X Factor: Interview With Andy Williams

Andy Williams was the fourth singer to leave X Factor this year. He was eliminated after singing a version of Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars in a head to head with Beverley Trotman.

We caught up with Andy earlier this evening for a short interview about his evicition, his plans for the future, and who he thinks will win X Factor.

How are you feeling since your exit from X Factor on Saturday?

It’s a bit weird trying to come back down to normal life after X Factor, but each day’s getting a little better. I’m trying to pick myself up now and be a bit positive about things.

You’ll be on the X Factor tour though?

Yeah, I’ll still be on the tour. I’ll be trying to keep my profile up and work as hard as I can to prepare for the tour and to keep my face out there.

Not just your torso?

(Laughs) Not just my torso, no…

So what’s next, have you had any approaches for your post-X Factor career?

There’s been a mixture of different ideas with regard to music, with regard to modelling and makes of clothes and stuff. It’s been a good mixture so far, so I’m feeling more positive than I did on Saturday night.

How did the pressure of the show get to you?

It’s high pressure, it’s tough. I knew when  I sang the first song that I started off key, but I tried to pull it back. I know it wasn’t the greatest of song choices to show my voice off, but you’ve got to work with what you’ve been given.

Watching your audition clips, you came across much better at audition than you did during the live shows.

Yeah, I know. To be honest, I thought I even looked better at the first auditions and obviously I was singing what I wanted. I think I suffered a bit through song choices.

Do you think a lot of contestants have suffered through song choice?

Yeah, definitely. It’s hard to sing a song if your voice isn’t entirely suited to it.

On the sing-off, both you and Beverley really raised your game at the end. Were you fighting to stay in?

Well, to be honest, I was singing the best I could. It was kind of out of frustration and giving it everything, saying goodbye. I kind of knew I was done because of the situation I was in. For one, Beverley was a very good singer and along with that, Dannii Minogue still had three acts left.

The last line of the song was kind of like a goodbye line for me. It was quite heartbreaking really.

If you could have chosen your own songs, what would you have chosen?

I’d have liked to sing George Michael’s I Can’t Make You Love Me at some point. Songs like Bridge Over Troubled Water, just classic ballads to show people that I could sing.

Is that your style of music? Is that what you listen to?

Yeah, ballads. I love Luthor Vandross, Billy Joel, loads of different mixtures really.

As a contestant, how much control do you have over your performance?

You get some. It’s tough, because obviously you’ve got a mentor and you have to do what they think is best for you. You have control, but you always respect the advice of people who’ve been in the industry way longer than you.

Did you have much experience singing before X Factor?

Well, I entered the competition when I was about 19, but I didn’t get anywhere, but then I worked up to it for this season. Apart from that, I’ve only really sang at karaoke a couple of times in my life and that’s it.

I suppose you’ll be in and out of the X Factor studio until the end of the series?

I hope so, although I’ve got gigs lined up now and most of them are on Saturdays and Sundays so it makes it difficult to come down. It’s looking positive now.

Aren’t you restricted in what you can do until a few months after X Factor finishes?

No, that really only applies to recordings. Everything else is fair game. Gigs, personal appearances and modelling work will all be fine. I’m just trying to make the right choices.

I’ll be on the tour too and that’ll give me the opportunity to show people what I’m made of.

What are your predictions for the final?

I’d like to see Team Minogue at the top, you know, Rhydian and Leon. I’ve got a feeling that it could be Rhydian, Leon and Same Difference in the final three. Hope might be as well.

I mean Niki and Beverley are amazing singers, but I don’t know if they’ll make the final. I think the others have the X Factor, and the support from home. Rhydian will have all of Wales and Leon will have all of Scotland voting.

Rhydian’s got a good chance of winning it.

Were you surprised by Same Difference? I mean, when they went in, we all assumed they were a novelty act, but they’re coming back stronger each week.

They’re good singers. They’ve definitely got something, I mean the likeability factor, they entertain so well. I think more than anyone they’ve got a good market for their music. They’re the most individual.

[We had a brief discussion about Niki going on tour with Sonia back in the 90's, but to my dismay, Andy doesn't know who Sonia is. Don't worry folks I gave him a full history of Sonia, from Bread to Re-Born In The USA. Kids today...]

What about Rhydian? What’s he like in real life?

Nice guy, really. I can’t say much about him. He’s a lot shyer when you first meet him, but you can tell when he speaks in the show that he’s a really decent bloke, he’s a gentleman.

I know at the start he thought he was being edited unfairly.

Yeah, it didn’t go well for him, did it? We all knew though that he was going to shine through eventually no matter what they did. You warm to him very quickly.

Final question: If you had to do it all again, what would you do differently?

I suppose be more careful with song choices and just go for it more and have more of a drive.

Alright Andy, thanks for taking the time out to talk to us at Unreality TV, and best of luck for the future.

Thanks mate.

[We're not sure whether Andy will inherit his X Factor MySpace page or if updates will be done through his original page. However, we will keep you posted on ways to keep up with Andy's career if you're a fan.]

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