So it's that time of year again. It seems like only yesterday Ben Haenow was crowned X Factor Winner (it was only 4 months ago, to be fair) and producers are already on the hunt for talent (or lack thereof) for X Factor 2015.
I headed down to Croke Park yesterday, on Day 1 of auditions, and to my surprise - there were no queues! There were barriers and security - but not too many contestants...which is why they let me in to have a chat with some of the hopefuls.
Like the TV show, there were all sorts of people from all walks of life, trying for every category. Most definitely, the Girls Category was the one which had the most amount of hopefuls...and they all seemed to look alike. They sounded the same too. It went something like this:
What are you singing today?
Adele, Someone Like You.
Can you sing some now?
Ok. NEEVEEEER MIIIIIIND I'LLLLL FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIND....
I left feeling amused/bad/guilty/sad/a bit grubby after about an hour of speaking to devastated teenagers who didn't get through. "Music is my life, going on X Factor is all I've ever wanted" is a sentence I would quite happily never hear again from someone so young they can't remember these guys - and how it can all go so horribly wrong:
Have a listen to some of the hopes/dreams/reactions to X Factor:
