''X Factor'' is a Franco-Belgian television music

talent show A talent show is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are performances rather ...

to find new singing talent after public auditions, intermediate tests, and live shows. The first season was broadcast on Mondays, from September to December 2009, on W9 (France) and

RTL-TVI RTL-TVI is a private French-language Luxembourg based television station in Belgium owned by DPG Media and Groupe Rossel, it was originally owned by the RTL Group until 31 March 2022. Within the French-speaking area of Belgium, it is the mos ...

(Belgium). The second and final season was broadcast on Tuesdays, from March to June 2011, on M6 and

Series overview

Contestant in "Alain Lanty" (over the age of 25)
Contestant in "Julie Zenatti" (ages 16 to 24)
Contestant in "Marc Cerrone" (groups)
Contestant in "Henri Padovani" (groups)
Contestant in "Oliver Schultheis" (girls)
Contestant in "Christophe Willem" (over the age of 25)
Contestant in "Véronic DiCaire" (boys)

Judges' categories and their contestants

In each season, each judge is allocated a category to mentor and chooses three acts to progress to the live shows. This table shows, for each season, which category each judge was allocated and which acts he or she put through to the live shows. Key: : – Winning judge/category. Winners are in bold, eliminated contestants in small font.

Season 1 (2009)

The first season of the show aired from September to December 2009 and the winner was 26-year-old

Sébastien Agius Sébastien Agius or just Sébastien or Seva (born 2 March 1983, in Nice, France) is a French singer and songwriter, and winner of the inaugural season of the French ''X Factor'' series in 2009. Career In 2003, he tried unsuccessfully for the fi ...

from the "Over 25" category. The judges were

Alain Lanty Alain Lanty (born 28 November 1961 in Auray, France) is a French singer, composer and pianist. He has composed songs for a great number of French artists including Renaud, Florent Pagny, Marc Lavoine, Dani, Régine, Maurane, Hélène Ség ...

Julie Zenatti Julie Zenatti (born 5 February 1981) is a French singer. She first played the role of Fleur-de-Lys and later Esmeralda on stage for the musical ''Notre-Dame de Paris''. Personal life Zenatti was born in 1981 in Paris Paris () is the c ...

and Marc Cerrone.

Contestants

The top 9 acts were confirmed as follows: Key: : – Winner : – Runner up : – Third Place

Results summary

Color key:

Ratings

Season 2 (2011)

Based on a generally good public reception, and after some speculations, ''X Factor'' came back for a second season in March 2011 on M6 (mother TV channel of W9), in place of ''Nouvelle Star'', the French ''Pop Idol'', programmed on M6 since 7 years after audience figures deteriorated for ''Star''''Nouvelle Star'' laisse bien sa place à ''X Factor'' sur M6 !
/ref> Frédéric de Vincelles, general manager of W9, declared that even though all targeted goals were not attained in season 1, the program had still realised some respectable audience figures for the chain, making it the biggest grossing program for the network in 2009.

Differences with first season

* First season was aired on a small TV channel with limited means. This is not the case with the second season, as the program tries to emulate the successful British edition. * For this second season, M6 assigned 4 artists to be part of the jury:

Christophe Willem Christophe Frédéric Durier (; born 3 August 1983), better known by his stage name Christophe Willem (), is a French singer and the winner of the fourth edition of ''Nouvelle Star'' (French version of ''Pop Idol'') in 2006. Early life Christo ...

Véronic Dicaire Véronic DiCaire (born in Embrun, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian Franco-Ontarian singer and impressionist.

Olivier Schultheis Olivier Schultheis (born 29 April 1965) is a musician, a lyricist, a composer and a conductor. He won the top prize of Conservatoire National de Musique de Paris for his absolute pitch Absolute pitch (AP), often called perfect pitch, is a rare ...

and

Henry Padovani Henry (or Henri) Padovani (born 13 October 1952) is a French musician (from the Mediterranean French isle of Corsica), noted for being the original guitarist of English rock band The Police. He was a member of the band from January 1977 to Augus ...

