Calum

Conan flop :okay:

11= Enrique Iglesias @Tafty Poor Jonjo - by his own admission - muddled up the song choices for Enrique Iglesias, who didn't falter outside the top 10 in any of the rounds until his untimely elimination at the Battleground. Starting the competition with a bang, Bailamos earned Enrique the top spot among the solo males at the Auditions, while two other top 10 positions were achieved in the larger mixed group with both Heartbeat (gorgeous Nicole Scherzinger collaboration) and Takin' Back My Love (Ciara collaboration). Ultimately though, Rhythm Divine couldn't quite see Enrique claw back into the competition to join the Live Shows. Despite the frustration, Jonjo should be proud of what he brought to the table here. Some throwbacks and excellent pop all round, even managing to escape Judges' Houses unscathed among the slander aimed at Tonight (I'm f***in' You). Enrique Iglesias in The Pop Factor: Season 1 The Solo Men Auditions: 01 Bailamos (161 points) Boot Camp: 09 Heartbeat (feat. Nicole Scherzinger) [307 points] Judges' Houses at Humboldt: 05 Tonight (I'm f***in' You) [feat. Ludacris & DJ Frank E] (76 points) Battleground: 08 Takin' Back My Love (feat. Ciara) [268 points] The Power of The Golden Wagner: 07= Rhythm Divine (7 coins awarded) 11= Elton John @Spiceboy It's a shock of sorts to remind ourselves that Spiceboy was behind Elton John in this first season of The Pop Factor given the smut that has ensued. Unless of course we are to assume that Sir Elton John himself is also on Spiceboy's hit-list. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume that had it not been for Battleground, Elton John could have continued on his upward trajectory (or rather, consistent) in the competition considering he came out on top at Judges' Houses with some help from Dua Lipa on the PNAU Remix of Cold Heart. Classic hits I'm Still Standing and Are You Ready For Love? kept him in the top 10 too, but ultimately it wasn't enough to cross the Battleground, or re-enter the competition with the power of The Golden Wagner. Joining Bob Dylan in the ranks of extremely elderly artists participating in the competition, at least we can say we've had the retirees among us in the early days! Elton John in The Pop Factor: Season 1 The Solo Men Auditions: 04 Crocodile Rock (134 points) Boot Camp: 18 Bennie and the Jets (230 points) Judges' Houses at Humboldt: 01 Cold Heart (PNAU Remix) [with Dua Lipa] (117 points) Battleground: 07 I'm Still Standing (281 points) The Power of The Golden Wagner: 04 Are You Ready For Love? (11 coins awarded) 11= Damiano David @Calum Much like Addison Rae (see below), the pool to choose from was slim for Damiano David who has just released his debut solo album away from Måneskin and yours truly took advantage of that to showcase how good it is (don't pay attention to anything said by Bra, however welcome the Mars praise is). Keeping Damiano's recap here brief though, and it's intriguing to note that while he was competing against his male peers only he succeeded in second place twice with Zombie Lady and The First Time, however mixed with the larger group of all artists he fumbled, and it ultimately cost him his place in the competition going up against the pop beast Christina Aguilera in Battleground with his biggest solo song to date, Born With a Broken Heart. Damiano David in The Pop Factor: Season 1 The Solo Men Auditions: 02 Zombie Lady (141 points) Boot Camp: 11 Voices (278 points) Judges' Houses at Humboldt: 02 The First Time (98 points) Battleground: 14 Born With a Broken Heart (204 points) The Power of The Golden Wagner: 09= Mars (6 coins awarded) 11= Addison Rae @Jade Jade certainly took the bull by the horns with the pop woman of the moment and a true star in the making. Having just released her debut album in time for The Pop Factor getting underway, Addison Rae was a dominant force in the competition despite a dip in the Battleground with Times Like These, an unfamiliar song to most. Had it not been for that round, would we be seeing Addison in the final, or would she have eventually run out of steam with the voting BuzzJack public? We'll never know. But one thing's for sure, Jade's choices for the competition were exquisite and very smart. Not only is Addison fast becoming a big pop girl of the future, Jade's love for her was evident here. Now get your headphones on and check out the rest of her eponymous debut. Addison Rae in The Pop Factor: Season 1 The Solo Women Auditions: 05 Aquamarine (120 points) Boot Camp: 04 Headphones On (355 points) Judges' Houses at Gag City: 03 Fame is a Gun (128 points) Battleground: 13 Times Like These (219 points) The Power of The Golden Wagner: 03 Diet Pepsi (12 coins awarded)

