James Arthur returns home
The X Factor comes to a close this weekend and we’ve decided to have a look at each of the remaining three finalists and see what we expect them to accomplish after the competition comes to a close, as well as the other contestants that we think may go on to bigger and better things.
Only really James Arthur has a shot out there in the wider world of setting up a long lasting career, with the market for guys and guitars still there to be exploited to his benefit.
Christopher Maloney on the other hand will be lucky if he gets out a second album. While the singer is popular with an older demographic, seemingly loved by enough nans to keep him in the show for so long, it’s unlikely that they’ll stick around after a first album. That his performance of Michael Buble’s 2009 hit ‘Haven’t Met You Yet’ was his most modern song choice so far speaks volumes.
Jahmene might have a future out there, but he’s simply not memorable enough to make a real impression past the shows finale, with his style of crooning simply not fashionable at the moment. It may seem cruel to say, but he’s not quite got the ability to bring back an entire musical genre. He may be able to make a couple of albums, but we don’t expect him to set the charts alight for years to come.
Of the three artists, James Arthur seems by far the strongest candidate, not just musically, but commercially as well. He’s got a nicely unique image, a sellable face (don’t worry, we feel dirty even typing that) and a musical sensibility that will see him fare well in the charts.
Over the past few months, James has shown us that he’s not only a cracking set of pipes on him, but that he can do a variety of different styles of music. It will be this eclectic sensibility that will save him, as it leaves him open to all sorts of different potential partners and collaborators.
The past has shown though that you don’t have to win the show to get success, being in the final three is nearly always needed.
In fact, finishing as one of the runners up over the last couple of years has been the way to go. One Direction and Amelia Lily both came third in their series of the show while Rebecca Ferguson and Olly Murs were runners up on their editions.
Every now and again though, someone from lower down on the pecking order makes an impression. Diana Vicker’s debut album was surprisingly good, while Aiden Grimshaw’s Misty Eye was one of the most pleasant shocks we’ve had all year. Cher Lloyd’s even gone on to conquer America, even after the horrific Swagger Jagger.
The trick might just repeated this year though, as arguably the competition’s most talented singer
Ella Henderson though will be the one from this series to make a name for herself in the musical world. At only the tender age of sixteen, she’s only just beginning her musical journey. With a gorgeous voice that will only get better over the next few years, a talent for song writing and a real likeability factor, the rumours of a bidding war going on behind the scenes for her signature aren’t too drastic.
As for the last contestants to not make the final Union J and their fellow boy band District 3? Well, they’ve both got the fanbase, a devoted army of Twitter users who seem to always have something trending on the site; now all they have to do is get that nasty little issue of the music out of the way.
Let’s be frank, neither of them is going to be the new Beatles. Neither of them is going to be the new One Direction, because they still exist. While The Wanted are also there presenting opposition to the worldwide chart toppers (a statement which fills us with sorrow here), both Union J and District 3 have a very hard task ahead of them.
Although the future success of X Factor contestants is far from assured, most have failed rather than flown, all three of the finalists, as well as the other acts will hope that the exposure from the show can lift them above the realms of obscurity.
FemaleFirst Cameron Smith