The Voice judges hit out at The X Factor: ‘Some of them have never been on stage!’
The Voice judges have a few things to say about X Factor (Picture: (C) ITV Plc) The claws are out ah..
The claws are out ahead of this year’s The Voice, as the judges hit back at The X Factor, in response to comments that the show is ‘gimmicky’.
Despite both singing competitions now appearing on ITV, it seems the TV shows are still struggling to play nice as The Voice judges throw shade at their rivals saying: ‘They don’t necessarily sing either.’
Long-standing Voice judge (and all round legend) Tom Jones was the first to make comparisons between the shows, saying: ‘[The Voice coaches] have all been on stage before and we’ve all been up there before as performers, opposed to other shows that give their views on things. Some of them have never been on stage!’
‘They’ve never been in the same shoes [as the contestants]. Some of the judges on other shows have never done that. We have,’ he said.
Fellow judge and Dreamgirls vocalist Jennifer Hudson was quick to agree with her fellow judge adding: ‘They don’t necessarily sing either.’ Ouch!
The Voice judges’ comments come after X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne calling the rival talent contest a ‘gimmick with twisty chairs’ labelling the show’s contestants ‘backing singers’.
Unsurprisingly the judges had a few things to say in response to that, with Jones responding: ‘It’s not a gimmick, it’s a great idea!’ adding, ‘There’s no trickery in it. It’s straight vocal ability.’
The Voice original coach, will.i.am, who will be returning the seventh series of the show this weekend, agreed: ‘There’s no gimmick about somebody who has walked that road and is going back and listening for a [singing] potential to be coached. Not to slight anybody, but [other talent show judges] just give opinion.’
Despite having produced superstars such as Little Mix, One Direction and James Arthur – could The Voice coaches have a point?
Last year’s X Factor judging panel who were made up of Sharon Osbourne, Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger, only included one vocalist/stage performer – former Pussycat Doll lead singer, Nicole.
The Voice judges Jennifer Hudson and Sir Tom Jones have both had singing careers alongside Will.I.Am who has had a successful career as both an artist and producer.
With the claws out, you would think that the recent comments would put former X Factor contestant and new The Voice judge Olly Murs in a sticky situation.
But apparently not. The Years and Years singer has also suggested he prefers recording The Voice to The X Factor saying: ‘I’m not going to lie, I’m loving being a coach. I’ve got the freedom to say what I want and do what I want. When I was presenting The X Factor I was told what to say, I couldn’t really be myself,’
Speaking to the Radio Times, the former X Factor presenter added: ‘It was restrictive… I couldn’t say anything because I was told I couldn’t say that.’
‘If I wanted to make fun of one the judges while I was presenting they were like ‘you can’t say that!’. That’s what I love about the Voice: not only can I give contestants my advice, but I’m able to just enjoy it.’
The Voice will be returning to ITV this weekend for it’s second series on ITV after moving from BBC One in 2015. Since the move, the shows judges no longer get to give singing hopefuls feedback if none of the judges turn around.
A feature which is expected to remain this year according to The Voice host Emma Willis, who said the format will ‘pretty much the same as it was last year.’.
The Voice returns to ITV this Saturday 6 January from 8pm.
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