X Factor Finalists Unhappy with Their Song Choices This Week

By On 11/15/2012 · 73 Comments · In X Factor

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Beatrice Miller reveals to The Hollywood Reporter that she hated everything about her performance last night, from the song choice to her outfit. She also claims that the producers chose the song, not her mentor, Britney Spears.  Also, Britney didn’t seem to care much that the young singer was unhappy.  Via The Hollywood Reporter

The tune in question, “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper, just wasn’t much fun to perform, mused the New Jersey teen in a backstage interview. Miller said she loves to listen to the 80s classic, but singing it live was another matter. “I didn’t like it when I performed it, but I mean, I hope that didn’t show,” she said.

That didn’t come as a surprise to her mentor, Britney Spears, who advised the 13-year-old to soldier through it despite her lukewarm — make that ice cold — response to the ballad, which Miller said was assigned to her by producers, not Spears. Miller said she was informed of the theme five minutes before she met with the show’s team of voice coaches last week.

“Britney knew that I hated my song this week, but you know, she just said, ‘Get through it and just try to connect with the song,’” Miller revealed. “I don’t think it really mattered to her that I didn’t like it.”

Miller also acknowledged that the mood backstage on Wednesday was “dull,” mainly because many of the contestants were indifferent to the Diva theme week.

“I think the majority of us as contestants didn’t like what we were singing this week,” she said. “I don’t think any of us got exactly what we wanted because this week it was all about saluting divas of the older time and whatever, and they kind of made us into the people that we’re singing this week, which was kind of weird. I don’t like that, because it just turns us into people that we’re not.”

Beatrice also HATED her outfit

“I was like, ‘I hate this dress and if you don’t take me out of it and put me in some pants, then we’re going to add some funk to this outfit,’ So they were like, ‘Oh, we bought this hat for you and we’re thinking that you should wear it next week,” she laughed. “I was like, ‘Haha, no no no — we’re wearing it now because this outfit is really bad.’”

Beatrice was not the only finalist who hated her song choice.

Many of the contestants were hesitant upon learning what songs they’d be performing, including her teammate Arin Ray (Madonna’s “Crazy For You”) and Lyric 145 (Katy Perry’s “ET” and Queen’s “We Will Rock You”) and Jennel Garcia (Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary”).

“I hated it!,” Garcia told THR earlier this week. “I remember walking into the vocal room and the guys were kinda playing it on the guitar and I was like, ‘I feel bad for whoever is singing that song.’ And they were like, ‘Oh, it’s yours.’ I was like, ‘Oh, well… Damn!’ I was so mad. But you know, we changed it in a way so it could sound like my song.”

The finalists spend very little time with their mentors

THR learned that many of the contestants spent very little time working with their actual mentors. Each song is initially selected by producers, and the contestants’ respective mentors enter the process only one or two days before showtime. At that point, it’s worth noting, many mentors (or producers) will hit their contestants with a change in song just one day, or sometimes only hours, before broadcast. Sometimes the swaps are due to licensing problems, other times, creative differences.

Lyric 145 were REALLY disappointed they couldn’t do their original song choice

“We had the best song we could have possibly had. It was our original lyrics, it was the diva of the century, it was perfect. Arguably would have been the best performance we had so far, and that was coming from the inside,” said Lyric Da Queen on Wednesday night. “Last night we got the ball dropped on us that we weren’t going to be able to do the song, and today we got the song that we were doing. It was just chaos.”

The kids don’t sound like happy campers. No wonder last night’s performances were mostly mediocre.

 
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  • elliegrll

    During the Battle Rounds the voice has been very guilty of assigning songs that are a perfect fit for one of the contestants, but a horrible choice for the person who they are battling, so there is manipulation over there as well.  In fact, I believe that one contestant called them out on it this season.

  • CB40

    This show is becoming less watchable by the minute. I may just stop altogether. 

  • http://twitter.com/ITS_KJB_OMG Kyle Bianchini

    I don’t like where this show is going. Simon needs to take control, dial it down, let the contestants pick their own songs, let the judges/coaches be advisers for their team not straight up dictating what will happen, and he needs to get his act together. He is not the judge I enjoyed on Idol. I want that guy back.

    That being said, there is some talent on this season. They could turn it around if they act fast enough.

