Simon Cowell, Mel B on what they look forward to in new season of ‘X Factor UK’

MANILA, Philippines- The biggest talent show in the world, The X Factor UK, shifts into higher gear as it goes into the live shows this weekend.

Judges Simon Cowell, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Mel B and Louis Walsh have selected the top three acts for their categories Simon has his over 25s; Louis Walsh has The Groups, Mel B has her boys and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini has her girls.

Simon Cowell has his three overs: Ben Haenow, Jay James and Fleur East. 

Mel B has her boys: Jake Quickenden, Paul Akister and Andrea Faustini.

Cheryl Fernandez-Versini has her girls: Lauren Platt, Chloe Jasmine and Stephanie Nala. 

And Louis Walsh's final three groups are: Only The Young, Blonde Electric and the new, yet to be named eight piece boy band.

Expect more drama and bickering as the judging panel set out to discover the one star in this year’s competition.

This year's live final, will return to the SSE Arena, Wembley where the lucky finalists will sing their hearts out in front of an audience of 10,000, before the winner of The X Factor 2014 is crowned.

The X Factor has spawned numerous worldwide music artists, creating more international stars than any other TV talent show. Artists discovered by The X Factor have sold more than 160 million records worldwide with the show's alumni including the biggest boy band in the world, One Direction, Olly Murs, Leona Lewis, JLS, Little Mix, Ella Henderson and Cher Lloyd.

Simon and Mel B get to answer some questions that the show's fans or aspiring contestants would like to know.

Hailing from the world's best-selling female girl group of all time and the cultural phenomenon that was the Spice Girls, Mel B has notched up a stunning 80 million record sales worldwide, including nine UK number ones. She also has five prestigious BRIT Awards to her name. 

Mel also adds television personality and entrepreneur to her list of ever expanding credits. She appeared as a guest judge on The X Factor in 2012 and is a judge on the current season of hit NBC show America's Got Talent.

How would you describe yourself as a judge?

As a judge I would like to think that I'm just really honest.  I just call it how it is and whatever I see and whatever I feel, I just express that.

What's the hardest thing about being an X Factor judge?

Probably one of the hardest things about being an X Factor judge is saying no to kids.  That's always tough as I have kids of my own.  But they're young enough that they can still carry on and work on their craft.

Have there been any disagreements with your fellow judges?

I think with the other judges we're always kind of going to either agree, or disagree or agree to disagree.  It just is what it is.  We're not always going to think the same.

How have you found the rooms compared to the arenas?  What do you think the difference is for the acts?

I think in the audition room it's very nerve wracking for the contestants because it's us four and them.  It's almost like being in prison, with us four.  Who would want to be in that situation!  But then in the arenas they really get that feedback from the audience, they get to entertain us and the crowd.  So that's a whole different level.

What is your biggest audition turn off?

My biggest audition turn off is when the contestants go `come on everybody join in, clap your hands'.  I'm like `uhhh no'.

Is there any particular kind of contestant you're looking for this year; a genre, category or style?

All the categories this year are really strong. What I like in a contestant is for them to be likeable.  As well as having an amazing voice, they have to be likeable, humble almost.

Is there someone you've already earmarked as a winner from the auditions you've done so far?

During the whole audition process there are so many winners in there.  It is going to be really hard for us to decide, so I'm really glad it's the audience and viewers who decide.

What advice do you have for any aspiring wannabes auditioning this year?

I think for anybody auditioning you've just got to really believe in yourself and show your commitment, show your passion and work on your voice and your vocal. Turn up and do the best job possible.

Meanwhile, Simon Cowell is, amongst other things, a record company executive, a television and film producer and a global TV star. Renowned for his sharp eye for talent and candid opinions, Simon Cowell has completely transformed popular culture in the 21st century, through his TV and music interests.

Cowell’s company, Syco Entertainment, is a world-renowned music, film, and television production company responsible for some of the most successful global music and television franchises.

Syco’s television assets include the two international TV phenomenon formats: Got Talent and The X Factor. This year, Syco Music was named the No.1 A&R label in the UK, for both singles and albums. To date, Cowell has worked with artists who have sold more than 350 million records.

