The X Factor returns with major changes, acts allowed to sing original music

ITV’s The X Factor is slated to come back to the tube soon, and along with a new judge....

ITV’s The X Factor is slated to come back to the tube soon, and along with a new judge, it brings with it several major changes. 

One of these is the new rule that allows acts to perform original music; that is, music that they themselves wrote. In the past, acts were only allowed to perform songs that have been created and released by other musicians.  

Another big change is in the list of judges, which no longer include Kelly Rowland. Her vacated seat will be filled by Nicole Sherzinger. 

The show, which is expected to air its first episode on the 18th of August, will also feature new age bracketing with the ‘Overs’ category raised from 25 to 28 years old. According to judge Gary Barlow, the auditions featured an ‘overwhelming amount of amazing singers in the Overs category’, which eventually led to this change. Barlow further said that raising the age limit will help make the other categories more competitive. 

The format of the show will still be the same though. It will have its former bootcamp phase, which will occur in Liverpool. This will be followed by the show’s finals, which will be staged in Manchester. 

The choice of locations also represents another huge change for the show, which had always held its bootcamp and finals within London.