  • artemis112

    I like Beatrice; she has a really good voice and an appealing face. Her parents have probably always encouraged her to express herself. But if someone doesn’t give this child some media training ASAP, the next song the producers assign her could be about dancing penguins.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/NWXRUOY5BTHY5F52JP3ZFJTTVI Mikko

    True. The world is not flawless, and Bea is not flawless. It is good to take things seriously, but she is taking it too seriously. I am sure she would not like to take it so seriously and be so excited, but obviously it is the same thing right now than to ask people for example “to get more enlightened”.
    Good advice, but how do you do that practically? It is very difficult to change some “not-so-good” tendencies and habitual behaviour, but luckily she is a child, and she might be able to do it, for adults it is many times impossible.

    Like I have written earlier, she has been a lot in the tv and movie business and showed that she is the most amiable working company. It is just this “competition” scene (and I suppose the kind) which may be a little bit difficult to handle for her.

    I wish she could just enjoy now being there, and not to stress too much.

  • NycGuy

     If she is any contestant is getting a raw deal, she has the right to speak up. What is staying quiet and being good going to do for her?

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/NWXRUOY5BTHY5F52JP3ZFJTTVI Mikko

    You did not see any big bitter reactions on television (and if there would appear some for a very short moment, I do not think, that it is so bad), but she has to remember, she is in media also then, when she is not in the television (there are back stage reporters there watching, and ever more, if they will sense, that somebody is emotional).

    I think she is learning. And hope, because that is her biggest thing to learn now, not toget emotionally too overwhelmed in the live shows in the competition like this.
    She by the way apologized after those reactions 12 h ago in Twitter:
    “I know my reaction to being 8th tonight was immature and I apologize,
    sometimes I hide my sadness with attitude. I’ll be better next week :”

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/NWXRUOY5BTHY5F52JP3ZFJTTVI Mikko

    I am not sure, but from what I have heard, I think the contestants will have now more say in the song selections in the future after this.
    Hope so at least.

    We are not in the 1950′s of “you will do what you are told!” There are no heavenly rules, how the things should go, but people can define with the dialogue the rules and the habits of the show more accurate and flexible and amiable, if they feel need to that.
    It is NOT that the contestants, including Bea, would not need the support and help from the mentor and the producers, but everybody should feel as comfortable as possible with the productions. I am sure Bea understands the value of her “band members”.
    But she has to understand the influence of media more deeply.

  • Incipit

    I don’t like where this show is going. Simon needs to take control

    That could be a problem, Kyle Bianchini. Take control from whom? The season is going the way it is because Cowell ‘is’ in control already. He set the tone for his own show, and the ever-changing rules too.

    The Simon from Idol was a character – who was working Nigel’s abrasive comment schtick and was constrained by being an employee; if he needed to dial it down, Nigel could tell him so…

    Now he is free to be his own mean-spirited self, and do whatever he pleases – so he does. Maybe FOX could tell him to get his act together – but since they’ve already renewed XFUS, odds of that making a difference are slim to none.

    JMO. Of Course.

  • mason williams

    i predict that this show won’t last as long as idol or even the voice for that matter

  • SapphireBlue9

    The contestants didn’t like their songs and outfits??? What a coincidence! I thought it was all terrible, too!! 

    Forget about choreographers, hair and makeup, and judges…  they need therapists stationed all over that studio- the whole show is so darn dysfunctional.

    Brit and all of her “issues”, Simon the psychopath, Mario the narcissist, KK the kranky kardashian, Demi now damaged by Simon….  The contestants are gonna be screwed up too. Teens will be emotionally destroyed, Emblem will develop super oversized egos, CeCe will go on permanent face tattoo rampage, ….

     … but Tate will write a kick a$s country song about the mess of a show and it will be AWESOME!

  • bscfan

    I haven’t seen a single episode of XFUS, but you guys are making it seem like such a trainwreck that I’m tempted to watch just out of curiosity. 

    Regardless of whether this Bea is considered to be whining or not, I think it’s damned  shame if contestants can’t pick their own songs. Unless of course–the goal is to get people like me to watch the trainwreck.

