The TV Set: X Factor Succeeds Where Timbaland Failed Samantha Jade

My mum loves Samantha Jade.

Like most people, however, my mum had never heard of Samantha Jade a few months ago. Now Jade has the number one single in the country - one of the fastest selling singles of 2012, one that has been certified platinum within days of release.

To be quite blunt - Jade's single What You've Done To Me is awful.But we never expect that much from our TV talent show winners. A generic song must be ready to roll out within minutes of the winner being crowned in the hope that viewers will click the iTunes buy button while still riding the wave of euphoria they experience from watching the conclusion of this 'rags' to 'riches' story.

Long before X Factor, Jade switched careers from child model to R&B singer. Back then (the late noughties) she was signed to the Jive label and her family re-located to LA to support her singing career. Yes, that Jive, the label that gave us Backstreet Boys, Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears.

Jade was put to work straight away - Jive rarely mucked around. Soon Jade was in the studio with the likes of Timbaland, Lil' Jon and Rodney Jerkins - heavyweights of the US R&B scene back then.

Jade dropped a single, Turn Around. It was a sweet lil' R&B burner, no great shakes but it at least showcased a voice that showed some promise.

But the single lacked radio support, the album never surfaced, Jive fell off the face of the planet and Jade's family returned to Perth.

I watched bits and pieces of this year's X Factor. It's not as excruciating as some purists would have you believe but it certainly isn't as fun as watching Michonne slice off zombie heads in The Walking Dead (though X Factor at times could do with a judge as forthright as Michonne).

But the inane prattlings of the X Factor judges makes for sad television. Yeah, yeah, having to look pretty and sound like everyone else is honest enough advice but what did that do for Random? Random! Yeah, they won the first local X Factor in 2005. (Hell, whatever happened to Altiyan Childs?*)

How about one of the judges saying: "That was a bit pitchy but do you have a good lawyer to look over any future contracts you might sign?" Or "Do you write your own material? Are you signed up to APRA?" Or "Do you know about syncing deals?"

What has X Factor and its disappearing ilk been teaching the next generation of wannabe singers? A Xmas number one is all you need and then the world of spruiking weight loss programs is at your feet. When hard work and good song-writing doesn't pay off, a hard-luck story and mimicking this week's number one pop singer will.

*My mum doesn't know what's happened to Altiyan Childs either.