. All judges are new and replace the old set of three judges Marc Cerrone,

and

. * Auditions were held in major French theatres, in public. * The bootcamp lasted for days and included 3 events: vocal duels, choreography and solos on orchestra-band. * Two to three French or international popstars are invited each week during liveshows . * During shows, a second program, named "F@n Factor: Le Prime", is broadcast on the internet to show the backstage and see preparation of candidates and their reactions after singing. So, there isn't an after-show as ''Xtra Factor''. * Every day, a short program, named "F@n Factor: Le Mag", is broadcast on the internet to show repetitions of candidates with their coaches, and their daily activities.

Judges and hosts

For this second season, judges of the first season are not renewed. Also, for the first time, there are four judges (so four categories in competition) : *

(27 years old) – French singer and songwriter. He sang in a gospel choir and won the fourth edition of ''

Nouvelle Star ''Nouvelle Star'' (; also known as '' À la Recherche de la Nouvelle Star'' for the first season) is a French television series based on the popular Pop Idol programme produced by FremantleMedia. It was broadcast by M6 in seasons 1–8 before ...

'' (French version of ''

Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and pa ...

'') in 2006. He sold over 2 million albums and was nominated several times in

NRJ Music Awards An NRJ Music Award (commonly abbreviated as an NMA) is an award presented by the French radio station NRJ to honor the best in the French and worldwide music industry. The awards ceremony, created in 2000 by NRJ in partnership with the televisi ...

and

Victoires de la Musique Victoires de la Musique (; en, Victories of Music) is an annual French award ceremony where the Victoire accolade is delivered by the French Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The classical and jazz ...

. *

(45 years old) – French conductor, musician and songwriter. He discovered

Christophe Maé Christophe Martichon (; born 16 October 1975), better known by his stage name Christophe Maé (), is a French pop singer. Career Maé learned to play the violin at age five, and later began playing the guitar and harmonica at age 16 after he wa ...

and composed for

Hélène Ségara Hélène Ségara (), born Hélène Aurore Alice Rizzo on 26 February 1971, is a singer of French, Armenian and Italian descent, who came to prominence playing the role of Esmeralda in the French musical ''Notre Dame de Paris''. She has sold ove ...

Thierry Amiel Thierry Amiel (born 18 October 1982) is a French singer and songwriter from Marseille, France. He rose to fame after coming in second place to Jonatan Cerrada on the first edition of the French ''Pop Idol'', '' À la Recherche de la Nouvelle St ...

and for musicals (

Le Roi Soleil , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Versa ...

, Mozart l'opéra rock...) and wrote soundtracks for films. He was also a producer of ''

'' (French version of ''Pop Idol''). *

Véronic DiCaire Véronic DiCaire (born in Embrun, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian Franco-Ontarian singer and impressionist.

(34 years old) - Franco-Ontarian singer and imitator. She was discovered by

Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

and

René Angélil René Angélil (; January 16, 1942 – January 14, 2016) was a Canadian musical producer, talent manager and singer. He was the manager and husband of singer Celine Dion. Early life Angélil was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to a father of ...

and was renowned for her imitations of many voices including Céline Dion,

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...

Lynda Lemay Lynda Lemay (born 25 July 1966 in Portneuf, Quebec) is a Canadian francophone singer-songwriter. Through her mother she is a descendant of Zacharie Cloutier. After winning regional awards in 1989 she went to France and regularly tours in Queb ...

Lara Fabian Lara Sophie Katy Crokaert (born January 9, 1970), better known as Lara Fabian, is a Belgian-Canadian pop singer and songwriter. She has sold over 20 million records worldwide as of 2021Broadway World (2017)"Lara Fabian annule finalement sa tourn ...

Isabelle Boulay Isabelle Boulay, (born 6 July 1972) is a French Canadian singer. Biography Born in Sainte-Félicité, Quebec, where her parents owned a restaurant, Boulay moved to the nearby city of Matane at the start of her adolescence, and studied litera ...

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice o ...

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album '' She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to ach ...

