Crueller than the real world? Or just fun? X Factor judge Dannii Minogue guides us through the auditions process – and reveals why she won’t miss Sharon Osbourne.
This article originally appeared in Radio Times for the week 16-22 August 2008.
“I’ve got to defend my title,” laughs Dannii Minogue, explaining why it was a no-brainer to return for her second series as an X Factor judge. “Last year was all about realising: ‘Oh my God! I’m on my favourite show!’ To come away as the winning judge [she mentored Leon Jackson] wasn’t even real to me. There was so much to take in. This year is about having fun.” But can she win it again? “I’ve every chance. I’m keeping on my toes. Everything’s to play for.”
Last year, Sharon Osbourne, the only long-serving judge not to have mentored a winning act, claimed it was her year to win, adding: “If I don‘t win, I will fire myself – before someone else does!” After Osbourne lost, she quit the show, and is replaced this series by Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole, with whom Minogue is “thrilled” to be working.
Does she miss Osbourne? Erm, silly question. “No, I don’t think so,” she says, firmly. “We weren’t friends.” Media speculation over the ‘real’ reasons for Osbourne’s departure alluded to tensions between her and Minogue. “We weren’t always fighting, but Sharon made it clear that she didn’t like me,” says Minogue, “so she won’t be missed. Not by me.”
Did Osbourne’s exit come as a surprise? “It did, because I thought she loved the show, but she must have felt it was her time to leave. It seemed like maybe she was just a bit unhappy. The new line-up works brilliantly.”
Are the judges hoping for world-class singers, or secretly crossing their fingers for the deluded souls who make the audition shows such compulsive viewing? ”Oh, I love it all!” says Minogue. “I live for those characters. Sometimes you’re laughing right at them and they don’t see it. I couldn’t stand in a room with these judges laughing at me. They’re in their own world. It’s like we’re not even there.”
Isn’t it a bit – whisper the word – cruel? “People saying that haven’t seen a normal audition. You don’t usually get the courtesy of feedback. The show’s not crueller than the real world.”
FACING THE MUSIC
Minogue likens The X Factor auditions to “getting a golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory”. This is one of the London auditions (pictured). “The tension is electric. The producer sitting behind the monitors can see the contestants’ faces in close-up, everything flashing through their minds. It means the world to them.
“We see about 45 people a day, and the days are long. If we’re looking despondent, the producers will come in and say, ‘The next person’s been waiting for six hours, guys. They deserve five minutes of your full attention.’ It’s good that they remind us of that.”
TAKING THE REGISTER
“This is registration for a call-back,” explains Minogue. Open auditions with the producers took place in April and May, at stadium-sized venues across the country, with call-backs in front of the judges several weeks later.
NO HOLDING BACK
“This is the holding room,” says Minogue. “The contestants are there with their families and friends; they’re excited, nervous… then in we come. Simon [Cowell] lays it on. He says, ‘Who’s going to win this?’ A few people put up their hands. ‘Is that it?!’ Soon everyone is like, ‘Me! Me! Me!’ He says, ‘Right, well, come in and show us what you’ve got. We’re looking for talent.’” As a performer herself, does Minogue get nervous for the contestants? “You bet. It’s the closest I think I could come to being a mother, without them being my own children.”
AND THEY’RE OFF…
“Louis [Walsh] and Simon are the most competitive judges,” says Minogue. “They’ll always try to say something to put me off. They’re sneaky characters. If it were Wacky Races, Simon would be Muttley, Louis would be Dick Dastardly, and I’d be Penelope Pitstop. I’d be like, ‘Don’t worry, boys, say what you like,’ as I cruise past them in my car! I’ve always professed that I’m so not competitive, but last year I realised I am – when I’m a mentor. Yeah, I really want to win.”
MINOGUE-BOGGLING TURNOUT
This year, The X Factor had 182,000 applicants. “The scale of it boggles me,” admits Minogue. “There were more girls this year, now that Leona [Lewis, series three’s winner] is doing so well – she’s never off the radio. I’d kind of like to mentor the girls. And we’ve put through three or four contestants in their 60s or 70s this year. We want to matchmake them at boot camp!”
WHO’S THE JUDGE HERE?
The show’s presenter Dermot O’Leary interviews each contestant before and after their audition for the judges. “But you can’t tell if someone’s a good singer just by talking to them,” points out Minogue. “By the end of the day, Dermot’s like, ‘I can’t believe you didn’t let so-and-so through!’ And I’m like, ‘Sorry, but they were shocking.’ You can’t let someone in just because you like them.”
THE NEW GIRL
“Everybody’s jumping on me going, ‘What’s Cheryl like? Are you two fighting yet?’” says Minogue of fellow judge Cheryl Cole. “Well, I’ve only had a few days of filming with her so far, so let’s wait and see.” Did Minogue have any tips for the new girl? “I said, ‘Have fun. Enjoy it. We’re all so passionate about music; this is what we love, so just be yourself. That’s what people want to see.’ It’ll be interesting to see how she handles it.”
Benjamin Cook
