Scott James

Posts Tagged ‘Asperger’s’

Scott James yesterday spoke to the Evening Gazette, a local Teesside newspaper, about the panic attack that ended his X Factor journey.

However, Scott of Norton in Stockton-on-tees, has no regrets and says that the X Factor judges would have been “stupid” to put him through, after what happened with Susan Boyle.

Scott told the Gazette: “I didn’t go on the show expecting to get past the first stage so it was kind of a positive slap in the face when I did get through. I’m very happy I entered.”

However, Scott found the boot camp stage of the competition more daunting. Scott himself admits that he “doesn’t work well in groups” – this is related to the Asperger’s syndrome from which he suffers, which can make communication with others more challenging.

Scott, despite his misgivings about the song that was chosen for him in the first stage of bootcamp (a Katy Perry song) went through to the second stage – the final 24.

Scott said: “I honestly thought ‘that’s it I’m done’. But Simon felt they’d short changed me and put me and one of the other girls through.”

For the second stage of the competition, Scott chose the song “There You’ll Be” by Faith Hill.

He said: “I wanted to stand out a little bit and be the only guy singing that song.

“It went fantastically well in my rehearsal with Linzi, my vocal coach, but then when we were heading into Hammersmith Apollo, on the night, it was raining and they wanted to get us out of the rain so we didn’t look like drowned rats.

“They put us in a small room – an area packed full of screaming shouting, laughing, singing people and I couldn’t get out so I had a panic attack, which caused them to pull me out of the room and straight onto the stage.

“Going on stage with a panic attack caused me to completely fluff the audition.”

Scott has said that he is not disappointed at his exit from the show, and he has been chosen to sing a song that will raise the profile of The Autistic Society.

He is also still appears as a soloist in clubs around the North-east of England.

He said: “At the end of the day, the show has given me lots of confidence – and I feel like a celebrity!”

My comment:
There is a sense that whatever the X Factor production team decide – they are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. I think the solution is to understand the auditionee’s disability and make “reasonable adjustments”. Scott was up front about his Asperger’s syndrome. I am not an expert and do not pretend to be one – but presumably it could have been predicted that he would not be happy confined in a small room full of other noisy contestants. Would it not have been “reasonable” to put him in a room on his own where he would not have been unduly stressed? Then perhaps he would have been more relaxed in front of the judges and we would have seen him in the live shows. Just my 2p worth.

Scott James’ mum and dad, Sharon and Ken, think that Scott was eliminated to avoid the controversy over what happened with Susan Boyle, according to an article in today’s Daily Mirror.

Scott, who has from Asperger’s syndrome, forgot the words to his song during bootcamp, which was shown on the television this weekend. It has also emerged that Scott, 22, had suffered from panic attacks before failing to make the final 24.

Scott’s singing coach Linzi Hunter told the Mirror: “It might have been different if he’d come along before Susan. I think they were worried how he’d cope with the live shows – but his future still looks good.”

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