the whole world obviously doesn't know it

i've been following music for over 30 years and i dont know it and i have never seen it used in a talent show before either. i stand by my comment that she got boo-ed because people didn't recognise what she was singing rather than just because it was in french

Yeah she was actually very good, but in that 6 chair moment she was nowhere near what we saw during the auditions, many reasons for this as I am sure you probably know!

Well, sorry, but that is just plain ignorance. The British usually are completely oblivious to the great songs written in other languages and that's nobody's else's fault but theirs. Saara couldn't have known that such a famous and stunning song would go completely over certain people's heads. Je suis malade is just as well-known as Je t'aime - now, if you're gonna tell me you don't know that one either....
And, by the way, there are way more talent shows across the world than the ones in UK :P
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJsTs5hw_to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaEg4KVz2sE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6LD-661WpQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFicSyJ5aj0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvVqR_8jtsc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I242ekTeY_8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQnT910enHQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeRXnV-6Alg
The examples could go on and on and on, trust me Now, if after all of this, you keep insisting the song is an obscure one....

just because its something you know well please do not assume its well known and do not accuse other posters of being ignorant, i dont think the judges knew the song either and between them how many years of being in the music industry do they have ?

as i said i have been following music for over 30 years, i used to run and take part in music quizzes and am familiar with various genres of music

dont be such a bloody, patronising snob

Well, I posted evidence from I don't know how many countries: Germany, Greece, Romania, Russia, Ukraine (all highly watched talent shows), there are plenty of videos on yt of people from all over the world singing this song...unless you want to tell me UK is the center of the world. Just because you have no clue about a masterpiece of music, it doesn't mean the song isn't well known. Now you wanna tell me all about the competence of Nicole, Louis, Simon and Sharon - you all spend most of your time on this forum moaning about how irrelevant and useless they are, but now it's convenient to claim they are knowledgeable. Sorry, but there are plenty of British artists - whom I do respect - who admit to being completely ignorant when it comes to music from other countries. Excuse me if I don't assume that all of the current X Factor judges are very knowledgeable, considering the acts they put through and the music they promote.

And sorry, but if your public reacted like that to a song just because they didn't understand the language (although, I assume French is being taught in your schools), then I'm not the snob. We've had singers on our talent shows sing in Russian, Korean, Greek and plenty of other languages (that are being taught in schools) and we still appreciated them. But then again, we don't assume that everyone has to sing in just one language, on the contrary, here, artists are required to sing in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and, if they don't know the language, they still learn the song. Some of the best music wasn't written in English, to the shock of certain people!

I agree with Mimik.It was self indulgent if not intentionally so for her to choose to perform a song that is not widely known in a language that is unfamiliar to much of the audience.Part of being a singer/performer is building a connection with your audience.That is on the performer, not those who come to see the performer. That was Saraa's mistake.Insulting an audience for being unfamiliar with music not widely played or related to in a language not native to most of them was yours.It was rude, and I do not get why you'd have that attitude. Before you call me ignorant as well, Amanda,keep in mind that for all you know Je sais que la chanson assez bien pour chanter . Even if not, however, that would not make me ignorant. Someone can know a great deal about music, but not necessarily music they don't relate to.None of us should presume to tell others what type of music they* should* listen to or be familiar with.


I want to add that I suspect a lot of that reaction to her second song was encouraged and/or staged.Also, Saara's vast repertoire of languages she can sing in is really impressive.IT's just that in this situation,something more familiar to the audience would have worked better for her.

I couldn't believe that vile reaction to her singing in French.

Well, for instance, I'm not Italian and I would call myself ignorant if I didn't know Laura Pausini or Eros Ramazzotti's hits. Not knowing a song because it's not in your native language is not an excuse. So, it's insulting for me to call ignorant all of those who haven't heard it yet, but it's not insulting and rude of you - to all the artists who have sung this song around the world and to the many, many countries that consider it a hit - to say the song is obscure and a bad choice in a singing talent show?! OK, then... Before accusing someone else of reacting in a certain way, maybe you should think about what may have caused that reaction. It is extremely insulting to a large circle of people who have grown with a certain song and who consider it part of the world's cultural heritage to diminish it just because your "selective" radio stations haven't bothered to play it in all of these decades. Last term I checked the dictionary, "ignorant" was defined as "unaware, uninformed", given the context I used it in. Now, you may call that an insult, I call it reality, since most of the people here claimed to not know about the song. If that makes me rude and a snob, I have no problem with that and I won't apologize for it.
"Music not widely played" - again, I seem to have posted all those links in vain! If a song played and known all across Europe (France, Belgium, Romania, Russia, Spain, Ukraine, Greece etc) - and not only (Canada) - is not widely known, ok then...
"in a language that is unfamiliar to much of the audience" - again, I could understand if SOME of the viewers don't know French, but, considering the language is a school subject, it SHOULD not be unfamiliar to "much of the audience" - THAT is your fault only. French is not my native language either, as it's not Russians' or Greeks' or Germans', yet, they seem to be able to appreciate the song. So, maybe the problem isn't with the song or the language, but with the audience?! Just saying.
Je suis très heureuse que tu saches la chanson; au moins, il y a quelqu'un en Grande Bretagne qui lave la honte de ses concitoyens
By the way, if you did know the song, I don't see why you bothered to reply to my post, since it was obviously not targeting you. And if you know about the song, it means it's not as obscure as some want to make it look.

