Scott James

Scott James wows the judging panel on The X Factor

Scott James, a 21 year old from Stockton-on-Tees, is set to become a star in the new series of The X Factor.

He is extremely shy and dislikes singing in public, yet he is predicted to become a household name following a very successful audition in front of the X-Factor judges – Simon Cowell, Dannie Minogue, Louis Walsh and Cheryl Cole.

His rendition of a Westlife song apparently left the panel agog, prompting Dannii Minogue to remark: “You will not believe his performance when you see it.”

Scott also sings Hot ‘n’ Cold (originally by Katy Perry) and There You’ll Be (originally by Faith Hill).

Scott, who is from Stockton-on-Tees in Cleveland, (not far from previous X-Factor finalists Journey South) suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome – a condition associated with autism that can affect communication skills and interactions with other people. The condition is often missed and the sufferer may be mistakenly called rude or inconsiderate.

However, Asperger’s sufferers sometimes excel in special talents including the piano, art and in Scott’s case – singing.

“He told us that because of his Asperger’s syndrome and the fact that he’d been picked on, he hadn’t left the house in seven years,” Dannii said.

“But he just stood there calmly and told us that his singing teacher had been helping him to build his confidence. Then he started singing.”

Judge Dannii said Scott’s performance of “You Raise Me Up” amazed the panel.

“He came on stage and he was very particular about explaining his condition,” the 37-year-old told the The Independent Magazine.

“But he just stood there calmly and told us his singing teacher had been helping him build his confidence. Then he started singing. You will not believe his performance when you see it.”

Simon Cowell was also so impressed by Scott’s performance that he went backstage to congratulate Scott and his vocal coach.

Scott’s talent has inevitably drawn comparisons with that of Susan Boyle, who has achieved fame and fortune despite coming second in the Britain’s Got Talent competition.

However, a sudden rise to fame for Scott is likely to provoke concern over how he will handle the attention.

Scott, who has now made it down to the final 50 on the X Factor, only ever used to leave his house to perform in pubs and clubs around the North East of England. He is hopeful he will make it into the final – or even win the competition.
Scott’s singing talent was recognised by his mother, Sharon, who took him to record an album at the Castlegate Recording Studios, near their home in Cleveland. Mike Frankland, who runs the studio, said Scott’s talent was apparent as soon as he opened his mouth to sing.

‘I have been in the recording business for 25-years and couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I just cried my eyes out,’ he said.

Mike contacted his partner, singing teacher Linzi Hunter, and the couple have given Scott singing tuition.

“There are millions of good singers out there but he is stunningly good. No matter what you give him he can sing it,” said Mike.

“We do the working men’s clubs in the North-East at the weekends, which is probably the hardest place in Britain to get up and sing – you could have Frank Sinatra on stage and they wouldn’t clap. Literally, every time he’s started singing the whole place has gone silent.”

Scott was similarly appreciated by The X Factor audience.

“The whole place was in tears. It was in front of a live audience. The whole place was in hysterics,” he said.

Source: Daily Mail, The Sun