Should the themes just be music genres?

TheGraduate2012TheGraduate2012 Posts: 14,822
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Flimsy themes like 'Night at the Movies', 'Numbers Ones' and 'Halloween' can be fun but are pretty pointless in terms of showcasing a potential artists range of ability. So, would it be better if ALL contestant had to do a specific genre every week, to show which contestant really can 'do it all'.

I was thinking something like:

Week 1 - Rock
Week 2 - Pop
Week 3 - Disco
Week 4 - Soul/Motown
Week 5 - Hip-Hop
Week 6 - Jazz
Week 7 - Country
Week 8 - R&B
Week 9 - Dance
Week 10 - Ballad

I know a lot of these genres can overlap but it's hard to think of 10 distinct genres, and I know 'Ballad' isn't exactly a genre but I couldn't think of anything else.

What do you think?

Comments

  • Kenneth_ChowKenneth_Chow Posts: 3,838
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    Flimsy themes like 'Night at the Movies', 'Numbers Ones' and 'Halloween' can be fun but are pretty pointless in terms of showcasing a potential artists range of ability. So, would it be better if ALL contestant had to do a specific genre every week, to show which contestant really can 'do it all'.

    I was thinking something like:

    Week 1 - Rock
    Week 2 - Pop
    Week 3 - Disco
    Week 4 - Soul/Motown
    Week 5 - Hip-Hop
    Week 6 - Jazz
    Week 7 - Country
    Week 8 - R&B
    Week 9 - Dance
    Week 10 - Ballad

    I know a lot of these genres can overlap but it's hard to think of 10 distinct genres, and I know 'Ballad' isn't exactly a genre but I couldn't think of anything else.

    What do you think?

    I doubt any would able to do hip hop other than maybe one or two acts...
  • Kenneth_ChowKenneth_Chow Posts: 3,838
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    I also think in any week, all the acts are gonna just twist songs so you will a bunch of ballads anyways...
  • mimik1ukmimik1uk Posts: 46,701
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    Flimsy themes like 'Night at the Movies', 'Numbers Ones' and 'Halloween' can be fun but are pretty pointless in terms of showcasing a potential artists range of ability. So, would it be better if ALL contestant had to do a specific genre every week, to show which contestant really can 'do it all'.

    I was thinking something like:

    Week 1 - Rock
    Week 2 - Pop
    Week 3 - Disco
    Week 4 - Soul/Motown
    Week 5 - Hip-Hop
    Week 6 - Jazz
    Week 7 - Country
    Week 8 - R&B
    Week 9 - Dance
    Week 10 - Ballad

    I know a lot of these genres can overlap but it's hard to think of 10 distinct genres, and I know 'Ballad' isn't exactly a genre but I couldn't think of anything else.

    What do you think?

    why should a contestant have to show they can "do it all" ?

    the show needs themes imo , it gives some structure but the themes should be fairly generic to allow each contestant to be able to show versatility within their genre without being forced to go outside it

    very few established acts could be able to switch between more than a couple of genres but at same time they do enough not to be just one trick ponies , its finding that balance being showing enough range without being too predictable that's key
  • TheGraduate2012TheGraduate2012 Posts: 14,822
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    I also think in any week, all the acts are gonna just twist songs so you will a bunch of ballads anyways...

    I think so. I would've necessarily mind that. I just think music genre themes would at least give people a chance to try different kind of songs.
  • TheGraduate2012TheGraduate2012 Posts: 14,822
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    mimik1uk wrote: »
    why should a contestant have to show they can "do it all" ?

    the show needs themes imo , it gives some structure but the themes should be fairly generic to allow each contestant to be able to show versatility within their genre without being forced to go outside it

    very few established acts could be able to switch between more than a couple of genres but at same time they do enough not to be just one trick ponies , its finding that balance being showing enough range without being too predictable that's key

    That's my point though. The 'generic themes' make them the exact opposite of themes. They're not specific enough. And the judges constantly disregard them anyway. I think if they were at least made (for want of a better word) to do different genres, it would prove which act had most talents. I wouldn't mind a bit of tweaking to suit the artist's individual style though.
  • mimik1ukmimik1uk Posts: 46,701
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    I think so. I would've necessarily mind that. I just think music genre themes would at least give people a chance to try different kind of songs.

    and if they wanted to there was nothing stopping any of the acts trying different type of songs with the themes we have had so far

    I would assume every type of genre you can think of has been a #1 or used in a movie and most were around in the 80s

    the themes aren't to blame for crap song choices or of acts not showing versatility , the lack of imagination of the producers and limited catalogue of songs available does that
  • TheGraduate2012TheGraduate2012 Posts: 14,822
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    mimik1uk wrote: »
    and if they wanted to there was nothing stopping any of the acts trying different type of songs with the themes we have had so far

    I would assume every type of genre you can think of has been a #1 or used in a movie and most were around in the 80s

    the themes aren't to blame for crap song choices or of acts not showing versatility , the lack of imagination of the producers and limited catalogue of songs available does that

    Well obviously. What genre has NEVER had a #1. Your other point about the movies/80s just proves that they are useless themes, because literally ANY type of song could be included into them.

