

And that's what I think is so special about the show."īurnett, whose answers did not require interpretation, explained the format this way: "It's not necessarily range, or how many notes they can hit. She spoke at great length in answer to each question, circling around to get to her point, without use of verbal punctuation marks.)ĭuring the blind auditions, "You're judging them based purely on being moved by something in their vocal ability," she said. (You should think of Aguilera quotes here as the essence of what she said. "It's definitely about going back to old music, where you wanted to buy it or listen to it on the radio purely from what sounded good to your ears or what moved you."įor her, Aguilera said, "My love of soul music and old blues and the heart and the root of music all originated before any videos, or before anyone was supposed to be this sort of perfect little package." "What's great about this show is that we take it back to real music," Aguilera said in a telephone press conference with Burnett. In the format, which executive producer Mark Burnett ("Survivor") based on a Dutch hit, the judges will also mentor and coach the contestants. She's joined by R&B sensation Cee Lo Green, rocker Adam Levine of Maroon 5 and country star Blake Shelton. One of those judges is Christina Aguilera, a pop superstar whose own voice draws general respect. The judges even listen with their backs to the performers, to avoid being swayed by anything but "The Voice." Here, the search is for a singer, pure and simple. "The Voice," which makes its debut Tuesday on NBC, aims to be different. (In Britain, even "The X Factor" was criticized for using Auto-Tune.)

These days, as anyone who's heard a superstar sing the national anthem knows, sound can be shaped in a studio, and Auto-Tune can turn a pitch-challenged teen into the next Britney Spears. In fact, "The X Factor" is the title of former "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell's new singing competition, which begins auditions Sunday in Los Angeles to air on Fox this fall.Īlready a hit in Britain, "The X Factor" searches for the next "global superstar" - any age, solo or group singing talent a plus, but possibly not imperative. Someone, you might say, who has that certain something.

The title isn't "Best Singer in America." The hope is to wind up with someone who is "the complete package" - singing talent, but also looks, personality, charm and sex appeal. "American Idol" is under fire again for being a popularity contest - which, of course, it is.
