[Red Moon]

X Factor: success does not mean automatic fame and fortune

The X Factor reaches its climax tonight but the experience of last year's winner provides a warning that success on the show does not equate to fame and fortune.

Leon Jackson, who was crowned X Factor champion in 2007, is facing a bleak future after his debut album flopped.

The record, Right Now, was released in October but has sold just 85,000 copies to date. By comparison, the latest Oasis album, released in the same month, sold 200,000 copies in its first week alone. The music industry is awash with rumours that Jackson is about to be dropped by his record label.

Tonight either Alexandra Burke, teenager Eoghan Quigg or boyband JLS will win the public vote and release a single, Hallelujah, which is all but guaranteed to top the Christmas chart. After that, however, they face an uphill battle to retain the public's affection.

Paul Williams, editor of Music Week, explained: "Just because someone wins one of these talent shows, it isn't automatically the case that they are going to be huge stars. Whoever wins will almost certainly be the Christmas number one and will make a big impact immediately, but the difficulty is sustaining that popularity.

"Leona Lewis is a global success - the American record company invested heavily in her, she recorded with the legendary producer Clive Davis, and that approach clearly paid off. But things haven't worked out the same way for Leon. His first single did well but the album hasn't caught on and it will be hard for him to survive now because the spotlight is moving on to the next winner."

While Lewis, the 2006 winner, has sold over two million albums in the UK alone, the careers of her predecessors Steve Brookstein and Shayne Ward are a distant memory. Brookstein's gigs this year have included a Mother's Day event in Great Yarmouth. Ward, according to his management, remains popular in South Korea.

Alexandra is favourite to win the ITV talent show but industry experts believe Eoghan, the 16-year-old schoolboy who has spent as much time sobbing as singing during the series, could win thanks to a combination of the "cute factor" and the regional vote from viewers in his native Northern Ireland.

However, the "£1 million record deal" afforded to the winner is not all it seems. Leaked documents have disclosed that the artist receives an advance of only £150,000, with the rest eaten up by recording, advertising and marketing costs.

Source: Daily Telegraph

[KKBL]

i actualy feel sorry for Leon

[Indierock&roll]

i do .. hopefully if he does a next album.. he could do like a really good song to get him noticed again... i just dont think people care about the people from x factor after they have won only if they are really good i.e leona! i think shes going to be the only successful winner

[podge2007]

Although I wanted Rhydian to win, i feel sorry for Leon. There seems to be a curse on talent shows that after a really successful winner the next winner is usually a flop:

Will Young followed by Michelle McManus
Kelly Clarkson followed by Reuben Studderd
Carrie Underwood followed by Taylor Hicks
Leona Lewis followed by Leon Jackson