One Direction seems to be crumbling after the departure of Zayn Malik, and the remaining quartet have decided to take a sabbatical. But right on cue, the hunt for the next big musician/s out of England has begun with The X Factor 2015, which kicked off last week. While its ratings have dropped this year, there’s plenty to look forward to with Simon Cowell, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Nick Grimshaw and Rita Ora (the latter two replacing the long-standing Mel B and Louis Walsh) putting on their judgmental hats. And this time, the judges house sessions will go live. “I think it’s good because you don’t have to ponder once you’ve made your decision,” begins Versini, adding that it’ll make things more real and candid because neither the judges nor participants will have the time to pull it all together before being caught on camera. “Then we go straight into live so there is no time in between where they can tell their family and friends, they can automatically express their ‘Is he making faces behind my back?’” she says.
While there may not be a boy band on the horizon for this, the 12th season, the judges foresee an all-boy band make it to the next stages. “I think there is a man band rather than a boy band. They are a vocal harmony group and while less catchy than what One Direction was, they do seem like they have potential,” explains debutant judge Grimshaw.
Taking a step back and a less harsh tone in the season, creator Cowell will be seen trying to match the lingo of the younger generation and letting the show take on its new avatar with Olly Murs and Caroline Flack presenting the show. “I am having a good time this year. You actually want judges who are there to judge the talent and actually want to find an artist. That’s what I noticed when I was working with these guys,” he says, signing off.
Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm on Vh1