Features I think are fine, if they are the main artist on the song. And makes the Y and Y exit all the harder. In fact the groups 6CC took away my favourite act there and the most interesting one in the category. What’s left kinda feels samey and very…. 80s heavy.

I still feel Calvin and DJs/ music producers in general are such a big grey area. I think Calvin has done well with some of his own songs. I think it could just feel like a massive cheat, knowing what could potentially still be used in the ‘male’ category.

Edited 19 hours ago19 hr by ElectroBoy

Yeah I can see the argument a bit more for that in terms of the first rounds where it’s supposed to be male - but ultimately Calvin is still the main artist, I think it’s just a clever pick.

3 minutes ago, dandy* said:

Yeah I can see the argument a bit more for that in terms of the first rounds where it’s supposed to be male - but ultimately Calvin is still the main artist, I think it’s just a clever pick.

Ha yeah - David Guetta coming for Series 4.

5 minutes ago, ElectroBoy said:

Ha yeah - David Guetta coming for Series 4.

I alluded to it previously, but I did try to enter Guetta for this season (he was my third choice). But after seeing the backlash early on in the thread, I'm glad I didn't get him, and I do kinda agree that it feels a bit cheaty to use him. At least Calvin has songs which he sings on, which can't be said for Guetta. Still a bit of a grey area of course though.

Loved reading all that chaos. Made my morning!

14 minutes ago, Mangø said:

I alluded to it previously, but I did try to enter Guetta for this season (he was my third choice). But after seeing the backlash early on in the thread, I'm glad I didn't get him, and I do kinda agree that it feels a bit cheaty to use him. At least Calvin has songs which he sings on, which can't be said for Guetta. Still a bit of a grey area of course though.

I suppose the other big-ish one would be Mark Ronson… oh and Jax Jones

I don’t see an issue with the collabs at all so long as the singer is the main singer (or one of if its a duet).

I do think if We found love was (or is) entered during the category rounds it would have (or will) really stretched the boundaries and I’ll find it hard to rank that solely based on the song in that it’s essentially a female artist in the Male category. I found that with the Tinashe entry but then I really didn’t like the song anyway so it was always going to be towards the bottom of my list.

Whether I will feel the same if it is entered during the live rounds where it’s not categories I’m not sure really, feels a bit more like free game then.

Calvin otherwise has played it really well, great song choices and him actually singing. Tinashe aside, I’ve really enjoyed and respected their mentor’s choices.

I think Years & Years getting booted out for being a feature while other acts got a pass felt a bit awkward, but then that is likely just one of the reasons for booting them out. Would be so interesting to read the other judges thoughts, I found @Iz様 🌟’s fascinating to read. It really shows how much pressure it actually is to make the decision, I don’t envy them it, I would have really struggled.

At the end of the day, it’s just a fun game on a forum and I think we all get a bit too over invested, as long as the host is happy with what’s submitted then quite frankly my opinion matters, none at all. 🙈🤭

The collaborations I mainly disagree with and think shouldn’t be allowed are ones where the vocalist has an Artist Forum. So that’d disqualify One Kiss, This Is What You Came For and We Found Love for Calvin as they feature Dua Lipa and Rihanna. There may be some others as well.

*It’d also mean Years & Years couldn’t use their Kylie Minogue collaboration if they got back on via the Gamu round.

To me that seems fair as it was one of the guidelines of the Pop Factor.

Edited 18 hours ago18 hr by Paddington James

11 minutes ago, Spiceboy said:

Would be so interesting to read the other judges thoughts, I found @Iz様 🌟’s fascinating to read. It really shows how much pressure it actually is to make the decision, I don’t envy them it, I would have really struggled.

Jaz did say something - middle of page 20.

Yeah, Jaz and Rogue both added some great commentaries that I hope they don't mind me sharing (both had busy weeks and Rogue wasn't available last night to follow along live):

1. Depeche Mode - one of the all time great synth bands with one of their best songs. Everything Counts is just the right combination of melody and moodiness. Loads of potential for great entries in the later contest, so they’re definitely in!

2. Bananarama - Robert De Niro’s Waiting is my favourite ‘Rama single so well done whoever chose that for this round. The girls are also providing some of the much needed pop leaning vibes to the groups, and they have lots of good stuff still available, they deserve a slot!

3. Fontaines D.C. - Talking of providing variety, the Fontaines are bringing the heavier indie/alt sounds, and are the most recently formed of the groups. And, just this week released their very best song so far, the absolutely gorgeous Where Is Gone? as a duet with wonderful ROSALÍA! I’m a sucker for a great male/female duet and a 60s influenced ballad so it’s a win-win situation. Fantastic timing by their mentor, when they might have been in danger here!

