The Vocal Coaches: Claude Kelly and Savan Kotecha
Claude has been a songwriter for almost ten years. He has written songs for Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus. He said, “I spend a lot of time working with singers trying to plot the best vocal performance, make them hit notes, and do things they probably thought they couldn’t do.”
Savan Kotecha has written songs for Britney Spears, Usher and Enrique Iglesias. When asked about coaching the acts, Savan told us, “They’re already great singers, but my job...I take what I do in a studio and try to translate it into the stage...it’s really about guiding them and making them connect with the song.”
It’s not just about being a vocal coach, it’s also about being there for the contestants. Savan said, “Me and Claude will also be mentors. We’re going to be around the contestants probably more than anybody. A lot of it is going to be mental. You have to be a counselor.” Claude agreed, “My couch is always open...if an artist is willing to open up...you get a really, really amazing song that you can feel right away.”
So what are the vocal coaches going to teach THE X FACTOR contestants? Claude said, “I don’t care if they’re singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars...if I don’t believe it, I’m not going to buy into it all. So I’m always looking to make sure they can really sell me on what they’re trying to say. He added, “The biggest challenge and the most fun challenge for a vocal coach or a song writer is to be able to work with the next generation....there’s a lot of amazing talent that’s going to be on this show.”
Choreographer: Brian Friedman
world-renowned dancer, who’s choreographed dances for some of the greats, like Mariah Carey, Beyonce and Britney Spears, to name a few. Brian Friedman is the go-to guy for everything dance and it’s no wonder why. As a young dancer, Brian worked with Michael Jackson, Celine Dion and our very own Paula Abdul. Not bad for a boy from Scottsdale, Arizona!
How did he get involved in THE X FACTOR? Well, Simon Cowell asked Brian to judge for a show in the UK called Grease is the Word. After one city of judging, Simon gave him another job...as Creative Director for THE X FACTOR UK – a job he held for four years.
Today, as a Creative Director and Choreographer of THE X FACTOR USA, his role is to mold the contestants into pop stars. During bootcamp Brian will put all of the acts through their paces, quite literally. The remaining 150-some contestants who made it to bootcamp must learn how to shake their booty! Those who thought they could get away with just signing will be in for a shock – they’ll need to dance like a star and basically own the stage. We’re talking show biz here!
And Brain will oversee the staging and performances of all the acts during the live shows too.
Brian’s excitement for the show is palpable. “I love the rush of it. I love the idea of creating 12-16 numbers a week and throwing dancers into the mix, and making them as big as humanly possible...it’s like nothing we’ve done before, even in the UK show.”
So are the performances going to get more exciting as we go from bootcamp to the live show? Brian answered, “Go big or go home. We don’t start small...I want to show America who these artists are from day one...So you don’t want to hold anything in your back pocket. You want to throw everything out immediately and let them know who you are and what you’re about.”
There’s no rest for Brian...or the acts. On Wednesdays, they air the live show. On Thursdays, it’s the results show, which involves the bulk of the dancing. By Friday morning, Brian’s working with the judges to prep the contestants for rehearsals on Saturday and Sunday for the next week live shows. He works 16-20 hour days, seven days a week, and he’s loving it! Just hope the acts love it too…!
Stylist: June Ambrose
She’s hot, she’s hip, and she has styled countless A-listers from head-to-toe. We’re talking about the fabulous fashion guru and master stylist June Ambrose...and we’re PSYCHED to have her as the self confessed “Style Architect” for THE X FACTOR. With over 20 years of experience, she has styled some of the biggest names in entertainment including P Diddy, Alicia Keyes, Jay Z, Kim Cattrall, and Mary J Blige.
Style Architect? What? Don’t you just throw some cute clothes on the contestants and call it a day? No way! June is all about working her magic to rebrand and restyle THE X FACTOR’s up-and-coming stars. She tells us, “I will design and create an iconic image that will be infectious to the masses and hopefully catapult them [the contestant] into pop culture.” And that’s exactly what she did with the acts at bootcamp. “Bootcamp is super important because I get to see the rawness of each person and I love working from that.” From zero to hero...LOVE IT!
Okay...contestants we get, but P. Diddy and Mary J. Blige? Surely they don’t need someone to style them. June explained to us, “Sometimes an artist can have an idea but they don’t know how to articulate it. So I have to sometimes be a mind reader...I have to hone in on something that’s special. It might be that something that they don’t even know they have.” She added, “So when you walk into the room it might be that one little piece that I pick for you that says you’re missing this, you need to use that...you need to channel that piece of yourself into this moment.”
via X-FACTOR USA official Site
