With Sam and Emily not singing the songs in a disco style , when and why in X factor history did this become ok.

I am pretty sure in early years you had to sing the songs in the style of the theme

I remember being annoyed in series 3 on Big Band week when Ben was allowed to perform just playing the piano without the backing of the Band which was the whole point of the theme anyway.

Yeah, I wouldn't have thought disco when hearing them sing if I didn't know what the theme was. They both sounded nothing like disco. Just a slow song. It wasn't upbeat at all. Disco's meant to get you going, even in some of the song. That was more like a different theme.

Blame John Lewis for making funeral dirge versions of uptempo songs acceptable.

Lets be honest, half the songs have stretched the themes to the limit for years anyway so it almost doesn't matter what style they sing in

Sam is becoming more and more absurd in her choice of arrangement, and her voice isn't holding up so well. Emily has a good folk voice but please dear god stop faffing with songs because it just shows your limitations.

It'll be either the mentors or the producers who will choose the songs. I highly doubt the contestants will have any say in what they sing.

You have a point. They did let slip a couple of years back that they draw them out of a hat but have a few alternatives after everyone has chosen.

Who says they need to sing songs in a disco style? They need to sing in a style that fits them. Let's be honest, disco music sounds dated today, it's best to re-arrange the song completely in a different style.


The theme is supposed to limit their song choices.

Disco doesn't have to sound dated and the genre has had a huge revival over recent years with many of the biggest songs of the 2010's being retro disco based.

The theme limits song choice but I could name at least 50 better song choices off the top of my head than the dull, unimaginative over used ones they sang last night

I almost wept when I saw I Will Survive - the karaoke song to top all karaoke songs and then to slow it down in disco week? Never Can Say Goodbye would have been a better Gloria Gaynor track. No Chic? The Emotions? KC &The Sunshine Band? Chaka Khan? The list is endless.

These really need to move away from Simon's IPod or whatever constrains them in song choices.

I doubt even that happens. The songs will likely be actually chosen for each contestant by either the mentors or producers.

I think they just probably shouldn't have genre themes. It is annoying when the acts sing songs that are all the same style and change any song to their given style but none of them are going to release disco after the show, so why should they have to sing a disco song?

Another FM posted that the last time disco was a theme was 2013 ad the songlist is virtually identical, including the John Lewisified I Will Survive. So many fabulous songs as you have said. I know last week, I said how about songs like - Shame, In The Bush, Everybody Dance, Lets All Chant, To Be Real, Turn The Beat Around, Instant Reply, Shake Your Groove Thang, Mighty Real, Contact - that sort of thing. Or any number of Chic songs, Don't Leave Me This Way, Never Too Much (not strictly disco but it'd pass) - the list is endless

But, oh no, the same stale old cheesy karaoke, one dirge after another until they bore us into submission

OMG - Blondie, it's like you are in my IPod - I was listening to Shame and I Want Your Love just yesterday.

Yeah they should be singing songs that suit them and therefore they should have scrapped the themes years ago, but if they insist on using themes then the contestants should be singing songs that adhere to them.

I said this on another thread last night, I don't mind when they have a artist based theme and they alter the songs, because those themes aren't genre specific. But when you are stating it is Motown/Disco week then strip the sounds away from the song that makes it Motown/Disco then it can no longer be considered Motown/Disco imo.

Motown/Disco is a genre of music, just like R&B/Rock/Jazz etc so when they are doing those themes then the songs should have those sounds in them otherwise its pointless. It wouldn't even bother me if they took a pop song and 'discoed' it up, as at least that would still fit the theme, but what Sam and Emily did last night was in no way Disco.

Do you mean when the likes of Ben Mills were copying SOS from Abba?

Well, if this was a singing competition, genre themes are a really good way to scope out who is technically the most skilled as they would be able to control any type of song given to them. But this isn't really, this is a popularity contest masked as a pop star competition, and these poppy contestants don't have the level of skill nor training to be able to adapt to different styles.

Genre themes make far more sense for The Voice than X Factor. X Factor themes should be thematic, not genre based, so there's a larger variety to choose from and everyone would be able to get a song suited to their individual style whilst still adhering to the theme.

When they realised Phoney G would be around for a few weeks and couldn't sing any of the themes so they had to let everyone have room for interpretation.

I totally agree. I think the week should be performances inspired from the world of disco. I that happens to be a pretty straight cover of a disco classic, so be it, but if it is a cover of a disco song transposed into the style or genre of your choice, then so much better.

People are getting sick of the slowed down versions - that seems to be the only way they are altering a song, and to be honest, it's childsplay to any musician worth their salt to reduce the tempo of a song. What would be so much more impressive would be if (for example) Sam took a disco song and changed it into her preferred genre which I believe is rock? She'd get props for doing it and she'd show us what type of artist she is striving to be.