From Will Young To Little Mix: 5 Of The Most Exciting Battles In Reality TV Music Competition History
With an election on the way, we’re taking a look at five of the popstars that we voted to reality TV victory...
There's still a little bit of you laced with my doubt
It's still a little hard to say what's going on
There's still a little bit of your ghost, your witness
There's still a little bit of your face I haven't kissed
Step a little closer each day
That I can't say what's going on
Stones taught me to fly
Love taught me to lie
Life taught me to die
So it's not hard to fall
When you float like a cannonball
There's still a little bit of your song in my ear
There's still a little bit of your words I long to hear
You step a little closer to me
So close I can't see what's going on, whoa
Stones taught me to fly
Love taught me to lie
So come on courage
Teach me to be shy
'Cause it's not hard to fall
When you know that you just don't know
Stones taught me to fly
Love taught me to lie
So come on courage
Teach me to be shy
'Cause it's not hard to fall
When you float like a cannonball
Stones taught me to fly (whoa)
Love taught me to cry
So come on courage
Teach me to be shy
'Cause it's not hard to fall
And I don't wanna scare him
It's not hard to fall
And I don't wanna lose
It's not hard to fall
When you float like a cannonball
On June 8th 2017 the UK will vote in a snap general election.
The announcement came as something of a surprise.
As we recover from the shock of it all, MTV UK is reflecting on simpler democratic votes.
Times when the UK got it right in some of the most exciting elections in history.
Yes - that’s right. We’re taking a look at five of the popstars that we voted to reality TV victory...
1. Winner: Will Young, Runner-Up: Gareth Gates
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc-sq7cJGho
2001 gave the UK its first taste of the modern day reality TV music competition. Popstars aired first but Pop Idol was the big phenomenon. Its first season saw the entire nation go crazy over Gareth Gates, the sweet boy with a golden voice, and Will Young, the cheeky chappy with pipes to match. Right until the final, Gates was the favourite to win. His shy demeanour and ability to overcome his stutter through song seemed to be more marketable than Young’s tendencies to talk back to the judges and disagree with his own critiques.
Episode after episode Young would let Simon Cowell - then a new face to reality TV - and the other judges know if he thought that their comments were out of line. However, with over 8.7 million votes cast, 53.1% of Idol viewers chose Young as their winner. Speaking up worked in Young’s favour.
While Gates enjoyed lots of immediate success, Young managed to sustain a career - one which is over 15 years long. Not to mention, his winner’s single ‘Evergreen’ sold 1.1 million copies in its first week - the largest debut in UK music history.
2. Winner: Girls Aloud, Runner-Up: One True Voice
Beats are pumping on the stereo
Neighbors banging on the bathroom wall
You're sayin' crank the bass, I gotta get some more
Water's running in the wrong direction
Got a feeling it's a mixed-up sign
I can see it in my own reflection
Something funny's going on inside my mind
Don't know what is pushing me higher
It's the static from the floor below
And then it drops and catches like fire
It's a sound I, it's a sound I know
It's the sound of the underground
The beat of the drum goes round and around
In to the overflow
Where the girls get down to the sound of the radio
Out to the electric night
Where the bass line jumps in the backstreet light
The beat goes around and round
It's the sound of the under, sound of the underground
Chain reaction running through my veins
Pumps the bass line up into my brain
Screws my mind until I lose control
And when the building rocks, I know it's got my soul
Water's running in the wrong direction
Got a feeling it's a mixed-up sign
I can see it in my own reflection
Something funny's going on inside my mind
Don't know what is pushing me higher
It's the static from the floor below
And then it drops and catches like fire
It's a sound I, it's a sound I know
It's the sound of the underground
The beat of the drum goes round and around
In to the overflow
Where the girls get down to the sound of the radio
Out to the electric night
Where the bass line jumps in the backstreet light
The beat goes around and round
It's the sound of the under, sound of the underground
I don't know what is pushing me higher
It's the static from the floor below
And then it drops and catches like fire
It's a sound I, it's a sound I
It's a sound I, it's a sound I know
It's the sound of the underground
The beat of the drum goes round and around
In to the overflow
Where the girls get down to the sound of the radio
Out to the electric night
Where the bass line jumps in the backstreet light
The beat goes around and round
It's the sound of the under, sound of the underground
The bass line jumps in the backstreet light
It's the sound of the under, sound of the underground
The bass line jumps in the backstreet light
It's the sound of the under, sound of the underground
After the crazy success of Pop Idol, Popstars decided to up its game for its second season. Instead of creating a mixed group as it did in 2001, it formed a boy band, One True Voice, and a girl group, Girls Aloud - with its members voted for by the public. Officially, the two groups were winners - they did not compete against each other on the show. However, a couple weeks after the show finished airing, each group released a single in the hopes of it becoming Christmas Number One. Popstars then ran a final episode, as the bands found out who had performed better on the charts.
Like Will Young, Girls Aloud were not the favourites to win. Boybands were all the rage at the time, while girl groups were struggling to gain fan bases. Nevertheless, the boys were given a boring ballad, whilst the girls were given a corker of a pop song. Music won out and ‘Sound of the Underground’, not only stayed at number one for four weeks but went on to define Girls Aloud’s sound.
Five critically acclaimed platinum albums later, the group cemented themselves in pop history. Oh and Cheryl was a judge on the X Factor, sold millions of solo records and became the nation’s sweetheart too.