4. Texas - I can’t deny on looking at the votes in the rounds so far that they have been quite dominant, placing two 1st places, a 2nd and a joint 3rd. I have to take that into account, and so it would be unfair for me to eliminate them here. That’s not to say I don’t love them and also the songs submitted.  Inner Smile is definitely one of their best, such a catchy melody, it’s been lodged in my brain this week. They still have my absolute favourite to come too, so I’m giving them more time to submit it…. 👀

5. New Order - Okay this was a no brainer! Bizarre Love Triangle is not only my favourite New Order single, but it’s one of my favourite songs by anyone. Catchy, driving rhythm, beautiful synths and bass, a bit dark, and you can dance to it! What’s not to like? Also I think they’re the group with the most left to give, their mentor has done fantastically well to get here without dipping into many of the really big hits, so on they go!

And the sixth and final act going through are……….

6. Sade - Last but not least, Sade have been perhaps the most consistent of the groups so far. Smooth Operator is their ‘calling card’, such a lovely laid back vibe with the gorgeous sax and silky vocals all fitting the theme of the song. Again providing something different to the group category and with  plenty more goodies to offer, the final place is theirs!

So that means the two acts who are unfortunately eliminated are-

Years & Years - Sunlight is a fantastic song, a real banger, I’ve always loved it and Years & Years too. I’m just afraid the level of competition elsewhere was so high, and maybe the fact they were a ‘feature’ on a The Magician song slightly works against it? Sad to see them go though!

iamamiwhoami - I have to admit this has been the revelation of the whole competition for me. I had heard very little from iamamiwhoami previously, but I’ve liked everything that has been submitted, and blue blue is the best of the lot. Brilliant moody dark synth magic. However I think I was concerned about the potential of their songs available for the rest of the contest, and also there were other synth based groups I have put through, and wanted to keep some variety in the category. So sorry!

Calvin Harris - Acceptable in the 80s - Nice to see you showcasing all your talents, this is an undeniable banger. Take a chair!

Damien Rice - The Blower’s Daughter - While it's undeniable you are a talented songwriter, unfortunately I found this performance less entertaining than the others. You haven't secured a chair this time.

Darin - Nobody Knows - The most underrated performer in this category. A well produced pop song of it's time. Take a chair!

Gary Numan - Are ‘Friends’ Electric? - You can't deny iconic. Still sounds like the future even though it's 47 years old. Take a chair!

HRVY & Matoma - Good Vibes - I think you should be very proud of how far you've come in this competition. Unfortunately the vocals just aren't for me. You haven't secured a chair this time.

Sam Fender - Hypersonic Missiles - I'm getting to the part of the competition where the Sam Fender songs are starting to sound the same. Thankfully, this is one of your better ones. Take a chair!

Sam Smith - How Do You Sleep? - My favourite Sam Smith song I wish they would do more of this sound. Best performance of this round. Take a chair!

Tom Grennan - All These Nights - Another Grennan banger. I actually get tortured by this song at my job but I still quite like it. Take a chair!

ELIMINATED: Damien Rice and HRVY

23 minutes ago, Julian_ said:

Jaz did say something - middle of page 20.

15 minutes ago, Calum said:

Yeah, Jaz and Rogue both added some great commentaries that I hope they don't mind me sharing (both had busy weeks and Rogue wasn't available last night to follow along live):

Oh I totally missed these, will check them out shortly, really interested to read their thoughts too.

1 hour ago, pavi said:

Rip to all the eliminated acts ☠️ and may the best non-ESL queen win the Gaga🐄 thingy.

Guess all weight will have to be thrown behind Darin to get over this now x

Pop Factor: British Royale

13 minutes ago, RobBot said:

Guess all weight will have to be thrown behind Darin to get over this now x

Na Marina!

Also, Basmati got further than my first choice act (which someone else got…)

So if I was Uncle Ben that’s a victory in itself right?! (On the assumption that neither will win the Gamu round)

FYI i will be salty until further notice. Although I’ve been on this forum for 20 years so y’all probably knew this would happen x

1 minute ago, Herbs said:

Na Marina!

Also, Basmati got further than my first choice act (which someone else got…)

So if I was Uncle Ben that’s a victory in itself right?! (On the assumption that neither will win the Gamu round)

Dido?

Who I was incidentally looking for images of and found random images of her looking more like Heidi Range and Avril Lavigne.

2 hours ago, dandy* said:

Choosing your quote here Rollo but it applies to others who have made similar statements as I’m not sure I understand the logic behind this at all. It’s like inventing a reason that isn’t part of the rules and then suggesting it’s unfair?