  • SapphireBlue9

    Recently I’ve accepted that I’m a sucker for these lame singing competition shows. I’m no longer ashamed. But this year with the XF it’s ALL about the trainwreck factor and it’s disturbingly enjoyable.

    I give myself challenges like, “Can I find one decent quality about tonight’s show?”  or  “Pick one thing Britney says that’s somewhat articulate”. It’s fun and highlights how screwed up the show really is!

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/NWXRUOY5BTHY5F52JP3ZFJTTVI Mikko

    I thought XF1 was a nightmare in some way, but I wanted to give the show another try. Whereas in AI auditions are not that interesting, XF auditions were quite great to me and I got attached. But whereas in AI it is like very exiciting, when the live shows begin, in XF surprisingly the live shows are many times like painful to watch, although they have found a lot of talent. I think it is weird.
    But having become Bea fan, I am going to watch as long as she is there, because i feel she really needs all the support from her fans. The show is so macabre, that the framework of the show does not necessarily support her. i hope the judges will not vote her out because of “political reasons”. But after this season, I try to make serious conscious decision not to watch XF3, because any way, they had the possibility to renew the show, and I think I do not want to get attached to this anymore in the years to come.

    When we got to hear, that Britney has not necessarily chosen the songs, but “the producers”, who knows, if Simon has chosen f.ex. most/some of teens’ songs?
    What he did to Demi, I could not watch, it was like abusive rape.
    Everybody, including us who are watching the show, are becoming Simon’s puppets.

    All in all, I have always liked Simon, but here his big ego seems to stink so much, that it kills the will to watch the show.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/PVEFG2TOUIXSROKUSO2O2DOWWE Taylor

    She by the way apologized after those reactions 12 h ago in Twitter:”I know my reaction to being 8th tonight was immature and I apologize, sometimes I hide my sadness with attitude. I’ll be better next week :”

    Good for her. Live and learn, Beatrice. Take the opportunities and use them, play the game girl. This is a crash course in everything that has to do with show business, learn from it and come out wiser and tougher on the other side.

    FTR, I like this kid and have thought her “style”, both vocally and appearance wise, are part of what makes her unique. It sets her apart from the other teens in XF and all the other shows. (Wonder if her clothing, hair and accessories aren’t really her, but are from the show? If so, they are doing a damn good job in making her stand out.)

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_YN4GHCMAO22DHQEZAH6ZDVZ6YQ Blinkx

    Ok but how about The Voice? Do the coaches spend a lot of time with their singers too? Or is it the same for The X Factor?

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_YN4GHCMAO22DHQEZAH6ZDVZ6YQ Blinkx

    I think Beautrice is really cool. She’s probably one of the few young contestants who’s not afraid to speak her mind out. I actually thought that she was boring at first during boot camp and judges houses but she turned out to be a pretty cool kid for a 13 year old during the live shows. 

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/NWXRUOY5BTHY5F52JP3ZFJTTVI Mikko

    I am her total fan. What strikes me most is not her singing voice (which i also love), but her creative brain, mind and heart – and passion. She has very good basis for any kind of creative work.
    And she is most welcoming person, someone easy to approach. And she has like natural guts and I also think like “earthquike energy” to deliver vivid performances.
    Ok, she is a bit overwhelmed, but who wouldn’t especially at her age: she was “trending 2nd” in Twitter worldwide (out of 7 billion people) a couple of days ago and Harry Styles from iD told openly, that he voted Bea as many time he could and Bea also met Harry, who is loved by about 1 billion teenager girls. Of course one gets emotional.

  • http://twitter.com/KariannHart Kariann Hart

     Very nice comments.  I wish Bea the best.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jorrus.cbaoth Jorrus C’baoth

     It was Aretha Franklin’s Respect. Just google it with lyric 145, they have samples at various sites. sounds awesome.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jorrus.cbaoth Jorrus C’baoth

     They say its got to do with right of use and copyright infringement but that doesn’t explain why they couldn’t use original works.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jorrus.cbaoth Jorrus C’baoth

     Respect is used in commercials, sports events and bands across the nation. no real reason why they couldn’t use it.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jorrus.cbaoth Jorrus C’baoth

     Her voice has a distinct raspyness about it. all the contestants have a strong suite. if it had to be Cyndi Lauper, why not True Colors instead of that lame, repetitive Time After Time. (boring)

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