Clare Sellers
Talent shows have graced our screens for many years now and have produced endless amounts of stars. But, after having struggled with their place during the pandemic, mega talent show The X-Factor was cancelled when views continued to decline even after a shakeup.
Britain’s Got Talent is set to return this year, and The Voice UK is almost through, so we may be able to anticipate some new stars emerging soon. However, stars don’t always shine for long and it’s common for contestants to fall through the cracks, so let’s take a look at where our favourite past talent show stars are now.
1. One Direction- X-Factor
Starting with one of the biggest bands to ever surface from a talent show, One Direction came third on X-Factor in 2010 after auditioning as soloists. They capitalised on their success until 2016 when they decided to go their separate ways.
Each member continues to write and perform music seven years on, with Harry Styles also entering the acting world starring in movies such as Dunkirk.
2. Stacey Solomon- X-Factor
Coming third on the sixth series of the hit show, Stacey Solomon won the hearts of the nation with her bubbly personality and incredible voice. But since then, she has solidified her position as a television personality, taking a step back from the singing profession she originally lined herself up for.
These days we can catch her on the Loose Women panel, bringing out a new line of clothing with her partners and sharing moments of her life on social media from the comfort of her idyllic ‘Pickle Cottage’ that she shares with fiancé Joe Swash and their children.
3. Susan Boyle- Britain’s Got Talent
Susan Boyle sprang to stardom in 2009 after performing her iconic rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ during an audition. She placed second on the show that year, releasing one album a year until 2015 when she decided to take an official break, and has remained relatively silent since.
She remains at her childhood home, living under the radar and enjoying her time with friends and family. She recently made a surprise appearance at the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony and is reportedly planning on launching a Las Vegas residency.
4. Calum Scott- Britain’s Got Talent
Series nine finalist Calum Scott has soared into the spotlight since 2016 taking part in the show, releasing his own cover of ‘Dancing On My Own’, the song he initially auditioned with. Although it had a slow rise to the top, it eventually became one of the biggest songs of 2016.
He rode the success of this single until 2018 when he released his debut album ‘Only Human’ which peaked at number four. Since then, he has worked away at making his second album ‘Sophomore’ which is set to be released this Spring.
5. Stevie McCrorie- The Voice UK
The Voice UK is known to not produce huge amounts of fame for its contestants or winners, but 2015 winner Stevie McCrorie looked able to change that when he became the first winner of the show to have his single end up in the top ten. However, after such an achievement the singer decided to return to his pre-talent show job as a fireman.
He explained that he never expected to get famous from the show and got much more fame than he had anticipated but having loved his previous job and only having been in the occupation for two years, made the decision to return.
Among the rest of The Voice UK’s winners is no one particularly of note, as most of the stars have returned to their previous pursuits and occupations after failing to make much of a dent in the charts.
With the future of such talent shows looking unstable after the X-Factor’s fall from fame, the productions will have to bring it this year to prove themselves capable of making the stars we have grown so used to getting, and avoid the plague of becoming boring as most long-standing shows often do.
Featured image courtesy of Maxime Bhm on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
claresellers
I am a 20-year-old multimedia journalism student in my final year studying at the University of Salford