Wait…WHAT?

This week, one of the most highly anticipated reality-based singing competitions, The X Factor, premieres on FOX.

Simon Cowell, famously known for his candor on the first nine seasons of American Idol, is joined by Paula Abdul, L.A. Reid, Nicole Scherzinger, and host, Steve Jones to find the next music superstar. The winning solo artist or singing group will win a $5 million recording contract, the largest prize in television history.

Recently, Cowell talked with various press outlets during a conference call touching on different aspects of The X Factor, including keeping the music arrangements fresh and original, the importance of the contestant’s back stories, and how their mentoring process is essential to turning their contestants into bonafide stars.

With a $5 million dollar prize on the line, no one should be surprised that former Idol hopefuls showed up to the open auditions to try their hand at this new competition. Unfortunately, it sounds like we won’t be hearing too much from them.

“We did expect some people who we’ve seen before on Idol to come along, so I didn’t really have a problem with that,” Cowell said. “None of them did particularly well. It was quite nice to hear them a second time.

Something Cowell said to expect to see on the show are new, fresh takes on familiar songs to push the contestants to break out of their comfort zones and of course, sell songs on iTunes.

“Within about three weeks into the show you’re going to start hearing contestants way outside their comfort zone and hearing versions of songs you haven’t heard before,” he shared.

Continue reading Simon Cowell Discusses What to Expect on The X Factor