X Factor UK vs American Idol
Amateur competitions are not new but do they matter for indie artists? Let's find out.

One of the most effective ways to boost your visibility and gain a larger audience is by taking part in competitions. Huge contests that air on national TV expose you to an audience bigger than most people boast. Millions of people watch these competitions in different countries, and you have the opportunity to convert them into fans. One common objection most upcoming artists have is that they don’t believe they can win the competition. Two things are wrong with that.

Firstly, why the hell can’t you win? If you don’t believe you can win, what’s stopping you from giving up on your music career completely? If you don’t think you’re worthy enough to sing in front of millions, you probably shouldn’t be making music. So you need to get your mentality right. You absolutely can win.

Secondly, you don’t have to win to win over fans. One of my biggest artist inspirations is Lindsey Stirling. She crashed out of America’s Got Talent but endeared herself to the public before doing so. She then capitalized on that initial hype and has gone on to earn over a billion views on YouTube.

So you absolutely can win, and even if you don’t win, there’s a huge upside to participating in competitions. The next struggle is picking which competition to enter. Two things you should consider when deciding are the format of the competition and how successful past contestants have been. So does the format allow you to showcase your talent? Does the competition give you a good enough platform to launch from?

Those are the two questions we’ll be trying to answer as we consider two big competitions and compare which one is better for you. In this article, it’s X Factor vs American Idol. We’ll look at the format and track record of each competition and come out with a winner.

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X Factor UK

Let’s start with X Factor. Founded in 2004 by Simon Cowell, it aired fifteen seasons before coming to an end in 2018. It featured contestants of all ages from all over the UK coming to test their skills against each other for the chance to win a record deal with Simon Cowell’s label, Syco Music. This is how it worked.

Format

There were four stages in the competition. The first one was the auditions stage, which is further divided into three rounds. The first two rounds involve auditions in front of the staff. The first one is open to everyone but the second round is only for contestants who scale past the third. Once past the first two rounds, the contestants must do one final round of auditions, this time in front of the judges.

Once past the auditions stage, the contestants move to the boot camp stage where the judges will select some to continue into the third stage called the “judges' houses� where they will enjoy some training and mentorship from the judges. Once that’s over, the qualified contestants will move into the live rounds where their fate from then will be decided by the public’s votes.

Past winners

As for past winners of the show, there have been some special ones. One Direction once lit up the pop music world with their music. Funnily, they didn’t even win the show when they contested but they’re worth a whopping $150 million today. Another big band that was born on the show is Little Mix, the first-ever winner of the X Factor.

Alexandra Burke is another big name, winning the show in the fifth season. The group she beat to the title has also done well for themselves. JLS is worth over $424 million now. Leona Lewis is one of the biggest names to have won the show as well, and you’ve probably heard of Olly Murs who’s now a coach on The Voice UK.

There’s no denying that X Factor is one of the most impactful singing competitions to have ever existed.

American Idol

Across the Atlantic, American Idol is another huge competition. Founded in 2002 by Simon Fuller (these Simons, eh?). Inspired by the success of Pop Idol in the UK, the show ran for fifteen seasons before stopping in 2016. Fortunately for music fans all over the world, the show returned in 2018 and is contracted to run until 2025. So how does it work?

Format

Like X Factor, American Idol has four stages. The auditions are the first obstacle contestants must get past. The auditions start online with a Zoom meeting and if you get past that, you get to audition in front of the judges. The next stage is called Hollywood Week, which features several elimination rounds in different cities.

If you get past that, the semi-finals await you. From that point on, your fate will be decided by the public through votes. The Finals is the last round of the competition where contestants can get trimmed before the season finale.

Past winners

Like X Factor, American Idol stars a stellar list of past contestants. Kelly Clarkson is one of the biggest stars to have won the show and she’s now a judge on The Voice USA. Jennifer Hudson, one of the most powerful voices I know, is also a past contestant. Carrie Underwood is another American Idol alumnus who has gone on to greater heights since her stint on the show.

You’ve also probably heard of Jordin Sparks, Adam Lambert, and Katherine McPhee. In the face of a stellar lineup from X Factor, American Idol more than lives up to the challenge.

The Verdict

There’s hardly anything to separate these two competitions, with each one dominating on its side of the Atlantic. Both competitions are strictly for musicians and they feature several rounds that test your ability. More importantly, they both feature extensive live rounds that allow you to measure what kind of impact you’re having on the audience.

I can’t pick a winner based on format and track record, but being that X Factor is now defunct, we’ll give the winner’s medal to American Idol.

Don’t forget. You absolutely can win the competition, and even if you don’t, you can win over a massive fanbase.