We’ve already discussed just how relevant the X Factor is in 2017. Sadly, Dermot, our Saturday night no longer starts on ITV 1, and the team behind the show are already pretty aware of it. The Xtra Factor has disappeared to make room for digital assets (which is code for grafting hard for the attention of the otherwise uninterested Instagram generation) and it’s an unspoken rule that as soon as the room auditions are over, the fair weather lol-seekers among us tend to stop watching all together.
So, how does one prevent the mid-season slump? What can a TV show possibly do to recreate interest in a fourteen-year-old programme? Put the most popular artist on the circuit on the box for an episode or two, of course. Someone cool. Somone a little bit different but still recognisable to the majority, with enough alternative appeal to grab the attention of people who otherwise wouldn't bother watching. Enter, Stormzy.
WATCH: Anne Marie Taught Us How To Sing
‘Welcome to the G Factor. Yes, The G Factor. This is not the X Factor. That is shit’, the voiceover proclaims in the makeshift opening credits. It's obviously a piss take, and a well executed one if you ask me. But the reason parody is so funny is because, lol, it actually parallels real life pretty fucking closely. Sure, a lot has changed since Stormzy released 'Shut Up'. The world is suddenly more open to grime music now. But I'd go so far as to say there's still a case for The G Factor. Not so much X Factor. Because yeah, it is a bit shit.
It’s no secret that despite its ability to produce acts who go on to become some of the biggest and most successful in the world, X Factor isn’t exactly the prime example of musical diversity. Regardless of who’s behind the mic for the winner’s performance at the final, the genre of music rarely strays beyond the boundaries of straight-forward three-minute pop variations. So maybe now that grime is moving mainstream now (not sure if you heard) roping Stormzy into proceedings is the X Factor’s way of trying to get with the times. As for what parading the poster boy for #relatability out is going to do for the show, probably very little. It’s all a bit try hard. But, rather cynically, not surprising in the least.
Like this? You might also be interested in…
The Twitter Love Between Stormzy And Louis Theroux Is Everything
Follow Jazmin on Instagram @JazKopotsha
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.