Scott James

Posts Tagged ‘Dannii Minogue’

Scott James treated local fans to a live performance in Billingham on 27th August, as the country is waiting to see his amazing X Factor audition which will be aired later this month.

Scott performed at The Swan Hotel, Wolviston Road, with other local singers who received help and advice from Scott’s own singing coach Linzi Hunter, according to an article in the Evening Gazette.

Scott spoke to the Gazette before singing at the “Bring it and Sing it” event, saying that he got on well with the reality show judges – including Simon Cowell. However, he stated that he is at his happiest when performing at pubs and clubs around his Stockton-on-Tees home.

“I like the buzz of performing and the people around here are really nice.

“I was singing in a working men’s club and people said I should be on Britain’s Got Talent or X Factor, so I thought I’d go for it.

“People here have been really supportive. They’ve been absolutely fantastic and I just want to thank them. They’ve been really good with me.”

Scott suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome which affects his self-confidence in social settings. Louis Walsh has questioned as to how contestants with conditions such as Asperger’s will cope with the stress of overnight fame. However, he maintained that the choice of whether to audition or not has to remain with the contestant themselves.

In Scott’s case, Asperger’s had made him reclusive and until recently, only his mum and dad, Sharon and Ken, and a few friends had heard him sing.

Scott also suffers from stage fright and says that he has difficulty handling large crowds.

Nevertheless, his amazing audition which completely impressed the judges is helping him to conquer his fears. He admitted that appearing on the show had given him more confidence.

Scott said: “The judges were fantastic. I really liked Dannii – she was really nice and so was Simon. It’s made me more confident and has certainly helped with some of the problems I’ve had in the past with fear of crowds – here’s hoping it continues.”

Scott won’t be watching his audition on TV though, saying: “I’ll be cringing.

“I’ll be picking up on every single fault.

“I’ll leave watching it to my parents. I’ll be out on my next gig anyway.”

Scott’s vocal coach, Linzi Hunter, from Norton, organises his appearances through an agent.

Scott is not allowed to say how he did in the show before his audition, but I have it on good authority that he made it through to Boot camp. The question is, has he made it into the X Factor finals?

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