PSB through. 😮‍💨

PSB - could take this with Always On My Mind , i predicted it a few rounds ago. This is not a marmite song unlike Fighter and Girlfriend which is what i am predicting for Xtina and Avril!

Oh wow none of these songs chosen 😮

Edited Wednesday at 19:161 day by vibe

I expected 'What Have I Done To Deserve This?' for PSB.

'Always On My Mind' was the audition song and 'Fighter' on Battleground (Round 4) BTW.

Edited Wednesday at 19:351 day by AllStarBySmashMouth

^ oh thank you !!! ☺️

Well done Mary and Saturdays for making it this far, didn’t expect Mary to get this far tbh but glad she did

Not a huge fan of PSB but I saw them getting through

f***IN GROSS!!!

IF I'D been the guest judge, PSB would have been thrown out the window in last plyiace!!! It woulfa been Satd or Mary J!!!

 

2 hours ago, Calum said:

Before we cross back over to the Grand Final and let battle commence in Part Two, performing one last time on The Pop Factor stage with what would have been their final performances of the season, give it up for Mary J. Blige and The Saturdays

Mary J. Blige - Everything

The Saturdays - Up (Radio Edit)

Sats shoulda sent Ego

1 hour ago, Big Fat Sue said:

f***IN GROSS!!!

IF I'D been the guest judge, PSB would have been thrown out the window in last plyiace!!! It woulfa been Satd or Mary J!!!

Thank f*** you weren't the guest judge then.

C'mon the PSB, you can do this!!

Omg yes, thank you everyone <3 and congrats to Scene and King Rollo <3

I’ve never paid much attention to the names of these judges before but I can’t help think Robert Botbert needs to get his own identity.

12 minutes ago, Mangø said:

Thank f*** you weren't the guest judge then.

C'mon the PSB, you can do this!!

All female finale if I were guest judge

7 minutes ago, Big Fat Sue said:

All female finale if I were guest judge

Yep, you already said.

Shame both have gone...I honestly thought The Saturdays would win whole thing...so shocked

As the race for The Pop Factor crown continues (reminder: voting closes on Saturday 19th July at 18:59 BST), here on Popped! it's time to take a look back at the best bits of the artists that competed in Season 1 to make it the memorable, joyous occasion it has been!

23=

YVA

@Last Dreamer

Last Dreamer entered The Pop Factor with Lithuanian girl group YVA, on a mission to spread the word of their infectious - yet dated? - pop tracks. Sadly not making it any further than the Auditions, being eliminated from the Groups category after their performance of Grožio Fabrikas, we didn't get to hear what other tricks YVA had up their sleeves. That is, until they returned to try and win their way back into the competition with the power of The Golden Wagner. YVA opted for Kaukes at the last-chance saloon but it wasn't meant to be as they finished bottom of the pack once again. Despite not being the result Last Dreamer will have hoped for, it's still great that YVA contributed to what has been a wonderfully varied competition in all respects.

YVA in The Pop Factor: Season 1

The Groups Auditions: 08 Grožio Fabrikas (68 points)

The Power of The Golden Wagner: 16 Kaukes (0 coins awarded)

23=

Lemon Demon

@seven.

The first of several stretches with the definition of 'pop' in 'The Pop Factor', Seven opted to treat us to what I'm sure was a discovery for most in Lemon Demon. Despite not strictly falling into the realms of pop - and quite possibly joining the ranks of Wagner himself with like-for-like comparisons to The X Factor novelty (? sorry) - we still got a feast/surprise (pleasant or otherwise)/shock to the ears when Two Trucks started playing in the Solo Men Auditions. With a genuinely good ear for male vocals proven elsewhere I'd love to see Seven make a triumphant return in Season 2 and skip further into the competition, but sadly this time Lemon Demon left a sour citrus taste for most. He fell in last place at the Auditions and eleventh place in the battle for Golden Wagner coins with Cabinet Man meaning that, alongside YVA, only two songs from what I know now is a fruitful discography were showcased here.

Lemon Demon in The Pop Factor: Season 1

The Solo Men Auditions: 08 Two Trucks (83 points)

The Power of The Golden Wagner: 11 Cabinet Man (3 coins awarded)

21=

Tom Aspaul

@Lukuzz

Coming into the first season of the competition not knowing what to expect could have worked so brilliantly for Lukuzz with such an inspired choice of solo male artist, but sadly it wasn't meant to be with competition from some more well-known names in the BuzzJack circuit. Regardless, Tom Aspaul made it through the Auditions by the skin of his teeth with Kiss It, but ended up dropping out of the competition at Boot Camp with Cabin Fever. All hope wasn't lost though, and although Tom didn't win the power of The Golden Wagner, solace should be taken in being awarded a coin there and continuing the trend of sending great discoveries to the competition; going out on a high with W.M. (and for 38 years of age, he's damn fine too)

Tom Aspaul in The Pop Factor: Season 1

The Solo Men Auditions: 07 Kiss It (96 points)

Boot Camp: 20 Cabin Fever (172 points)

The Power of The Golden Wagner: 13= W.M. (1 coin awarded)

21=

ENHYPEN

@AllStarBySmashMouth

Personal opinion incoming but if there's one person who truly embodied the spirit of the contest (no shade whatsoever to anybody else, everybody has been amazing!) in sending an artist that would be a discovery to almost everybody, a really unique and left-field choice in a lane of their own versus the other artists, and with solid pop bops to back it up, it was AllStarBySmashMouth. ENHYPEN finished at the bottom end of the leaderboard in each round they appeared, but we were served three bops and sadly on all three occasions the taste was lacking on the receiving end. Gushing aside for the Mr Congenialities, Brought the Heat Back brought the heat to the Auditions and ENHYPEN managed to make it to Boot Camp with YVA faltering at the first hurdle. Drunk-Dazed didn't quite hit it off with the voting public, however, and it saw them exit the competition, coming back with Paranormal to try and win the power of The Golden Wagner. Alas, it was not meant to be.

