Do you have the x factor?

Do you have the x factor, my dear reader? This unique ability to sing well and look better that some producers of the music industry (or whatever they are), are looking for? I honestly don’t know if I have the x factor. I would like to have the x gene, so I would be a mutant . I can sing, I take singing lessons three times a week and it seems that my voice is ok, since I hear many compliments and don’t see shocked or scared faces while I’m singing. I’ve never wanted to be a famous singer. When I was younger, I wanted to be the vocalist of a heavy metal band . Actually, I’ve written some lyrics and honestly think they are good, but … I think I’m too sweet to lead a heavy metal band, it isn’t my style! I believe I was born to sing Brazilian music, what we, in Brazil, call MPB (Música Popular Brasileira – Popular Brazilian Music). It’s my repertory, intimistic, warm, sweet and melodic ! I wasn’t born to sing to huge audiences. I’m shy and my voice is very delicate, I like to sing Brazilian music to small groups, you know, just me, them and someone playing an acoustic guitar. Music is something extremely varied and the MPB taught me that nobody needs to scream and sing cheesy pop love songs, to be successful and admired as a singer. I definitely don’t need to sing My heart will go on (Celine Dion – Titanic’s soundtrack), to be a singer! This is one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard in my entire life! I honestly believe that so many people cry when they listen to this song because it’s terrible, not because it’s touching! It really hurts to listen to My heart will go on, I wanna cry too! I use to say that the Titanic sinks, in the movie, because of the soundtrack! … Sooo, I honestly don’t understand why the hell do so many people participate in singing contests on tv, to sing cheesy pop love songs and try to be famous! By the way, philosophical question of the day:

Why the hell do people want to be famous?

What am I talking about? Well, I’ve been watching on YouTube the worst auditions of some singing contests on tv, like The X Factor. Why the worst? Because I like to laugh once in a while (meanie!!!! >.<) . The human behaviour fascinates me (and scares me), so, sometimes, I waste my precious time watching tv shows on YouTube. I don’t have a tv and don’t give a damn about celebrities or something, but some things are so unbelievable, that I need to watch! If you are not familiar with singing contests on tv, dear reader, well … there’s no much to learn about them. Every single year, some tv channel creates or repeats a contest where hundreds of people sing to a group of judges, trying to reach the finals, win the prize (lots of money! I read that The X Factor, pays millions of dollars to the winner!) and get a contract from a record company. It seems that this type of reality show is very successful in the US and in the UK, but it has never been successful in Brazil, despite of all the tries! Anyways, we had the Ídolos (Brazilian version of the American Idol) last year. The worst auditions are funny, but the judges are too disrespectful and arrogant, that’s why I won’t upload a video here.

There are many things I don’t understand about these contests. One of them is that the winner hardly becomes as famous as a pop artist. Other, is the huge quantity of people who have no talent at all and really believe that can win the contest! Seriously: it’s embarrassing to watch some auditions! I don’t know what happens to some people! And many thoughts come to my mind. The great media really stinks. I don’t know why do some people from the entertainment industry create these tv shows. They want me and you to believe that the judges are looking for talented people, but a pop star is not necessarily a talented person! Pop starts give profit to the entertainment industry. They don’t sell only their voices! They sell dozens of products and a whole lifestyle! Some pop starts (especially the current ones) not even sing, but they sell a certain lifestyle and products. So, every time I watch the worst auditions, I think that the whole thing is a great waste of time! The singing contests are not about singing! Nobody is looking for an unique person, who has an unique voice and style! We all know that! A pop star is not unique (even if it seems). Of course, some pop starts are really talented, but they are all equal. Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera, for instance, are the types of singers who scream (yes, they scream, even if I like Whitney Houston!) and exaggerate in everything. Madonna, Beyoncé, Britney Spears and Nicki Minaj are sex symbols. Every boy band follows the same patterns. So … what’s the difference? What’s unique? And it’s amazing to observe that the people who participate in singing contests on tv imitate the pop icons instead of singing with their own voice. They choose cliches, behave in an artificial way, because they know which patterns are successful! The problem is that a pop star is much more than someone who can imitate successful people.

And the ones who try to be unique, are so absolutely weird, that their auditions scare! As a singer, I fear for my performances! Like: “Am I that bad too?” I don’t understand these shows, honestly. I don’t understand why do people who have no talent at all, participate in them. Why such a waste of time, if we all know that pop starts are all equal? Yes, it’s funny to watch the worst auditions, sometimes I laugh so much that I cry! But … I feel embarrassed, at the same time. Some people can’t sing at all. Some people are too … different, to be a pop icon. Some people should be at home. And they sing in front of the judges! And the whole world laugh at them! This is a little sad!

This is a strange world. I want to believe that everybody is able to sing . But we have unique voices and some repertories are suitable to our voices, some are not! I can’t stand My heart will go on, but I wouldn’t be able to sing it. I can’t scream, I mean, reach such high notes (he he he he he …). Unfortunately,the media forces people to believe that there’s only one way to sing and perform. And, when people try do be different, they are just weird, because we are not educated to be unique! These contests are a waste of time. But, sometimes, we can laugh on them. This is the funniest video I found. It’s from The X Factor. Watch it before the owner of the channel takes it off YouTube! The old man at 07:23 is the best, ever! Epic audition! One of the most nonsense things I’ve ever seen in my entire life! I can’t stop laughing! (Poor him! …) Let’s have some fun! But let’s think about this strange world we live in, too!

That’s all for now, folks! Stay tuned! I’ll be back!

Luna