3. Winner: Leona Lewis, Runner-Up: Ray Quinn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_weSk0BonM
After ratings took a toll in its second season, Pop Idol was cancelled. However, Simon Cowell used the opportunity to launch his own music competition: The X Factor. Two seasons in and it wasn’t certain that it would outlast its predecessor. However, as ratings grew and Leona Lewis auditioned in season three, those doubts vanished.
The show needed a global superstar and Leona was that. Her voice echoed the great divas of the eighties and nineties. That being said her victory wasn’t set in stone. Jazz crooner, Ray Quinn, was a favourite with mums and grannies. He lacked the popstar potential and international appeal of Leona but was the kind of contestant that reality TV adores.
Still, Leona’s voice managed to snatch her the X Factor crown with 60% of the vote. Quinn went on to have a number one album and lots of Westend success but Leona released the incomparable ‘Bleeding Love’ and had number ones across the world. Not bad for a former Pizza Hut waitress.
4. Winner: Alexandra Burke, Runner-Up: JLS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2-Bfpe2TK4
By the time that The X Factor had reached its fifth season, it was a reality TV king. Attracting guest performers and mentors such as Céline Dion, while being watched by over 10 million viewers an episode. 2008 saw Alexandra Burke face JLS in the final - both exciting pop entities in that, unlike many talent show contestants, they could dance and perform as well as they sung. Up until the end of the show either could have won.
The final ensured Burke’s triumph though. With the help of her mentor Cheryl, she managed to snag a duet with Beyoncé. She also transformed Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ into the gospel ballad that it was always destined to be. Burke won with 58% of the vote and her single sold over 1.2 million copies.
As far as popstarring goes, JLS have had the more successful career but Alexandra ruled the radio with her debut ('Bad Boys', 'Broken Heels', 'All Night Long', 'Start Without You') and is now a musical queen. Catch her as the lead in Sister Act today.
5. Winner: Little Mix, Runner-Up: Marcus Collins
Heard he in love with some other chick
Yeah yeah, that hurt me, I'll admit
Forget that boy, I'm over it
I hope she gettin' better sex
Hope she ain't fakin' it like I did, babe
Took four long years to call it quits
Forget that boy, I'm over it
Guess I should say thank you
For the "hate yous" and the tattoos
Oh baby, I'm cool by the way
Ain't sure I loved you anyway
Go 'head, babe, I'ma live my life, my life, yeah
Shout out to my ex, you're really quite the man
You made my heart break and that made me who I am
Here's to my ex, hey, look at me now, well, I'm
I'm all the way up, I swear you'll never bring me down
Shout out to my ex, you're really quite the man
You made my heart break and that made me who I am
Here's to my ex, hey, look at me now, well, I'm
I'm all the way up, I swear you'll never
You'll never bring me down
Oh, I deleted all your pics
Then blocked your number from my phone, hm
Yeah, yeah, you took all you could get
But you ain't getting this love no more
'Cause now I'm living so legit (so legit)
Even though you broke my heart in two, baby
But I snapped right back
I'm so brand new, baby (I'm so brand new)
Boy, read my lips, I'm over you, over you, uh
Guess I should say thank you
For the "hate yous" and the tattoos
Oh baby, I'm cool by the way, hm
Ain't sure I loved you anyway
Go 'head, babe, I'ma live my life, my life, yeah
Shout out to my ex, you're really quite the man
You made my heart break and that made me who I am
Here's to my ex, hey, look at me now, well, I'm
I'm all the way up, I swear you'll never bring me down
Shout out to my ex
You're really quite the man (you're really quite the man)
You made my heart break and that made me who I am
Here's to my ex, hey, look at me now, well, I'm
I'm all the way up, I swear you'll never
You'll never bring me down
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh
You'll never bring me down
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, yeah
Shout out to my ex, you're really quite the man
You made my heart break and that made me who I am
Here's to my ex, hey, look at me now, well
I'm all the way up, I swear you'll never bring me down
Shout out to my ex
You're really quite the man (you're quite the man)
You made my heart break and that made me who I am
Here's to my ex, hey, look at me now, well, I'm
I'm all the way up
I swear you'll never bring me down (you'll never bring me down)
Shout out to my ex, you're really quite the man (man)
You made my heart break and that made me who I am
Here's to my ex, hey, look at me now (won't you just look at me now)
Well, I'm all the way up, I swear you'll never
You'll never bring me down
(Oh, oh, oh-oh-oh)
(Oh, oh, oh-oh-oh, oh)
(Oh, oh, oh-oh-oh)
(Oh, oh, oh-oh-oh, oh)
Yeah, hey, oh
(Oh, oh, oh-oh-oh)
(Oh, oh, oh-oh-oh, oh)
(Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh)
You'll never bring me down
It’s hard to believe now that there was ever any doubt that Little Mix would win The X Factor. As one of the biggest girl groups in the world today, they have seen their success leap from strength to strength. However, in 2011 no girl group had ever won The X Factor. In fact no group had won the show. Not even One Direction. So expectations for Little Mix were low. These were quickly turned around though, as Jesy, Jade, Leigh-Anne and Perrie out-performed their competition week after week.
Also their mentor, Tulisa, campaigned for them like some sort of political mastermind. As the series drew to a close, it became clear that as talented as Marcus Collins was, he was no match for our girls. Ill-fitting winner’s single aside, they have gone onto release some of the best music in pop, whilst also becoming the most successful live act in the country.
From ‘Wings’ to ‘Move’ and ‘Black Magic’ to ‘Shout Out to My Ex’, they have created an incredible discography. One which will no doubt keep getting better, as they work on and release album five, six, seven, eight, nine etc.
By Sam Prance
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