Music legend Sir Elton John ripped into The X Factor for its mistreatment of artists, and offered some stern but fair advice to artists hoping to break into the industry
Sir Elton John has brutally blasted The X Factor in a scathing interview on today’s music.
British music legend Sir Elton, 78, has become more outspoken in the past few months – slamming Tesla boss Elon Musk as an “a******” in a recent interview. He also has opened up on his health struggles, with fans and pals close to the I’m Still Standing star believing he may be going blind.
But despite his health woes, Sir Elton has hit out at today’s music industry and described talent shows such as The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent as “the worst thing that can happen” to a musician. He also offered some stern advice to those hoping to crack the music industry – through some old-fashioned means.
Speaking to Rolling Stone UK, the Step Into Christmas star admitted that many musicians have forgotten how to play live for crowds. He then went on to urge artists to head to their nearest pub to play a gig and get their name out into the public sphere.
Looking back at his own experience of playing in small bars, the music icon said: “That experience stood me in great stead for when I became Elton John because I had backbone. And backbone is so important, because the worst thing that can happen to you in the industry are things like X Factor and instant fame on television where you have no experience of playing live.”
He added that the likes of American Idol and other TV talent shows are detrimental to learning how to become an artist. After this, he gave his advice: “Take risks; go and play in a pub.”
Sir Elton has always had a noted disdain for talent shows including The X Factor. However, despite this, he himself has performed on the show, playing alongside then-judge Gary Barlow in 2013.
In a previous interview with Radio Times back in 2010, the legend of British pop brutally ripped into the likes of The X Factor. He also admitted he was offered the chance to judge American Idol, but turned it down as he wouldn’t “s*** anyone off”.
“I like Simon Cowell, but what he does is TV entertainment,” he went on say. “There have been some good acts, but the only way to sustain a career is to pay your dues in small, s*** clubs.”
Sir Elton’s scathing remarks come after he appeared to have a “complete meltdown” whilst recording his latest album. Despite bidding farewell to performing live in 2023, he is continuing to make music, with his latest album – Who Believes in Angels? – set to be released in just a matter of weeks.
But he candidly revealed that during the process of recording the album – together with good pal Brandi Carlile, he suffered heavily from “self-doubt”. However, after a number of shaky first sessions, Elton explained that things eventually calmed down.
“The tenseness, the anxiety in the studio helped the electricity of the album without question,” he added. “It’s got balls, and it’s got freshness, and it’s got energy; exactly what I wanted it to be, and it came out exactly how I visualised it.”
For more of the latest showbiz and TV news from the Daily Star, make sure you sign up for one of our newsletters here.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