    The point in specific is to put the acts through their paces and pull out the true talents from the one-trick ponies. To make it an actual challenge/competition. not just a popularity contest.
  • mimik1ukmimik1uk Posts: 46,701
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    Well obviously. What genre has NEVER had a #1. Your other point about the movies/80s just proves that they are useless themes, because literally ANY type of song could be included into them.

    The point in specific is to put the acts through their paces and pull out the true talents from the one-trick ponies. To make it an actual challenge/competition. not just a popularity contest.

    why should an act like fleur be forced to do big band tho , or andrea do disco , or paul do hip hop etc etc

    its not something they will ever have to consider doing in the real world

    let acts stay within their preferred genre and have themes that are broad enough to allow them to do that , its completely unrealistic to expect them to be a jack of all trades , let them show how good they are at what they are best at , some of them cant even master one genre let alone more than one

    and btw I am not advocating they become one trick ponies , it is entirely possible to show versatility and range within a genre

    people keep moaning about themes but it really doesn't matter what the themes are if the show keeps picking crap songs
  • firefly_irlfirefly_irl Posts: 4,015
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    I don't like the idea because an act shouldn't have to be able to do it all. Although some genres are lacking big time on X Factor like Country, Latin, Hip Hop, R&B, Dance, the whole show is based around generic pop and ballads, it has quite a limited scope.
  • TheGraduate2012TheGraduate2012 Posts: 14,822
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    mimik1uk wrote: »
    why should an act like fleur be forced to do big band tho , or andrea do disco , or paul do hip hop etc etc

    its not something they will ever have to consider doing in the real world

    let acts stay within their preferred genre and have themes that are broad enough to allow them to do that , its completely unrealistic to expect them to be a jack of all trades , let them show how good they are at what they are best at , some of them cant even master one genre let alone more than one

    and btw I am not advocating they become one trick ponies , it is entirely possible to show versatility and range within a genre

    people keep moaning about themes but it really doesn't matter what the themes are if the show keeps picking crap songs

    Because watching them - rap, warble and belt gets tiresome.

    And how are we to know they won't consider different genres in the future. If Fleur is to have longevity maybe she won't want to rap for 20 years?

    If they can sing then they should be able to tackle most styles of music - it's not like we'd be asking to make them sing in a different octave or something. If they can't grasp basic technique if different genres of music, they shouldn't be in a 'singing' competition.

    And anyway I did say I wouldn't have a problem with them changing the arrangement of certain songs to suit them. It's not like I'd have them completely thrown in the deep end.

    They DON'T show the acts versatility, more and more they have changed songs to suit 'the artist' and stuck to what that person is good at, which is okay, I guess, but it doesn't really challenge them.
  • EndOfSanityEndOfSanity Posts: 15,072
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    No, I don't think the contestants should show whether or not they can do it all. If they're going to release an album, it's not going to have every single genre on it either - what the show needs is themes that complement a sense of direction for each of the acts.

    The Australian version has used this model in the past, with themes such as Top 10 Hits, Latest and Greatest and Power & Passion. With themes like that, every act can do their preferred genre every week (maybe switch it up once or twice through a 'different' theme that forces them to tackle another genre of their (mentor's) choosing) and show what an album of theirs would sound like. I do agree themes like Night At The Movies and Halloween need to go though, but not for the same reason as you say.
  • mimik1ukmimik1uk Posts: 46,701
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    another thing , its painful enough watching most of them do genres that are meant to be in their comfort zone , I really don't want to listen to them do stuff they aren't "good" at
  • TheGraduate2012TheGraduate2012 Posts: 14,822
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    No, I don't think the contestants should show whether or not they can do it all. If they're going to release an album, it's not going to have every single genre on it either - what the show needs is themes that complement a sense of direction for each of the acts.

    The Australian version has used this model in the past, with themes such as Top 10 Hits, Latest and Greatest and Power & Passion. With themes like that, every act can do their preferred genre every week (maybe switch it up once or twice through a 'different' theme that forces them to tackle another genre of their (mentor's) choosing) and show what an album of theirs would sound like. I do agree themes like Night At The Movies and Halloween need to go though, but not for the same reason as you say.

