Although the X-Factor has only been back on our TV screens for one weekend, there is already one performer who is standing out from the rest.
Sam Smith, 27, a plasterer from Douglas, took the televised auditions by storm, wowing the judges with a version of a 60s classic pop song, and is now looking forward to singing on the stage at Wembley Arena during the next phase of the competition.
Sam made the journey to Liverpool, accompanied by his girlfriend Emma and their baby son Mason, earlier this year to take part in the first round of public auditions.
He stood out from the 30 other hopefuls with his bright and confident version of ’Runaround Sue’, and earned a great deal of praise from the famous panel of judges, including Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger, who wasted no time in putting him through to the ’bootcamp’ round of the talent show.
Sam can only talk about his success now, after the show was broadcast on ITV.
’It was a bit crazy,’ said Sam after reliving his audition. ’My phone hasn’t stopped buzzing all morning.
’I actually did that performance a while back, in June, in Liverpool at the Titanic hotel. I have had to keep quiet about it since then.
’I wasn’t nervous in the morning, I was just excited. But as it got closer and closer, and I was speaking with Dermot O’Leary, all of a sudden I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I had to think to myself "Right. Its now or never". So I went in there and gave it my best and seemed to pull it off.
Sam said that he felt that he went down really well, and was given great comments from the judges.
’Simon told me I was like a new Olly Murs, and Sharon said I was an edgier version of Michael Buble.
’But it was all a massive blur. I came out thinking "what has just happened?".’
Sam performed under the name ’Sam Black’, after the producers felt that they didn’t want his name to be confused with the more famous singer with the same name.
’They told me to come up with a few different names. I randomly went through a few colours until I said Sam Black, and they liked it. I keep having to keep remembering to call myself that when I get interviewed.’
Refreshingly, Sam is not one of the contestants who seeks fame or a glitzy celebrity lifestyle. He said that, even though he enjoys singing, and has performed in open mic sessions and karaoke nights, he never thought he was good enough to sing professionally.
So much so that, when the X Factor scouts came knocking, he didn’t take them seriously at all.
’Emma put a video up of me singing on the X Factor online application, and I ended being asked to go to an audition in Liverpool. I didn’t go because I was working.
’Then they ended up coming to the Isle of Man, and they invited me to a night-time audition. To be honest, I turned up a bit drunk and didn’t really take it seriously. When I got up to do my song, I ended up dancing with some little old ladies who were there.’
The producers kept ringing him the next day to try and get him to do a repeat performance, but, nursing a slight hang-over, Sam needed quite a bit of persuasion. Eventually, under pressure from Emma, he relented, and ended up recording a video late on the Sunday night.
’I just kept thinking that there were so many good singers from the island already who had tried for the X Factor, and not even got to see the judges, there was little chance of me getting that far, so I thought I’d give it a miss.
’But Emma convinced me that I had nothing to lose by going down and meeting him. So I met him that night, gave them a couple of songs, and thought that’d be it.
’Next thing I know, I got a phone call telling me I would be singing in front of the judges. I was so shocked! I didn’t know what to do. It was pretty crazy.’
Since his appearance on television, Sam has been inundated with calls and messages from friends and well wishers, and has been genuinely taken aback by the level of positive feedback he has received.
’There’s people in Brazil who have made a Sam Black fan page, which is getting thousands of hits, loads of people putting stuff up about Nicole Scherzinger fancying me. It’s crazy,’ he said.
’I never really thought I was good enough to make it at any level, but I’ve shocked myself.’
Sam will be back on the screens towards the end of September, after the first round of auditions have finished, and he will then sing in front of thousands of people at Wembley Arena.
He may not have craved fame or success in the past, and he has no idea of far he may get in the show, or where this will take him, but he is determined to enjoy his time singing in the spotlight.
’All you can do is stick with it,’ he said. ’I’m not going to expect anything from it, I’m just going to go with it and hope something good comes from it.’
This interviewed first appeared in last week's Manx Independent.
by Mike Wade
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