11= SASAMI @jimwatts Another inspired choice of artist - and shockingly for BuzzJack in the solo female category of the three - came from Jim this season, and although it felt SASAMI was always going to be on the back foot with so many big, well-known names competing too it was great that Jim had the opportunity to showcase at least a few of her songs before she fell victim to the brutal Battleground like many of her fellow artists. There was definitely an audience for SASAMI here and on BuzzJack more broadly given she's been entered to other song contests. I'll Be Gone was certainly the way things were destined to be when the time came for The Golden Wagner, but we're in love with the memory of SASAMI's time here. SASAMI in The Pop Factor: Season 1 The Solo Women Auditions: 07 Honeycrash (111 points) Boot Camp: 19 Slugger (220 points) Judges' Houses at Gag City: 05 In Love With a Memory (feat. Clairo) [97 points] Battleground: 16 Just Be Friends (166 points) The Power of The Golden Wagner: 13= I'll Be Gone (0 coins awarded) 11= James Blake @Brer Bra found pushing buttons and testing some pop hoe patience all round with James Blake taking part in The Pop Factor's inaugural season (jk x). James Blake looked like he could have been a contender to go quite far for the solo men considering Retrograde finished top three at the Auditions. But with more alternative choices from an alternative artist in a pop contest, it wasn't meant to be. Barefoot in the Park, James' collaboration with ROSALÍA was close to the bottom of the pack at Boot Camp, while The Wilhelm Scream offered a slight reprieve for Bra. Sadly when all was said and done with the Battleground round, the only artist James Blake could have stayed in the competition against with Loading was SASAMI. Bra did however remain hopeful with an aptly titled song to fight for The Golden Wagner - Coming Back featuring SZA! James Blake in The Pop Factor: Season 1 The Solo Men Auditions: 03 Retrograde (137 points) Boot Camp: 17 Barefoot in the Park (feat. ROSALÍA) [233 points] Judges' Houses at Humboldt: 04 The Wilhelm Scream (83 points) Battleground: 15 Loading (182 points) The Power of The Golden Wagner: 09= Coming Back (feat. SZA) [6 coins awarded] 11= Fifth Harmony @Jack Were Fifth Harmony doomed in general, or was it because they were featured in this first season alongside another mega girl group The Saturdays? Could they have gone even further were it not for their UK counterparts? I guess we'll never know until they come back for All Stars 2, 6 and 10! Jack played an excellent game here with the US girl-group, I think. Harking back to the days of The X Factor USA, since then they've released so many pop bops. I think Jack used them all pretty wisely here, and even found the time to showcase a beautiful album track before their untimely elimination. With a single probably lesser-remembered than the likes of Work From Home and Sledgehammer too, it was great to see All In My Head (Flex) finish in a respectable joint seventh battling for The Golden Wagner. Fifth Harmony in The Pop Factor: Season 1 The Groups Auditions: 06 That's My Girl (118 points) Boot Camp: 13 Sledgehammer (257 points) Judges' Houses at Hamilton Lodge: 05 The Life (74 points) Battleground: 10 Work From Home (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) [258 points] The Power of The Golden Wagner: 07= All In My Head (Flex) [feat. Fetty Wap] (7 coins awarded)

I Can Die Now is out. Waited until midnight to listen and I've had this on repeat most of the night. We are so back

Surprised at Saara actually ending up finishing higher than Only the Young after how the results were looking last night well done @Addy!, will you do the double this weekend? 👀 This was a very enjoyable contest, brilliant hosting Julian

Are you not Avril any more?

