The problem with The Voice - Sob stories and lack of star quality

Reality programs have been around for decades now and a staple of the reality TV market is the talent quest. Currently in Australia, the seventh season of The Voice is screening there have been so many sob stories that producers could actually make a show called The Sob Story.

Now before anyone starts by saying that some of us must be heartless I'd like to refute that and say it's not correct at all. The competitions are supposed to be talent shows and the program is called The Voice, so it should be focused on exactly that, rather than the sob stories such as being an amputee, losing your father or another parent or sibling.

Sure, most of those with sob stories do have genuine talent and that's fantastic. That's why they're on air, but the big issue is that they often lack two things.

1. The X Factor
2. The image

 Now let's address the first part of the package, the x factor. The x factor (yes it's a TV show but that's not what we're talking about here) is an undefinable thing. It's a quality that can't be measured. Some people have it and some people don't. Most people don't have it. Those who have made it like Delta Goodrem, Josh Radnor, Green Day, Taylor Swift, Stan Walker, Boy George, Simon Cowell, Katy Perry, Joe Jonas and thousands of others, all have the x factor. They all have a star quality. They have something that keeps people wanting to tune in. 

With their personalities and their star quality they have been able to forge successful careers. Even New Zealand's Lorde has been able to. She has star quality yet she isn't necessarily the world's greatest singer, though she is talented. The star quality is a trait that encourages people to buy music or watch the person's movies or television shows.

Without it, it doesn't matter how much talent a person has, they simply won't have longevity.

The next part of the package is the image. Every celebrity around has an image. Delta Goodrem is the good girl, the best friend, the girl next door, the down to earth, genuine and kind person, meanwhile Taylor Swift is the romantic, Stan Walker is the boy from the wrong side of town, Boy George is the quirky guy with a strong personality. These personality traits give them a point of difference and help distinguish themselves from other stars. It gives them their audience.

The image is also about the looks. As much as we'd like to say otherwise, sex sells and that's why the most popular artists are generally sex symbols who are in their 20s or 30s. In some rare cases they're in their 40s or 50s but those are normally the established ones who are continuing with their career.

Most of the contestants on The Voice do not have the right image. They're either overweight, obese (which is unhealthy but you can read other blogs I've written about obesity), too old or they have a physical disability that won't bode well for a long lasting career.

If you look to every single previous season of The Voice Australia, none of the artists have remained in the public eye and that is because although they have a great voice they simply do not have the x factor or the image, and without those things they simply will not last in the industry.

Another sad fact is that if these contestants were going to make it and had what it takes they wouldn't need a talent quest to do so. It's the same overseas, only a handful of musicians like Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson have had long lasting careers. Australia's Dami Im, Guy Sebastian, Stan Walker and Sophie Monk have been able to break through the mould but they probably would have made it eventually anyway.

Instead of focusing on the sob stories and what makes good television the producers of shows like The Voice Australia need to go back to what the shows were originally about which was talent and singing ability rather than a back story.

The back story and sob stories also appear scripted because they are so regular. That in turn reduces their meaning and impact.

The Voice needs to stop allowing previous contestants of reality singing competitions to enter. If they placed in the top 10 or at the very least the top 5 that should automatically disqualify them from entering. Those who have released albums and had professional management also shouldn't be allowed to enter either. The contests should be for unsigned and undiscovered artists not those who are already established and have a strong following.

I return to my previous point. If these contestants had star quality then they would already be stars and they would have lasted but the simple fact is they don't have star quality and that's why they have to go on these karaoke competition shows.