘Cowell’s Witnesses’ too strong?) that I should be writing this as I have never enjoyed The X Factor’s perniciousness and ostentation, usually scolding my family for even considering viewing. What does possessing the ‘X Factor’ even mean? Is this is a search for a pop sensation who could also be Britain’s next star mathematician? It is an entirely meaningless title, like renaming Masterchef ‘Cube Root’. In fact, a show which aims to find a master of algebraic equations sounds infinitely more entertaining than the abhorrent, self-aggrandising ‘cash cow’ that is swiftly becoming forgotten by the masses.

What does possessing the ‘X Factor’ even mean? Is this is a search for a pop sensation who could also be Britain’s next star mathematician?

This isn’t merely a vain hope on my part, with the show experiencing its lowest ratings in a decade as only an average of 9.1 million viewers tuned in for the recent final, beaten by programmes such as BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing. When the prospect of EastEnders’s Jake Wood gurning in a glittering tank top is more enticing, then there are evident problem.

Public ridicule is the cost of failure (photo: gocitygirl.com)

It would be an exaggeration, even dishonest, to proclaim that the show was flawed since conception, though it has certainly trudged down a deeply unappealing path. The idea to introduce a live audience for auditions appears purposeless other than to exacerbate the embarrassment of terrible acts. It is a temporal shift to ancient Rome, with national arenas and stadiums becoming coliseums. They fill with hysterical crowds who roar euphorically as a Bradford plumber, claiming to be the next Enrique Iglesias, begins to emit sounds resembling a tortured parakeet. Comparatively, the earlier series gave acts a quiet dignity, shielded from the cacophony of laughter that inevitably exploded from homes across the country.

The show promotes a confused message, presenting a polarised view of the search for fame. Leaning back in his half-buttoned Armani shirt, Cowell smugly preaches how he can provide the skeleton key to unlock your lifelong dreams, yet public ridicule is the cost of failure. These vast extremes, made increasingly clear through the introduction of live auditions, creates a paradoxically cynical portrayal of achieving dreams. Of course, the show has the potential to make high-grossing acts with sell-out global tours, but one must be simultaneously prepared for the darting looks and muffled laughter in the street if one fails spectacularly.

It is a temporal shift to ancient Rome, with national arenas and stadiums becoming coliseums. They fill with hysterical crowds who roar euphorically as a Bradford plumber, claiming to be the next Enrique Iglesias, begins to emit sounds resembling a tortured parakeet.

The series of peak viewing, with 17.2 million tuning in for the final, saw the infamous ‘One Direction’ become runners-up. This is understandable, considering the global stardom that the band has reached, seemingly travelling with a permanent magnetic field of prepubescent girls. However, the show’s most recent winner, Ben Haenow, seems only a recycled version of these previous acts, looking like Pop Idol’s Darius when he discovered Instagram. The calibre of acts seems to be declining and the viewing figures reflect this, so why continue to churn out musicians like a manufacturing plant?

The calibre of acts seems to be declining and the viewing figures reflect this, so why continue to churn out musicians like a manufacturing plant?

Is Ben Haenow anything more than a recycled version of previous acts? (photo: itv.com)

The annual appearance of The X Factor is alarming for this very reason, the frequency with which supposed musical stars are produced. Surely, after ten years, the public understand the message? There are people who have the knowhow and commercial clout to help you fulfil your dreams, make your family proud, and have your ‘beach body’ relentlessly criticised on the front cover of Heat. However, this message’s perpetuation is becoming a detrimental influence on the music industry, reminding us that it is just that: an industry. Musicians are commodities produced and sold and The X Factor represents a catalyst in this process, a way of increasing production speed and therefore profits.

The traditional development of musicians, recording songs in their bedroom and having the initiative to practice and make themselves noticed, is being wholly discouraged. As ‘Foo Fighters’ lead singer, Dave Grohl, has claimed in the past, talent shows, emblemised by The X Factor, are “destroying the next generation of musicians”. Acts are forced to play a particular type of music, a simple and accessible kind that the wealthiest in the industry approve of. There is no experimentation, none of the risks that produced the most radical and superior musical movements, from ‘grunge’ to ‘grime’. With the show’s recent plunging viewing figures, perhaps the public has finally realised this – the show has truly run its course.