    I would like those sort of themes better. I think the major issue of that the acts clearly have a hard time getting to do songs of their own choice.
  • TheGraduate2012TheGraduate2012 Posts: 14,822
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    mimik1uk wrote: »
    another thing , its painful enough watching most of them do genres that are meant to be in their comfort zone , I really don't want to listen to them do stuff they aren't "good" at

    Watch Strictly then :D:p
  • mimik1ukmimik1uk Posts: 46,701
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    Watch Strictly then :D:p

    its you that seems to want to radically change the x factor from how it works atm so that would suggest you are more unhappy with it than I am

    maybe you should watch something else ;-)
  • TheGraduate2012TheGraduate2012 Posts: 14,822
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    mimik1uk wrote: »
    its you that seems to want to radically change the x factor from how it works atm so that would suggest you are more unhappy with it than I am

    maybe you should watch something else ;-)

    Nah, I'm just bored ;-)
  • Pimlico_PassPimlico_Pass Posts: 4,785
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    Oh gawd - are we having a halloween theme this year?


    Thriller or total eclipse of the heart nooooooooooooooo!
  • Blondie XBlondie X Posts: 28,662
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    mimik1uk wrote: »
    and if they wanted to there was nothing stopping any of the acts trying different type of songs with the themes we have had so far

    I would assume every type of genre you can think of has been a #1 or used in a movie and most were around in the 80s

    the themes aren't to blame for crap song choices or of acts not showing versatility , the lack of imagination of the producers and limited catalogue of songs available does that

    BIB - Absolutely that is the problem.

    I'm sure every one of us can think of a 100 great songs for each of the themes but there seems to be a tiny pool of dull bland dirges that they're allowed to choose from. It's like they have a copy of Now That's What I Call (insert theme) and they are limited to about 20 songs each week so we get the same crud churned out year after year
  • Littlegreen42Littlegreen42 Posts: 19,963
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    There shouldn't be themes.

    It should just be a choice of songs each week between an act and their mentor.
  • bookclub10bookclub10 Posts: 4,030
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    Just to echo what many other posters have said, it's not the themes that are restrictive but the songlists that they have available to them. People have mentioned xfactor Australia having more flexible themes yet a quick glance at their songlists shows plenty of the same songs... Toxic, Hey Jude, Stay with me, Say something, Let it go, I'm going to be (500 miles) ..were all performed on the lives and Boom Clap was a group performance. In fact 8 of Saturday's songs were used on xfactor Aus before and many songs from the Australian version had been used on the British one.
    The songlist needs to be expanded pronto!
  • 09beyoncefan09beyoncefan Posts: 2,831
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    I hate genre theme weeks to be honest. One or two a year is fine (and like people have said already, you just get dance or rock songs turned into piano ballads anyway) but every week would be too much. Big band is good though, I know it's not current or relevant but it's the one theme week where it's harder to deviate from the actual genre.

    It's not as if Lauren is going to release a disco album or Ben is going to release a hip-hop album or Fleur is going to release a jazz album so I don't see why they should have to perform songs from those genres each week.


    I think the best themes are ones like 80s, #1s or current hits where an act has tonnes of songs to choose from so they get a song that suits them. Good point about the Aussie version though, I keep noticing that songs used a few weeks ago on there are popping up on ours (Somewhere Over The Rainbow and Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow are two more examples just from Chloe)!
  • All-NighterAll-Nighter Posts: 62
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    I wouldn't mind tbh. Better than same old, same old - Halloween, Number 1s, Big Bang as the OP said.
  • indenileindenile Posts: 589
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    I would love for the contestants to have free reign to sing whatever they want each week just like the auditions. No cheesy themes necessary.
  • mariannermarianner Posts: 11,043
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    Flimsy themes like 'Night at the Movies', 'Numbers Ones' and 'Halloween' can be fun but are pretty pointless in terms of showcasing a potential artists range of ability. So, would it be better if ALL contestant had to do a specific genre every week, to show which contestant really can 'do it all'.

    I was thinking something like:

    Week 1 - Rock
    Week 2 - Pop
    Week 3 - Disco
    Week 4 - Soul/Motown
    Week 5 - Hip-Hop
    Week 6 - Jazz
    Week 7 - Country
    Week 8 - R&B
    Week 9 - Dance
    Week 10 - Ballad

    I know a lot of these genres can overlap but it's hard to think of 10 distinct genres, and I know 'Ballad' isn't exactly a genre but I couldn't think of anything else.

    What do you think?

    Yes, thats a very good idea. Plus, the guest stars could be part of the theme. Hiphop week=rapper, dance=edm, dj etc. Much more fun.
  • mariannermarianner Posts: 11,043
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    When it comes to holidays such as Halloween, xmas, they could just incorperate it into the theme week. Say dance theme is on Halloween. Spooky dance songs, or arranged with a spooky touch with spooky stage design and costumes.
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