In 2004, Simon Cowell introduced us to the world's biggest TV "talent" show, The X Factor. There have been some notable contestants during its ten year run including Leona Lewis, Ollie Murs and of course One Direction, who are the most successful boyband in the world right now, but back in 2004 it was Steve Brookstein who won the competition and bagged himself a Christmas number 1 single with a cover of Phil Collins' Against All Odds. Somewhat inevitably, just 8 months later, he was dropped from his record label and became involved in a huge public feud with Simon Cowell claiming that the music mogul was "killing music" and that the show was entirely staged. Unsurprisingly Brookstein was then removed from the official X Factor website. Over the past decade, the nation has become just as concerned about what outfits the judges wear rather than what the contestants are singing each week, and for the past ten years The X Factor has become an annual TV fixture stretching from summer to Christmas, all with the alluring promise of a Christmas number 1 for the lucky winner. It wouldn't be out of line to label Simon Cowell as the music industry's Grinch because for the past decade we have been at the mercy of Jedward, Wagner, Same Difference, Rylan Clark and Chico. Who knows when the show will end or if it ever will, because for every Leona that auditions you just know they'll be a thousand girls itching for her place - and now in its tenth year the show is distributed to over 40 countries.
Rosie is a Music Journalist from Newcastle upon Tyne, with a huge passion for live music. When she's not attending gigs she loves to star gaze, drink pints of tea and play the viola.