Vanessa Paradis Vanessa Chantal Paradis (; born 22 December 1972) is a French singer, model, and actress. Paradis became a child star at the age of 14 with the international success of her single " Joe le taxi" (1987). At age 18, she was awarded France's high ...

and others. She released two albums (with her real performing voice) in 2002 and 2005. *

(58 years old) – Corsican songwriter, guitarist and manager. He is the founding member of

The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Poli ...

with

Stewart Copeland Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is a Scottish-American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the English rock band the Police from 1977 to 1986, and again from 2007 to 2008. Before playing with th ...

but

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-ear ...

fired him in favour of

Andy Summers Andrew James Summers (born 31 December 1942), is an English guitarist who was a member of the rock band The Police. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a band member in 2003. Summers has recorded solo albums, collaborated w ...

. He was the director of

IRS Records I.R.S. Records was an American record label founded by Miles Copeland III, Jay Boberg, and Carl Grasso in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wav ...

, where he promoted many groups such as

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternat ...

The Fleshtones The Fleshtones are an American garage rock band from Queens, New York, United States, formed in 1976. History 1976–1979 The Fleshtones were formed in 1976 in Whitestone, New York, by Keith Streng (born September 18, 1955, New York City) an ...

The Cramps The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2006. Their lineup rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy the only ever-present members. ...

, and

The Bangles The Bangles are an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The band recorded several singles that reached the U.S. top 10 during the 1980s, including " Manic Monday" (1986), " Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), "Hazy Shad ...

. He was also the manager of

Zucchero Adelmo Fornaciari (; born 25 September 1955), more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero (), is an Italian singer, musician and songwriter. His stage name is the Italian word for "sugar", as his elementary teach ...

and

I Muvrini I Muvrini is a Corsican folk music group, who sing traditional Corsican music in their native Corsican language. History The group was formed in the early 1980s by the brothers Jean-François Bernardini and Alain Bernardini both born in the vil ...

. To present the show, M6 selected

Sandrine Corman Sandrine Corman (born 12 April 1980 in Verviers, Belgium) is a Belgian television and radio presenter. Pageants Corman was Miss Belgium 1997 at the age of 17. She later stated that she was not interested in the contest and that her mother had r ...

for the liveshows and early stages and

Jérôme Anthony Jérôme Finkelstejn better known as Jérôme Anthony is a French television presenter. Born in Nancy, France on 11 November 1968, he has presented many entertainment and reality shows on RTL9, TF1, France 2, Disney Channel, W9 and M6. He is ...

for ''F@n Factor'' and early stages.

Chronology of the early stages

* Preselections: ** 2 November 2010 in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

and Strasbourg ** 4 November 2010 in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fran ...

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the Nord ...

and

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label= Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with a population of 146,734 (2018). Its metropolitan area (''aire d'attra ...

** 6 November 2010 in Montpellier,

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine departm ...

and

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

(

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

) ** 8 November 2010 in

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. The city is on t ...

** 9–10 November 2010 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

* Auditions: * 'Bootcamp' : 25-26-27–28 January 2011 in

Palais des Sports (Paris) Palais des Sports (French: Palace of Sports) is a generic name of comprehensive indoors sports venue, mostly in the French-speaking world, including: ; France: *Palais des Sports de Beaulieu, Nantes * Palais des sports Ghani-Yalouz, Besançon * Pal ...

Judges' Houses

Top 24 acts were chosen with six in each of the four category. The judges added a 25th contestant in the Groups category making the contestants for the Groups seven instead of six. The newly created group was named "Seconde Nature" and included 5 candidates who had applied for the "Boys" category but had failed to qualify individually to the Top 24, but were deemed talented enough to be given a second chance by performing as part of a band in the Groups category.

Contestants

Key: : – Winner : – Runner-Up : – Third Place

Results summary

Colour key:

Ratings

References

External links

X Factor website (series 1)

X Factor website (series 2)
{{The X Factor series 2009 French television series debuts French reality television series French music television series

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

Television series by Fremantle (company) 2011 French television series endings French television series based on British television series RTL-TVI original programming