For his charitable work, Cowell has been awarded Variety International’s Humanitarian Award.

So Simon how does it feel to be back in the UK for this series?

It actually feels really good to be back in the UK. I think in a weird way it’s good I’ve had a break from the show, I’ve watched the show from a distance and now I feel like I’m back in control again. I like it.

What are you most excited about?

The one thing that always excites me about doing the show here is the fact that we have discovered stars from it in the past. And there's always that feeling when you're on the panel that you're going to find a new star. I don't know who they're going be, where they're going to come from but it's that that excites me the most.

What did you miss most about the show while you were away?

You miss British contestants. I've always thought on these shows, for whatever reason, the best people have come from Britain. You can take people like Leona Lewis or One Direction or Olly Murs, JLS, Ella Henderson, Cher Lloyd, they've all come from the show and gone on to have big careers. So we're lucky the show does attract people who do want to be big recording artists, rather than wanting to win a singing competition - there is a difference.

This year you're back in the audition room. What do you prefer - the room or the arenas?

I found the first day a nightmare going back to the small room, because you're so close to the contestant, only 8ft away, I had a real problem about laughing when I shouldn't laugh. I think it's really intimidating, for the contestant and for us. I think the good thing about the small room is you definitely get to know more about them because they're not playing to a crowd. You get to know more about their personality, you can probably make a better judgement call. But I like the fact they have to go through the next stage, from the small room into the arena, because you see both sides of them. Some people will shine and some people will fall to pieces.

What's going to be different about this year?

I think you're going to hear a different kind of singer this year. The show is going to look different in terms of the line-up. And there's always that feeling when you're on the panel that you're going to find a new star. I don't know who they're going be, where they're going to come from but it's that that excites me the most.

Is there a particular type of contestant you're looking for this year; a specific genre or category?

I'm not interested in a sob-story, I mean seriously, I'm just so over them. I always say the same thing. I want someone who can become a star in this country, but just as importantly, can become a star in other countries. You want somebody who's different, you don't want a second rate version of someone who's already out there, but you want somebody who's different from anyone else in the charts at the moment.

The show's called The X Factor for a reason because you have to have so much to do well from this show. You have to have a great voice, you've got to have personality, you've got to have charisma, and you've got to want to be a star, you've got to have that hunger. And that's what I've seen over the years with contestants - why certain people don't do well, and why certain people do really well.

What's your biggest audition turn off?

I think it's normally a boy band that's been put together by a manager, and told what to wear, what to say, they all come running in and everything they say is scripted, and they pretend to laugh at each other's jokes, I hate that. I'd rather find something much more raw - like we had with One Direction. We had 5 talented guys, we never once said `wear this, say this, do this' - they had that relationship. That's my most annoying thing - I loathe those people.

The age limit's been lowered to 14 this year. Do you think that someone this young can cope with the pressure of being on the show?

On Britain's Got Talent we've had no age limits, we've had really young people do well on the show. You have to make a judgement call before you put teenagers in front of us, about whether they can cope with it or not. When they come to see us, we can make a pretty good call as to whether we think they're too young or too inexperienced. On the other hand we've had really good 14 / 15 year olds, who are better and more assured than some of the 30 year olds.

The last time you were on the show, you found One Direction, Rebecca Ferguson, Cher Lloyd amongst others, do you think the talent will be as strong this year?

Well when we did the show last time, we had talented people but we also helped talented people do things they weren't expecting. Cheryl did a great job with Cher Lloyd, I did a great job with One Direction, and Cheryl again with Rebecca Ferguson, who I love - she's a great singer. And Danni did a good job with the winner. That was the year we really felt it was competitive and everybody was trying hard. That points out the show that we devised in the first place - it was meant to help and encourage the artists rather that just sit and criticise people without having a say in what they do.

X Factor UK airs on RTL CBS Entertainment every Sundays and Mondays, as live via satellite from the UK at 10:30 am with primetime encore at 9:00 pm

RTL CBS Entertainment HD is available on SKYcable channels 53 (SD) and 196 (HD), on Destiny channel 53, Cablelink channel 224, and other provincial operators nationwide.