The X Factor

The X Factor is a television music competition franchise created by Simon Cowell. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for Pop Idol (2001–2003). It is held in various countries. The programmes are produced by executive producer Simon Cowell and his company SYCOtv. The "X Factor" of the title refers to the undefinable "something" that makes for star quality. The prize is usually a recording contract, in addition to the publicity that appearance in the later stages of the show itself generates, not only for the winner but also for other highly ranked contestants.

The similarities between The X Factor and Idols prompted Idol creator Simon Fuller, along with 19 Entertainment, to file a lawsuit against Cowell, SYCOtv, and FremantleMedia in 2004. An out-of-court settlement was reached in 2005 allowing Fuller to gain a 10% share in The X Factor format, and preventing an American version until 2010. Fuller later filed another lawsuit in 2011, claiming that he had also been promised that he would be credited as an executive producer of The X Factor USA, but that Syco, FremantleMedia, and Fox Broadcasting Company had failed to fulfill that promise; that lawsuit is pending.

X Factor India

X Factor India is the Indian version of The X Factor, a show originating from the United Kingdom. It is a television music talent show contested by aspiring singers of all genres drawn from public auditions from all across India. The show in its inaugural year was broadcast on Sony Entertainment Television Channel. The 2011 competition was open to all Indian citizens born before 15 January 1995. There were 3 categories for registrants: Solo performances for those between 16 and 24 years of age as of 15 January 2011 and for those equal to and above 25 years of age as of 15 January 2011 and Group performance for a group of 2 or more people, all of which should be above the age of 16 years as of 15 January 2011. Reservation draws were to be divided one third to each category. Each week, Live Concerts were held in Mumbai where the 12 finalists performed for the judges and a live studio audience

Auditions

Registrations were launched via telephones and SMS on 20 January 2011 all across India. Auditions were held in the following cities:

Sonu Nigam

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Sonu Nigam (30 July 1973) is an Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured mainly in Hindi, Kannada, Odia, Punjabi, and Marathi movies. He has also released Indian pop albums and acted in a number of movies. He has been one of the highest paid Indian singers. His singing style is considered similar to the legendary Mohd. Rafi whom he also considers his motivation.

Early and personal life

Nigam was born on 30 July 1973 in a Kayastha family to Agam Kumar Nigam and Shobha Nigam in the city of Faridabad, Haryana.

Nigam began his singing career at the age of four, when he joined his father Agam Kumar Nigam on stage to sing Mohammed Rafi's song "Kya hua tera wada". From then on, Nigam accompanied his father on his singing appearances at weddings and parties. He moved to Mumbai with his father to begin his Bollywood singing career at the age of 18. He was trained by Hindustani classical singer Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan.

Shreya Ghoshal

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Shreya Ghoshal (born 12 March 1984) is an Indian playback singer. She has received four National Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards, five for Best Female Playback and one for RD Burman Award for New Music Talent in 2003 and eight Filmfare Awards South (2 for Kannada & Tamil,1 for Telugu and 3 for Malayalam) till date. She has recorded songs for film music in various Indian languages, and has established herself as a leading playback singer of Indian cinema.

Ghoshal aspired to become a playback singer from a young age. At the age of sixteen, she was noticed by film-maker Sanjay Leela Bhansali when she participated and won the television singing reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. Following that, she made her Bollywood playback singing debut with Bhansali's romantic drama Devdas (2002) for which she received a National Award and a Filmfare Award.

India

India, officially the Republic of India (Bhārat Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west;China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Myanmar (Burma) and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.

Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—originated here, whereas Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also shaped the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom after the Indian Rebellion of 1857, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.