Yup that would be it.

I replied because of your unnecessarily dismissive comments toward other forum members who explained reasonably why they thought it was not a good choice to sing an obscure (to most) song when connecting was important. Glad you are happy that I know the song, but I am not a Brit or out to "fix" any imagined "shame"of theirs. I am an American who spent a great deal of my life in the uk.

Actually,when it comes to covering Lara Fabian arrangements, Adagio is more my kind of song as it suits my voice and range.. I learned it phonetically.The only reason why I know both songs so well , and some basic languages(though not to the degree Saara has) is because, while the songs ARE obscure in most English speaking countries, I have performed internationally myself ,and non-English speaking audiences , in my experience, are no different(or are no less ignorant if you prefer ) when it comes to relating to a performer and feeling a connection more when they understand the lyrics , so I learned .I had need and reason to learn.Not everyone has need or reason, or desire. That doesn't make me look down on them or presume they are ignorant or know less than I do. I see no evidence that you have any reason to presume they know less than you do or call anyone ignorant, either.

Shes a bit die hard with singing in French - embarrassing really with the desperation but yeah she's okay she has some talent!

Let's leave it at that. I explained more than it was needed.
If nobody else feels like they need to be apologizing, I don't see why I'd have to, considering I didn't actually insult anyone, as I've already said. What would you call a person who said he/she didn't know about War and Peace, for example, because it was written by a Russian? I'm pretty sure that, had the song been known in UK and USA - and nowhere else - it would have been considered "widely known", but, because the rest of the world knows it, while English-speaking countries don't, it means the song is obscure. Funny how perception changes depending on the point of reference!
I'm pretty sure posters on this forum called others worse things than "ignorant" for not knowing about the Beatles, for example. How is that any different?
For the last time, UK =/= most of the world. An artist has no idea of knowing whether a widely known song is also known in UK; Saara probably went by logic, which backfired.

PS: Lara has an English version of Adagio, you needn't have learnt it in Italian

The song being French had bugger all to do with it.

She was given a second chance unlike most other people on the stage that night, which she could have used to her advantage. The sensible thing to do here surely is to choose a massive, current hit which would have endeared her to the audience and judges and had them singing along and got them onside. It's not about language, it's about marketing yourself and making the most of a sliver of opportunity that most people would die for.

Instead, she indulgently chose something less well-known which SHE liked; fine, but she immediately lost absolutely everyone in the auditorium and spectacularly blew her chance because she was too short-sighted not to make that final last gasp effort to get a place. If she'd demeaned herself by singing Gaga or Rhianna or whatever mainstream tripe, it's a small price to pay for getting a place.

Nicole's comment about 'we ain't in France' was misguided, sure. Language is irrelevant and why should we always bow down to supposed English superiority? But the sentiment behind it was clear; we're trying to help you, and you're fckuing it up.

Saara's seemingly split-second choice smacked of ingratitude. If someone hands you a lifeline, grab it with both hands even if it means losing a shred or two of dignity in the process. You could see the anger on the judges' faces and quite rightly so.

I learned it in both languages. As for the show, my point is, she was on an English show. Were I on a French show, I'd definitely perform a French song, and have a few more ready as well. People tend to like and respond more to songs they are familiar with. That is performing 101. At her level of experience, such a rookie mistake was surprising to see.You can't blame the audience for not responding well to her (rather panicked ) rendition of a song most were not particularly familiar with.I think it really was a combination of the song choice, her insistence, and behind the scenes encouragement of the poor reaction(the booing seemed "off" to me, and definitely an extreme reaction, not an appropriate one. The show just keeps seeming ...weirder and weirder ...this season) . It seems like she knows she could have handled things better. I can understand why she grasped to keep hold of the opportunity, likely making a snap decision and going for what was probably the first comfort zone song that came to her in the moment.

As much as it was all staged, I have no idea why she got such a bad reaction for singing in French.....??
Why would that be a booing offence..

And why would nicole have told her off for it as well....

