It’s easy to take a pop at a ‘distant’ celeb, not so easy once you’ve met them/spoken to them and realised they’re just a person like yourself, trying to make a living and do what they do the best they can.

If Steve hadn’t been alerted to this by a friend- it would have been another bashing that people would read and no doubt think ‘no smoke without fire’ and there you have it- the harm is done.

You both owe him an apology IMO, and it would be nice to do it on here for all to see.

to clear the Sharon ’stay out the pub’ comment. the audition lasted 10-15 minutes of which you see 1 minute. I was making the comment to excuse the fact that as a 35 year old i looked haggard due to years of late nights, coffee and drinking (socially).

No tv footage exists Maureen, it’s all in your head. Apology accepted! As for artists singing their own material. I requested I sang ‘original’ material. No artists have a long career just singing covers. Many have and continue to get signed singing original AND their own material. Some are even developed where the label takes a loss in the short term. In my situation, I had delivered Simon, 6 million public phone votes (that is final night alone) was in with record sales profit (just), I had a number one album while Simon was only 50% into his promise and commitment of a £1 million deal. Can you name 1 artist dropped after number one single and 12 weeks after a number one album? Not even a second single.

As for ‘giving up your day job’. Every single musician I know is professional and a full time musician and music is their day job. the people you are talking about are SEMI-professional. Which means they play at night and have a day job.

My final point on your continuing rambles is on this comment

“The majority of them even the tabloids do report their views of the truth and they also publish photographs courtesy of the paparazzi to back up any commentary raised.’

Reporting views of the truth is opinion not my idea of a newspaper and in my experience which is a little more than yours, to the tabloids truth doesn’t matter as much as headlines and propaganda. Many paparazzi shots are set up by PR companies. Many celebs being caught shopping or on holiday are tip offs or entirely manufactured.

I appreciate your interest in music.

http://forum.unrealitytv.co.uk/index.php?topic=8016.0

1. Steve was offered a 2nd album and to come back on the next X Factor to promote it. HE turned it down as it was going to be all covers again. His album and single both got to number 1 (against some top class acts in the charts at the same time if you look into it) and Heart & Soul went on to sell 250,000 copies.

2. Steve won a million pound recording deal. They didn’t even spend half that. You only have to compare the marketing and promotion done for each subsequent X Factor winner to see how each artist got better and better treatment. Steve had the misfortune to be the 1st ever winner- had he won the 2nd or 3rd year for example, and benefitted from the same promotion Shayne and Leona got, how different things might have been.

3. You must be the only person on the planet who thinks tabloids print the truth! Their ‘version’ of the truth was nearer the mark, but still a way off it. Steve had one tabloid blatantly lie about attendances at one of his gigs because it made the negtive angle on the story sound more believable. Angry fans who were there complained to the paper and one actually got a reply from the writer of the article himself admitting he’d enjoyed Steve’s performance but had been given strict instructions regarding the angle to go from before he’d even got there, never mind written a word! I think Steve was successful in getting a retraction printed in that paper.

4. You’re on dangerous ground Maureen- those auditions are there for all to see on youtube and no way was Steve ‘under the influence’! You have watered down your original words already- and if you go back and have a look now, may want to retract the drunk/sober references altogether.

5. Steve already had experience of the industry and had been signed up to EMI as a writer before winning X Factor. He wasn’t some wet behind the ears,starry eyed, do as I’m told, young’un which was half the problem. He had experience, had already had some success in the industry, had a brain and a voice. Mr Cowell isn’t used to people saying ‘no’ is he- as is blatantly obvious by some of the tosh his artists are asked to do and asked to perform!

So Maureen, it seems you have a lot to say about an artist you obviously know very little about- sadly, a very common problem amongst many ‘journalists’ today!

Maureen says: Referring to someone picking up on my comment about performing under the influence, tv footage exists of those early x factor auditions during which Steve knowingly attended auditions under the influence and I do seem to remember the direction from Simon being that he needed to come back, when he felt more up to it

Totally inaccurate I am afraid.

What actually was shown was Steve auditioning having been gigging the night before and waiting for his turn in the audition room. He looked and no doubt felt shattered and was told to go home and have a sleep and come back the following day.

He wasn’t drunk, didn’t appear drunk, just tired – and if that is what you were basing your scurrulous remarks on, I think you will have to admit you were wrong.

I don’t think you know how long Steve had been working in the music industry prior to his XF experience and as it was the first series I doubt anyone entering the show would have really known what to expect, whereas anyone entering now would have to have been in outer space not to expect being treated as a piece of money-earning meat for Mr Cowell, signing a restrictive contract and being abandoned shortly before the following years’ cannon-fodder appear.

It was an unknown factor for that first series.

It is easy enough to pick one artist, slag them off, make unfounded comments and think no more, when others will pick up on that as being substantiated fact.

I appreciate your comments regarding the instability of a career in the music business and am sure Steve is aware of all you say.