It is that time of year again, when ITV’s hit talent show, The X Factor, starts touring the country looking for potential future singing stars to take part in the upcoming series.
As part of the ‘Mobile Audition Tour’, the production team will visit over 40 towns and cities across the country in a bid to find potential stars, with groups and solo singers over 16 merely needing to just turn up to apply. Although media mogul and X Factor Head Judge Simon Cowell is not chairing these open auditions – which are taking place in Southampton’s West Quay Shopping Centre today (Wednesday 20th April) – dozens are hoping to impress on the show’s regional tour to find contestants. Many are sure to be hoping this will be the first step to a potential future career as a singing star.
Today’s auditions take place until 5pm in West Quay’s central shopping plaza and, already, a wide variety of soloists and groups are turning up in their droves to try and impress. Among them includes 18 year old Ryan Rogers, who says his “friends from the No Limits charity made him come to audition” because they all recognise his talent.
But it isn’t just young people coming to try and get a shot at stardom, as unemployed 48 year old John Alf from Sholing – who regularly sings at the Talking Heads Pub in Southampton – says singing is his ‘dream’ and believes he ‘must be good’ as everyone ‘knows him’ to the point he thinks he has ‘gone global!’
Whether or not this is the case remains to be seen, but we wish all the best to today’s competitors– especially anyone affiliated with The University of Southampton! Let’s show them the talent Hampshire has!