Actually, I think you'll find that acts on most European shows perform a lot in English and other languages. Do you believe that if someone performed Bohemian Rhapsody on the French X Factor, the judges would tell them: "You're not in UK"?! Or do you think the artist would be criticized on a forum afterwards for not singing in French?! I seriously doubt it. But then again, the reply would be: "How can you not know Bohemian Rhapsody?! where have you lived until now, under a rock?!" - and, suddenly, calling someone "ignorant" wouldn't be so outrageous anymore
The British X Factor isn't just another local show; it's supposed to find a "star" who sells internationally - or so Simon keeps banging on -; then, it's a bit inconsiderate to ignore all the other countries' languages when you're looking to milk them for money. The least they could do is respect the artist singing in another language; Nicole would have probably looked smarter had she kept her mouth shut - most of her songs would have probably done a lot better and she'd have had a solo career had she sung in an unknown language to mankind.
I doubt Je Suis Malade was a comfort zone song for Saara - her French isn't that good (I'm not even entirely sure she completely understands what she's saying). She probably thought this was a very hard song to sing and, had she managed to pull it off, she would have impressed everyone. I could understand if people said they didn't relate to the song because she didn't perform it well, but to say that they didn't connect because the song is not good enough is a bit offensive.

But she has made a conscious decision to enter a singing show in the UK and she really should have done her research as to what would work for a UK audience and had several crowd pleasing songs ready. Had she done her research, she would be aware that, generally, non British acts don't do that well on the show and that, those who do ok are the ones who play to the cheap seats.

Whether you think it's right or not, it's no secret the English speaking countries don't really have a track record for embracing foreign language songs and so any non native acts choosing to enter a talent show in an English speaking country needs to ensure they are giving the crowd what they want and that's songs they are familiar with.

She made a huge error of judgement. She was given a lifeline and she didn't grasp it with both hands but she's back now and I hope she has learned from this

I didnt know what she was singing... if she sang lady marmalade maybe she had different reaction

But, as some other posters have already noticed, other acts did sing, in the past, in other languages - Ruth, in Spanish, Andrea in Italian -, so, why the sudden backlash for singing in French?

I, for one, don't like how the solution to the problem is presented: instead of saying that the artists have to comply with certain expectations, maybe the real problem should be highlighted and that's that the British radio stations have to be much more eclectic and have to start playing famous songs from other languages as well. The critique just isn't well directed, in my opinion - instead of being aimed at the artist, it should be aimed at the audience and the radio stations that popularize music. When you get to the point where you say that a Rihanna song or Lady Marmalade is preferable to Je suis malade, then a change has to occur.

I'm surprised at this debate as my assumption at the time was that it was nothing to do with the language in terms of the crowds reaction.
It felt to me like they didn't like her attitude and she didn't sing the second song very well. Just kind of shrieked it. ( I liked the song but not the delivery). In her defence it was a pressure situation but she did have a very entitled attitude when Sharon said no initially.
I think she clearly has a great talent but hasn't done herself huge favours with the voters.
Time will tell.

Maybe they sag in another language once they were in the live shows but not when they were still trying to get though and make themselves known to the audience.

Whether you like the way things are or not, the facts are there and that if someone wants to be a success then they have to present themselves in a way that is what the crowd they are playing to wants to see and it's widely known that English speaking audiences almost exclusively want English language songs. That isn't going to change any time soon so non native speaking acts have to either accept that and record in English or else understand that they are unlikely to have success in those countries to any great extent.
The exception is obviously the Latin market in the US but that is mainly embraced by the large Spanish speaking population.

I wasn't with the song - and nor was my Spanish partner btw - so I've googled it and have to say, it's absolutely not for me. Far too over dramatic and overblown. Not something I'd be interested in hearing again tbh.

I think you have to realise this is a light entertainment reality tv karaoke contest aimed at providing a pantomime for the prime time tv audience during the cold winter months. It's not here to educate anyone in foreign language songs they might not know or to have any pretense of being highbrow or anything other than a couple of hours a week playing to the cheap seats.

She got her audience wrong, simple as that which is a rookie mistake

I agree that her attitude wasn't one of the best, nor was her rendition - although, in all fairness, you can hardly get the right impression after a 10 seconds clip - but the audience didn't react badly until after she started to sing in French and Nicole's comment was the cherry on top of the cake. Sharon and Simon didn't make those faces when certain contestants gave awful performances in English.

BNP was out in force... with an American cheerleader in Nicole!

Honestly, Nicole's comment really pissed me off.

Such a shame really, I fear Saara's been tainted now (X-Factor wise anyhow).

She has a good voice but then so do so many others on the show. She came across as a bit up herself and not very likeable. You need to be likeable and to be able to hold an audience to have "the x factor".

Amanda,

Actually, Lady Marmelade is not only a great, upbeat, entertaining song, but also more vocally challenging in terms of range than Je Suis Malade while being about equal if different in skill demands and dynamics.


It is perfectly understandable for people to prefer music with lyrics they can understand.The change you believe needs to occur would not benefit the show, the singers, or the listeners in any way.Many are simply not interested in seeking out songs in a language they do not speak or are unfamiliar with. I personally don't seek much rap or country music . That doesn't mean I am unaware of it, or ignorant, just not interested enough to spend time on it. It's the same thing as those who are not interested in seeking foreign-to-them music. If they aren't interested, they aren't missing out on anything, and it is an artist's responsibility to cater to them if they want their attention, not the other way 'round.