Singer Cory Spedding – who represented the UK at Junior Eurovision 2004 – has made claims that her recent X Factor audition was set up to be a failure. In a since deleted Facebook post, the singer claims she was fast-tracked to the judges’ auditions round, only to be rejected.
In her long post, Spedding described her audition process, with the show’s producers fast-tracking her to the judges auditions round. She had attended stage school with popstress and new X Factor judge Rita Ora (they hadn’t stayed in touch) and the show’s producers seemed keen to play up this connection. The producers also convinced Cory to not audition for rival show The Voice.
After a long day waiting at the Manchester audition she finally had her turn in front of judges Simon Cowell, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Nick Grimshaw and Rita Ora. Spedding sang “Songbird” at the producers’ insistence – a song with a long instrumental break in the middle. During the instrumental the judges seemed to think she’d forgotten her words and claimed to be wary of her connection with Rita Ora. Spedding explained:
Simon basically turned around and said, “To be honest, this is awkward and I don’t feel it is fair. I couldn’t put my trust into you with this situation of you and Rita.” Even though X Factor approached ME, even though I got skipped three audition processes to be put in front of the judges and even though I was ‘convinced’ that dropping The Voice and going with them was gonna be worthwhile – they would make sure of it, as well as telling me that the Rita thing, if anything, most definitely would not go against me. Absolute SET-UP. I was set up for a fall there and then. And the song they demanded I sang – “wasn’t the right song to sing” even though I didn’t want it as my first choice but felt made to do it. Also a set-up?
Since deleting the post, the former Junior Eurovision star has kept quiet on the situation, and the X Factor producers are similarly keeping tight-lipped.
So much drama! It was all so much simpler in 2004. Thirteen-year-old Spedding won ITV’s national final to choose the UK’s Junior Eurovision song that year. Her entry “The Best is Yet to Come” went down well in Lillehammer, Norway, coming in second place – and remains the UK’s best result in a JESC or a ESC since 1998.
What do you think of Cory Spedding’s account of her X Factor audition? Was she right to be rejected? Is this a shocking revelation? Or just part of making a successful television show?
Don’t know why she’s surprised. Every year someone speaks out about how they were set up. It’s a reality show which basically means that it’s fake…
Don’t trust anything you see in X Factor.
The contract the hopefuls enters keeps them quiet.
Ratings is their product rather than great artists…
I know a person who auditioned for Australia’s X Factor. Apparently the producers approach this person to form a group with other singers they had never met before. The deal was for them to form this group and audition knowing that they were going to fail. They were paid to intentionally fail. Nothing in those shows is real. Just a big marketing ploy.
Her visionary song back in the Junior Vision of 2004 was really good…Pity that she compeated againist the spanish girl with her amazing song & lost to her coming 2nd…She had got points not only by ALL the countries but many enough from each of them…So she was not lucky..
Or else she could had won with this song in another less competitive Junior Vision..
Something really fishy is going on behind this story..
X Factor UK has been awful except for giving us Sam Bailey, Febecca Ferguson, Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke. Otherwise its s***.
rita is a cow… both jade ewen and cory have proven this yet media types fall for ritas charms.
@azaad
itv uk is also a ebu member and took responsibility for the British jesc entries instead of BBC ..
This just proves why X Factor is such a farcical TV show. It used to be fantastic back in 2009 and 2010 (When everyone was talking about it.), but now, the show has ran it’s course.
Also, why would the producers be so dishonest and set up Cory to fail like that. I don’t care about trying to make great TV. Talent shows are supposed to be fair and unbiased. What the producers did there was just pure cruel. Shame on them!!!! 🙁
Doesn’t BBC have the rights to the ESC? How did ITV get involved?