JLS - X Factor 2008

JLS singer JB has insisted that contestants don’t need to have a “sob story” to succeed on ITV’s X Factor.

“We never had a sob story and still made it to the final.” He told Metro. “If people are asked about their lives, it doesn’t mean they’re the ones promoting their problems.”

“People have different motivations. It’s just part of why they’re doing it.”

JB was also asked if he had feared that mentor Louis Walsh would turn them into a new version of Westlife. He responded:

“No, he knows we’re a different kettle of fish. There are still things you can transfer, not necessarily music style, but in terms of demeanour or the calibre of producers we can work with.”

“People think the judges on The X Factor don’t do much, but Louis got behind us every single week. He told us not to change.”