Did Simon Cowell introduce Leona Lewis to Shayne Ward before she entered X Factor?
amanduh
Posts: 1,970 Forum Member
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Sorry to bring this up again, but I'm sure I can remember reading on here that Mr C introduced Leona to Shayne after he'd won and before she went on the show the next year.... only interesting/important if it means Leona was known to him before going on the show and going on to win!
Any info please anyone? I think the info came from Shayne's mum originally so if it's true, obviously she thought it was a bit iffy! Thanks.
Any info please anyone? I think the info came from Shayne's mum originally so if it's true, obviously she thought it was a bit iffy! Thanks.
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you'd have to be an idiot not to realise that..
Me too. I've heard many conspiracy theories by the bitter people who are still not over it 4 years on. Never heard that she was introduced to Shayne though.
Did she win fair and square - she absolutely did, all the backing the world from Simon won't make a difference if the public don't like her or her voice, she performed each week and sung her heart out and earned her win.
Did Shayne meet her before her run on XF - I've certainly heard that before, something along the lines of him seeing her at Cowell's offices.
You've both read something in the OP's post which I couldn't see.
You are the ones mentioning conspiracies and I only saw a polite question.:yawn:
Responses such as these do a total dis-service to a lovely lady who won X-Factor.I have never ever seen Leona being anything other than courteous and polite which certainly cannot be said about all her supporters.:(
Editing to add - I see you're also having a dig and generalising all of her fans now, just because of two posts you read (which weren't even rude, at least speaking for myself I wasn't being like that anyway)... that's a lot less courteous and polite than anything else I've read on this thread to be honest, but oh well.
I completely see where you are coming from but I can expathise with them. Due to Leona's success worldwide, many of her detractors try to nit-pick at anything to bring down her or her fanbase etc. I think the OP was not trying to be malicious. I think they meant well. But it's not irrational to believe the post was when there have been numerous other threads started to undermine Leona's success.
I agree - maybe Somebody thinks I was saying otherwise though, but I wasn't. I was talking about a range of "conspiracy theories" about Leona before the X Factor that were posted on the forums when she was on the show, mostly by people who didn't like her and who would use any excuse to call her all sorts of names. The OP clearly isn't doing that though.
I've got to add though that even when I re-read both of your responses I still feel that the tone of both is condescending and dismissive.
Anyway its off topic now...........so I'll apologise for that too.:o
Reckon we are quits now.:D
It doesn't particularly mean it was fixed for her in any way or she is any less talented - the music business is a small world. Of course there is some head hunting that goes on in order to get a credible final 12 who can go on stage live and perform week after week ... you really think just ANYONE could do that? Of course not. I have heard similar stuff about G4, Steve, Rowetta, Nikki, Brenda, Alex - all seasoned performers and known in the industry but not neccasarily the public.
Have never heard about Shayne meeting her previous, but if it came from his mum, why would she lie?
I don't think he was ever Head of A&R at BMG, some articles seem to say he was Head of A&R at RCA Records shortly before the start of Pop Idol, he was certainly a senior A&R figure there. But since Idol, he would appear to have been solely focussed on his own label imprints (S Records was established in 2000) and the Idol brand itself (then launching his new company, Syco, around 2003/04).
I fully agree with this except for the last sentence, I would rewrite it, "nothing is fair and nothing is what it seems".
But Leona deserves a successful career, not because she won as I don't think that it is meaningful, but because she is talented.
At the time of Idol and upto the first couple of XF's at least, he had a base in the BMG offices. Whatever his title within the group, if he was A&R in the years previous, anywhere, he would likely have met her. I remember during the first few XF's they showed the contestants (possibly it was Steve in XF1 i think) sometimes going to his office to meet him and they showed the BMG offices. Obviously probably set up though i guess.
Season 2
Shayne Ward
Maria Lawson
Nicholas Dorsett
Season 3
Leona Lewis
Ashley Mckenzie
Ray Quinn
Ben Mills
Season 4
Rhydian Roberts
Alisha Bennett
Niki Evans
Season 5
Alexandra Burke
Laura White
Diana Vickers
Ruth Lorenzo
JLS
Austin Drage
Scott Bruton
Season 6
Joe McElderry
Danyl Johnson
Olly Murs
Rachel Adedeji
Lucie Jones
Jamie Archer
Stacey Solomon
I'm fine with them planting people just so long as they're decent, season 5 seems to have a lot and that's widely perceived to be the best season.
OMG!! Where on earth do you get that from?! (We need a ROFLMAO smilie!!!)
Yes Ben was an early favourite, but trust me, he was NOT a plant.
Can't speak for the rest 'cause I don't know them and have never met them, but I do know Ben.
I'm just guessing on the ones who seemed talented and commercial enough to get a deal without the show.;)
So Ben wasn't a plant? Hurray!
I don't think all of them were "plants" ... i'd hazard a guess most people who ever make it to final 12 were either asked to audition (either from being known to either Syco or BMG, recommended via a contact/scout, or spotted at BGT auditions and asked to go for XF instead) but i guess there are those (like Ben) who just turn up and have a history of singing live and being on stage so are deemed "able" to take the pressure of being in the final stages. I seriously doubt anyone (other than literally 2 or 3 people) have ever made it that far without some kind of experience. As it is, the contestants are throwing up beside the stage week after week, you couldnt just put someone inexperienced up there and expect them to be ok live, too much risk of people losing their bottle one week and refusing to go on or people fluffing the starts etc. It would make the show look a lot less polished.
I'm thinking possibly Leona and Shayne were truly planted to win - cos they were both obviously known to the record company and you can kinda tell they were both artists who are quite introverted so they probably couldn't have ever launched them without it being off the back of weeks and weeks of TV show publicity but they would have still had to get through all the rounds of public voting fair and square in order to do that. The last thing they would ever do with this show is actually fix the phone lines, but the editing and talent scoutings fair game.