Have been tuning into this for the first time in about 11/12 seasons gah! Kelley is highkey annoying af wouldn't be sad to see the back of her sooner rather than later. Ashley to chill after that ridiculous shower drama, and Jimmy... bitchy gay level 5000 but the drama is giving at this early stage. Living for Zach acting like he'd just been delivered earth-shattering, devastating news when Zae was evicted. You're hot as f*** Zach but please xx After that first week I'd say something like: Adrian Rachel Mickey Zach Morgan Lauren Amy Rylie Vince Keanu Katherine Ava Will Zae Jimmy Ashley Kelley

Just under 24 hours left to vote for the WINNER of The Pop Factor!! Vote HERE

SHOOK at that result I was gonna catch up on the rest of the season, but honestly from the track record spoiler I saw earlier is there even any point? let's go UK7!

Saara being cheated just like she was by Matt Terry and the UK public

Each week, new releases from the world of pop are selected to go head to head, with one weekly winner. The winners will then go up against future weekly winners later in the year at the end of each quarter and then again at the end of the year to determine the ultimate winner of 2025. Week 28 results: BLACKPINK - JUMP 9 Sugababes - Shook 8 Conan Gray - Vodka Cranberry 2 Justin Bieber - DAISIES 2 Sigrid - Jellyfish 2 GRACEY - Steep 1 Dasha - Oh, Anna! 0 Nieve Ella - Good Grace 0 Total votes: 24 In a close-fought race between BLACKPINK and Sugababes all week, it's the former that comes out on top just one vote ahead. BLACKPINK's new single has fans very excited for what's to come, meanwhile Sugababes' original line-up continue to impress. Week 29: Choose one song that is your favourite from the selection of new releases this week. Feel free to post a rate of the songs in the thread. Here are this week's contenders: Alessi Rose - Everything Anything Alex Warren - Eternity AURORA - You Can’t Run From Yourself Ella Eyre - space Jonas Brothers - I Can’t Lose King Princess - Cry Cry Cry Lauv - Combust Mae Muller - Hello Kitty Robbie Williams - Spies Ruel - I Can Die Now Zach Bryan feat. Gabriella Rose - Madeline Results of this week's poll will be revealed in next week's thread. The poll will remain open until 04:59 on Friday! Pop Track of the Week 2025: Winners Week 1: Celeste – Everyday Week 2: JADE – IT girl Week 3: Kylie Minogue x YouNotUs – Someone For Me Week 4: Tate McRae – Sports car Week 5: Tom Grennan – Shadowboxing Week 6: Lady Gaga – Abracadabra Week 7: Sabrina Carpenter – Busy Woman Week 8: Tate McRae – Revolving Door Week 9: Benson Boone – Sorry I'm Here For Someone Else Week 10: Remember Monday – What The Hell Just Happened? Week 11: JADE – FUFN (F**k You For Now) Week 12: Jonas Brothers – Love Me To Heaven Week 13: Ariana Grande – twilight zone Week 14: Ed Sheeran – Azizam Week 15: MARINA – CUNTISSIMO Week 16: Addison Rae – Headphones On Week 17: Zara Larsson – Pretty Ugly Week 18: MØ – Lose Yourself Week 19: PinkPantheress – Illegal Week 20: Jessie J – Living My Best Life Week 21: Reneé Rapp – Leave Me Alone Week 22: Addison Rae – Fame Is A Gun Week 23: Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild Week 24: Zara Larsson – Midnight Sun Week 25: JADE - Plastic Box Week 26: Lewis Capaldi - Survive Week 27: Agnes - MILK Week 28: BLACKPINK - JUMP

Ladies, some decorum please or you'll be bodily flung from the arena

oh the ad break is 24 hours of Jet 2 promo then huh

I was convinced Jonjo was behind Only the Young lmao, WD Mango an all out bop!

ONLY THE YOUNG!!!!!!

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)

Oooh interesting. I'd have put money on Bra being Cher Lloyd lol x

move aside Agnes

Points for Only the Young right from the start SLAY

Excited!!

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)

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)

Looking forward to the results ONLY THE YOUNG better not be did dirty

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