Maria. Amazingly talented lady, gorgeous looks, on par with big divas in the States (with a little more training).

Now why on earth enter a third rate show like this and share the stage with amateurs and wannabes? I mean this woman could have been handed a contract had she made the effort to go stateside.

I reckon she's starting to wonder why on earth she did enter, and will certainly regret it as all artists that entered the show last year aren't actually dominating the international market.

Poor Maria, if I was her I'd quit and fly out to NYC, and leave this rinky dinky show behind. It's great entertainment but it's not exactly the birthplace of stratospheric success now is it?

I guess my comments aren't shared by you all. Oh well.

Maria is an amateur compared to the big divas.....she's nowhere near their standard.
If Maria was so talented, she would have been signed a long time ago. She must have entered X Factor out of desperation.
Also, she'd never make it stateside because no-one would buy her records.

What, because no-one replied within 25 minutes? Good grief, short attention span or what?

Ah now that's where you are wrong. In the States it is extremely easy to manipulate the masses into buying your records, simply neutalise your views, be inoffensive and say you love Jesus. And to be fair, she strikes me as a woman who doesn't fully understand how good she is. If you look at someone like Amerie, a woman with little singing ability, she has had huge success because Americans take time to polish and perfect an artist rather than in England where they throw some cheap video in a car park with a crappy song and pray they get a number 1.

I think, like you, that Maria is the only one with any credibility as a future recording artist. She's got a great voice for today's market and she's also got the looks. I don't think that she will have any regrets though. IMO cream rises to the top, and if you've got it and people see it, you'll make it anyway. It didn't do Lemar or Liberty X any harm being on Fame Academy and Pop Idol, and people don't really associate them with those shows now anyway.
So hopefully, the same thing will happen to Maria

Ah the blessings of ADD

Maria has about as much chance of a recording career as the Conways...none.

If someone who hasn't watched the XFactor read your post they would be extremely dissappointed to see Maria in action. She is mediocre.

Hasn't Maria been around the record industry for years as a backing singer?? Surely if she was that fantastic her potential would have been spotted already. I would say her appearance on the X Factor is a last ditch attempt at fame.

Aretha was a backing singer for years before she made it. Now she's the Queen of Soul. So who knows?

I don't think making it in the music industry depends that much on looks or voice anymore. Its very much about being able to stand out from all the other artists around at the moment. I think I mentioned this in another thread somewhere, but Will Young hasn't made it big because of his looks or voice (which IMO are both great ) but because he is original and stands out from all the other male solo artists out there. I think Maria's success would depend on the standard of her own material, but good luck to her!

i was thinking the same

if she is that good she would have been snatched up

Okay another example. Joss Stone. Clearly had a great voice. She was rejected by 6 record companies before she was signed. Britney was rejected by several labels before she was signed. It's safe to say these have made it global, despite the fact they were rejected but had perseverance.

I just think that X-Factor will cheapen her as an artist.

Sheryl Crowe also spent years as a backing singer before she made it. In order to improve as an artist you have to have the opportunity to do your thing in front of an audience. As a backing singer, you may not get the opportunity, so going in for a programme like X Factor, at least gives them the chance to show what they can do.

Joss Stone is different though, she's excellent at what she does, but also brings something different to the scene.

I can't bring myself to write about Bri'nee' sorry.

Maria, though technically great, and gives a good performance, doesn't bring anything that hasn't been done before. She may be on a par (or could be in the future) with some other female vocalists, both past and present, but I don't hear anything that I haven't heard before.

Whilst that may be ok for Shayne, Nicholas even JS, those acts have a contemporary sound already. Maria, like Brenda and Andy are on an upward struggle as their particular sound is not exactly 'of the moment'.

Shayne does not sound current, he sounds like a poor knock off of current male artists. I personally thought his performance of If You're Not The One was a karaoke performance at best.

Who is this Maria and which talent show has she entered? She doesn't sound like any Maria I've ever seen on any TV talent show. In fact the only Maria I can think of on any talent show is Maria Lawson and it's obvious from your first sentence ("Amazingly talented lady, gorgeous looks, on par with big divas in the States") that you don't mean her.

Aretha didn't get to 30 before making it though.

Come on guys.....get real. Maria isn't going to make it here or overseas...
1. She doesn't have the voice
2. She has no stage presence
3. There is nothing distinctive about her
4. She's too old
5. She's like a million other artists

For crying out loud, these girls were 16 years old when they were signed. Hardly a long time trying was it? Maria is almost twice that age.

Face it, you're not going to back down but the fact is Maria is ordinary in many ways and less than ordinary in every other.

Who are you? Her husband?

I can't argue with you about that.

Joss Stone and Britney were both in their teens when they were signed though!!!!!
The pop industry isn't interested in anyone over 25 unless they are already established....

1. She does have A voice but it is nothing special. There are far better voices (male and female) in this competition alone, let alone in the music industry in general.
2. She has no performance skills at all to mask her ordinary voice, though she does try very hard to cover up the notes she can't reach and emotions she can't convey with shouting and arm waving.
3. There is nothing particularly special about her, in voice, performance, looks or personality.
4. She's not too old for the music industry generally but she is too old for what she is trying to be and the image she is trying to portray.
5. I can't in all honesty think of a million other such mediocre artists.

Face it people...it aint gonna happen....