Television & radio: The X Factor | theguardian.com
Articles published by guardian.co.uk Television & radio about: The X Factor
Kiri Te Kanawa questions value of TV talent shows
http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/jun/11/kiri-te-kanawa-tv-talent-shows-x-factor
Jun 10th 2013, 23:02
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Leading opera singer says shows such as The X Factor give false hope to singers who need years of intense trainingDame Kiri Te Kanawa has questioned the value of TV talent shows such as The X Factor, saying it takes years of commitment and study to become a professional singer.Te Kanawa, 69, who has been a leading international soprano since the late 1960s, said there was no such thing as "overnight success" in opera."I've been criticised for even mentioning things like The X Factor, but I'm always wary of someone who is a bus driver and decides, aged 28, that they want to be a singer," she told Radio Times, in an interview published in the magazine's latest edition."There's got to be a period of study, from age 16 to 22, and then it moves along. You can't just think: 'Oh, I can sing in the bathroom, I'll be fine tonight on stage.' Not at all. There is such a demand on the voice for it to be able to produce night after night. It's the building up of the muscles that make that pair of vocal cords really work."Te Kanawa, who has made some recordings from musicals, including West Side Story, said she thought it was difficult for professional singers to move successfully between disciplines."I think a showgirl singing show tunes is great. An opera singer singing opera is great," she added. "Basically, I've done both and I find that I'm happier with the music I'm taught to sing."She also said she feared too much emphasis was placed on opera singers' appearance, saying sometimes "they're more beautiful than their voice"."You've got to have beef on you if you're going to sing," Te Kanawa said. "I was never really hugely big, but I certainly weighed more than I do now. I ate to sing. If I started to get a bit lumpy round the middle, I would start thinking, 'Well, I must get it off,' but I was also aware of how much I couldn't or shouldn't take off."Te Kanawa is patron and jury member for the biennial BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, now in its 30th year, with 20 finalists selected from 400 applicants from 17 countries taking to the stage next week."It's all about the singer. It's not about the conductor. I like to see that the singer has got the stage – for them and them alone."EntertainmentThe X FactorOperaClassical musicMusicalsTheatreTelevisionJason Deans
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