Leon Jackson Dropped From Record Label - Thus Proving The Mediocrity Of The X Factor

I love The X Factor, the television show which evolved from the ashes of Pop Idol. It’s brilliant entertainment watching singers, some talented, some not-so-talented, competing for the support of the nation. It’s perfect Saturday night viewing.

However, don’t kid yourself that the artists to emerge from the show are all going to set the world alight. After five series worth of singers, how many have truly gone onto achieve glory and fame?

We have one genuine star in Leona Lewis, and the rest are either also-rans still trying to get that hit record, or are nowhere to be seen. Even the winners aren’t guaranteed success. After all, where is Steve Brookstein now?

Out of the 57 artists (I use the term loosely) to have made the live finals so far, only G4, Shayne Ward, Leona Lewis, Rhydian Roberts, and Leon Jackson have done anything of note. And Jackson has now been dropped from his record label.

Jackson won the fourth series of the show in 2007, beating Rhydian in the final. His debut album, Right Now, has sold an unspectacular 130,000 copies, and his single, Don’t Call This Love, totally underwhelmed everyone in the face of opposition from Peter Kay.

Jackson has complained that he wasn’t properly backed by the record company or Simon Cowell. That may well be partly true although I suspect Jackson had more money spent on him than most acts do.

Instead, it could be that he’s just not very good. He can sing swing reasonably well. Great, if you like that sort of thing, but it seems most of us don’t, especially when Jackson proves he’s a one trick pony time and time again.

This isn’t a rant against The X Factor, because as I’ve already stated, it’s a great television spectacle. But the artists it produces do not usually manage to live up to the hype. In fact, some of the finalists are downright rubbish.

Let’s hope Alexandra Burke is more Leona than Leon.

[Photo Source: From Newscom with permission]