Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1044434
16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 OCTOBER 2018 INTERVIEW What do you make of the public response to the X Factor auditions so far? What does it tell you about the people who want to go public with their talent for singing (even though many might not actually have that talent...)? The response has been as- tonishing. It's record-breaking, from what we've been told… and we're still in Episode 3. Over 400 people applied for this first season, which tells me there's a lot out there we are not aware of. My guess is that these people were waiting for such a TV for- mat to give them such a chance. Clearly, there's also an adjust- ment to the mind-set being ex- posed to this format possibly for the first time in Malta. The same way this is new for us judges and the contestants, it's also new for the viewers, even though X Fac- tor has been around for 15 years. I dare say a substantial percent- age of viewers were not familiar with the format. Seeing a fellow Maltese person have a bad au- dition and being told 'NO' is a tough one to adjust to for some viewers at times; but I genuinely believe this will help us grow musically. There were also the 'diamonds in the rough', as well as, of course, the ones you are refer- ring to. As expected, we had a few deluded contestants. Others living in their ego-bubble, clear- ly showing us they would not have been open to mentorship. But for the most part, the ma- jority were good sports… seeing this as a great opportunity to be exposed on the airwaves for the first time in their life. Apart from musical talent, many contestants also come with their own human story. Are you genuinely interested in their stories, or is the singing the only thing that matters? Most successful artists in the industry have a story to tell. I don't see any problem in sharing one's story, but I do have a prob- lem when a contestant might try to use a story for personal gain. Normally we can pick up on that, but the truth is that we [the judges] don't get to hear what the TV viewers see in the programme. In other words, the contest- ant's story is only shared with the producers. We won't have a clue what the contestant might have said before or even after the 'room audition'. We're all focused on what we're looking for, and if I sense it's overplayed you'll see my eyes rolling. Some people find it uncomfortable to say it as it is when the contest- ant is standing there in front of them, and that's totally under- standable. But when I gather my thoughts, thinking solely in pro- fessional terms, I'm constantly asking myself: can this person progress, is there something we can work with here, is there po- tential in music industry terms to develop/mentor this act? Do you think X Factor (both generally, and Maltese version) overdoes it with the 'sob-story' aspect? Watching it as a viewer, I have to admit I get engaged in want- ing to know more about a con- testant, as long as it feels real. Whilst filming everyday for 10 hours at the room auditions, it's close to impossible to keep a straight face all the time or hide emotions, no matter how hard one tries. It's bound to happen. It's as real as it gets, and that room amplifies emotions. It does something to you. The fact that the viewers are on a journey with the contest- ants for a number of episodes is definitely a plus and probably one of the reasons the show has been so successful in producing such stars. We don't appreci- ate contestants who would use X Factor to convey personal beliefs, which have nothing to do with their musical journey. After all, it should be about the music. Does it also say something about people who do not usually get access to performance opportunities in more traditional ways? Would you, as a producer, have located these people were it not for X Factor? Not everyone is going to man- age to fulfil his or her music dream. Some will get a wake-up call, others will get lost in the saturated market, and only a few will take it to the next level: either by taking our advice, or anything else that inspires them to do so. What personally in- trigued me was that there was so much new talent we had never heard of. Out of 200 + contest- ants we auditioned as judges, I only knew two of them; another eight I knew of, and I had no clue who the other 190 were. That alone convinces me that as a music producer and art- ist manager, I couldn't ask for a better platform. X Factor is surely not just about the voice: how important are looks when judging contestants? And what would you say gives singers the X factor? Before I heard of 'X Factor' a couple of years ago, I had a buzzword for artists: USP, or 'unique selling point' – the rea- son why people will follow you passionately, and what inspires other artists to be like you. That is the X factor. Personally, I'm very interested in the sound of the voice I will remember; the tone of the voice which I will recognise on the air- waves immediately. The rest can be mentored. Of course, parallel with all this there is personality, likeability, stage presence, song writing, musical background, image, attitude… these are all boxes I'm trying to tick when I'm looking for the X factor in someone. I try not to over-think it. In some cases, five seconds into an audition, my gut feeling kicks in and I rarely change it. A few notes might be pitchy, image might need work and the song choice might have been wrong – as in most cases at the first phase, which we call 'room audi- tions' – but it might be enough to inspire a vision. In other cases, a contestant might seem good and all, but I would have still given them a 'No' because I felt I would have forgotten them the following day. This hap- pened to me whilst watching the uploaded daily's on YouTube, where I couldn't remember an audition. That isn't a good sign, and in that case my 'no' would have been justified – but possibly not easily understood by the viewer. Before, Maltese audiences voted for a successful song to take to the Eurovision Song Contest. This time, it will be X Factor to pick the voice... and one imagines a song will be especially created for that voice. But surely Eurovision is about the song, not just the singer? Is X Factor the ideal venue to choose Malta's Eurovision entry? This is a typical case where the sensational narrative that sticks makes the headlines. The right way to look at it isn't that the winner will represent Malta in Eurovision, but that it is an additional experience and exposure to what the winner will have: i.e. a record contract with Sony Music, and massive exposure to start a music career. Being crowned the winner of a worldwide brand such as X Fac- tor isn't a small thing and some contestants are still not aware what that means or how it's per- ceived globally. Even those who don't win have a lot to gain. There are also unexpected indirect benefits, such as hav- ing one's performance go viral. Recently, one of our contest- ants from 'room auditions' got picked up by X Factor Global X, and got 2.5 million views – shared 14,000 times – in less than a week. It will ultimately In between controversies, surprises and record-breaking participation levels, The X Factor has certainly caught Malta's attention. Record producer (and X Factor judge) HOWARD KEITH DEBONO speaks on what it's like to be the maker (or breaker) of musical dreams… Raphael Vassallo rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt Go on, impress him…