Why is it not okay for someone to feature with a song that they collaborated on with a known artist and share credits, but then people would be fine with songs where the artist is the only named person but still collaborated with producers and writers, just less famous ones who don’t get a credit?

I think all of the features/collabs included so far have been entirely within the spirit of the contest so far with the act being the only notable singer - exception of Bladee of course! - and also all being part of the original recording and release. Same principle for Tubeway Army being fine for Gary Numan as well. I’d understand the logic a bit more it if it was something like Save Your Tears for Ariana Grande where people dial in a verse for a re-release single, but these collabs have been ones that have been main parts of the acts’ catalogues.

Sorry, it was just me being a grumpy old man when I like music from a time when almost every artist was talented enough to create music on their own without having to constantly seek help from other acts because they are lacking in inspiration. If you take the Robyn song, for example, and we were all able to vote, do we base our score just on her vocal or do we base it on the music as well which is from Royksopp who are a group who are not in the contest, I'm always a bit uncertain what to do when I'm voting. The same would have applied to Clean Bandit and Zara. The songs from the eliminated acts, Agnes and Leona, were solo songs in the solo female category recorded with the musicians that they had backing them at the time so I just feel they were more in the spirit of the contest. That's just my opinion anyway, no need to change the rules just for me.

14 minutes ago, gooddelta said:

Dido?

Who I was incidentally looking for images of and found random images of her looking more like Heidi Range and Avril Lavigne.

You would think as I have seen Damien, Dido and Marina live!

I didn’t plan to respond basically because I don’t have to, it was all meant to be a personal choice, but I just felt in the right mood to do so, after reading some of the comments here.

Right, so I’ll say it yet again just for clarity, the mention of ‘features’ was a very minor factor in choosing not to forward Years & Years, the reason was the level of competition was just too high for a song and artist I really love.

As for anyone suggesting accusations of my perceived prejudice based on language (non ESL), nationality, diversity or any other issue, I will say you know nothing about me. To judge me on the basis of a musical preference, in a so called ‘fun’ music contest, on a music forum is not acceptable. I used the word variety (meaning musical variety only), not diversity, to describe why I didn’t choose too many dark synth groups to go through. New Order and Depeche Mode are two of my favourite bands, and both put forward my favourite songs so, since I was meant to be judging, I put those two through. And yes I did vote iamamiwhoami last in the round before, but did anyone bother to check how I voted in the other 3 rounds? I’ll help you out, it was 9th 5th and 6th, so half the time they would have been in the top six for me. But why let facts get in the way of OTT statements?

Also iamamiwhoami has been the revelation of the whole competition for me. I had heard very little from them previously, but I’ve liked everything that has been submitted, and blue blue was the best of the lot.

And even despite my own personal preferences to the contrary, I still chose to put through some acts for what I, obviously wrongly, felt was for the good of the contest. For example Texas have been very dominant in the voting so far so I gave them a place. Contrary to opinion, if anyone is interested, I did spend a lot of time analysing your voting so far before choosing.

In the interest of fairness I also strongly considered each artists back catalogue to try to guess what impact they would have on the rest of the contest.

I’ll go on.

Bananarama aren’t my favourites but in being the most pop act remaining (based on many other’s ideas of what ‘pop’ means, not mine, I hate putting acts into genre boxes) and with their best song too, I thought they deserved a place to keep some of that vibe in the contest.

Sade purely personally wouldn’t have been my choice but they are the most distinctive of the acts here so I gave them a place.

Fontaines D.C. are the one with the heavier indie/alt sounds (again more variety), and are actually the most recently formed of the groups (so the so called 80s bias is also rubbished even if you think the age of the song/artist matters at all as to whether it is good, which it doesn’t). Just this week they released the best song of the year so far (of course again just my opinion), which was fantastic timing by their mentor, when they might have been in danger. Again the feature didn’t matter here either.

And after all is there any combination of six groups that everyone would be happy with?

I think that covers all the acts, and I know it won’t change anyone’s opinion, but I’ve got it off my chest so that’s something.

On a positive note, I have to say the other judges and especially Calum (thanks also for deflecting some of the flak) did a fantastic job last night, great work all!!!

I think it’s incredibly hard and I’m really glad I wasn’t in the judges’ position.

For example I don’t get very much from “All I Ask” or “How Do You Sleep?” and both Adele and Sam Smith would have been in my personal bottom 2 this round (with HRVY and Leona respectively). But surely I have to take into account past performance and overall forum taste in that situation? Or maybe not because you’re supposed to be voting on your feelings about this song only and not second guessing anything else? It’s a lose-lose situation really.