ENHYPEN in The Pop Factor: Season 1

The Groups Auditions: 07 Brought the Heat Back (95 points)

Boot Camp: 21 Drunk-Dazed (145 points)

The Power of The Golden Wagner: 13= Paranormal (1 coin awarded)

My poor sweet Tom, possibly seeing him live for the first time next week at Nottingham Pride, can’t wait 😂❤️

I've slowly but surely been getting into more K-pop, and I'm enjoying ENHYPEN! I knew Brought the Heat Back before the competition (Ava Max feature version). Lots of bops!

I hadn't given Tom Aspaul a listen before this, despite seeing his name years beforehand, but I liked what was sent (as well as some tracks that have come up on autoplay for me since then), so he's a nice discovery!

Lemon Demon is certainly one of the most memorable contestants in this contest and I appreciated Cabinet Man!

Yva songs are cute, I particularly bopped to Grožio Fabrikas. I love that you can just tell by looking at them that they were around in the mid 2000s x

18=

WALK THE MOON

@Herbs

Herbs gave us a taste of what WALK THE MOON's discography has to offer beyond what will, to most, likely be iconic hit Shut Up and Dance followed by white noise. But after kicking the competition off with Jenny at the Auditions, Herbs proved there's more to the band than first meets the eye. Sadly Herbs had resigned himself to not having a chance in hell of returning to the competition with the power of The Golden Wagner so opted to send personal favourite Iscariot following the group's elimination with Tightrope at Hamilton Lodge, but each song brought something great to the competition, and for the most part WALK THE MOON definitely weren't walking the tightrope close to elimination until the end of their short but sweet run. Hopefully you come back and join us for Season 2 and are proud of what you sent to the competition!

WALK THE MOON in The Pop Factor: Season 1

The Groups Auditions: 05 Jenny (121 points)

Boot Camp: 14 Shut Up and Dance (250 points)

Judges' Houses at Hamilton Lodge: 06 Tightrope (65 points)

The Power of The Golden Wagner: 12 Iscariot (2 coins awarded)

18=

Rina Sawayama

@Mangø

Rina Sawayama giving us possibly the most unexpected turn of events in the season? Mango was on a winning streak with the BuzzJack favourite, scoring high at the Auditions with This Hell and then at Boot Camp with Hold the Girl. But then Gag City, quite aptly, had most of the voting public gagged with the choice of Send My Love to John. Regardless of whether it was a good or bad competitive choice, it's good to see people taking risks and the opportunity to send songs that they personally love at the same time. It seemed Rina could potentially claw her way back into the competition with the power of The Golden Wagner, but sadly the collaboration with Charli xcx - Beg For You - proved another risky choice and we said goodbye to, at the time, the second solo female. However, given Louise re-entered the competition as the eventual joint winner of The Golden Wagner, Rina ends up as the lowest-placed solo female overall.

Rina Sawayama in The Pop Factor: Season 1

The Solo Women Auditions: 04 This Hell (121 points)

Boot Camp: 05 Hold the Girl (353 points)

Judges' Houses at Gag City: 07 Send My Love to John (75 points)

The Power of The Golden Wagner: 06 Beg For You (Charli xcx feat. Rina Sawayama) [9 coins awarded]

18=

Bob Dylan

@Dj Cheeky magpie

I don't think anybody would've anticipated seeing 83 year old Bob Dylan appear in the first season of The Pop Factor when the registration thread went live, but alas we got to hear some pop music from way back when courtesy of Dj cheeky magpie, bumping up the average age of artists by quite a bit but providing the variety that made this first season as stand-out as it has been too! Sadly (and despite charting some music!) following Bob Dylan's departure from the competition and not receiving the power of The Golden Wagner, fellow artist Louise became the victim of a smear campaign led by the man himself, not the vibe or sense community spirit we've been encouraging or achieving for the entirety of the competition. Despite coming within touching distance of the power of The Golden Wagner, Bob didn't bother the top end of the scoreboard in first three rounds before being eliminated with Positively 4th Street.

Bob Dylan in The Pop Factor: Season 1

The Solo Men Auditions: 06 Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (100 points)

Boot Camp: 16 The Times They Are A-Changin' (243 points)

Judges' Houses at Humboldt: 06 Positively 4th Street (74 points)

The Power of The Golden Wagner: 05 Like a Rolling Stone (10 coins awarded)

I don't believe I'd heard anything beyond Shut Up and Dance before this, so it was interesting to hear more from Walk the Moon and I liked Jenny the most! Shut Up and Dance is obviously ubiquitous but I still enjoy it when I hear it actually. I think it helps that most of my listening is by choice, not via the radio, so the fact it was overplayed didn't really impact on me much when it was a hit.

Rina 💔 I actually do really like Send My Love to John, the message of it is so touching. Hold the Girl was one of my favourite albums of 2022, but I noticed that it was a divisive album amongst her fans. Perhaps a song or two from Sawayama would have seen her last longer in the contest, but yaas for the Hold the Girl album stanning anyway!