Allie Sherlock
Born in April 2005, in Douglas, Cork, Ireland, Allie Sherlock is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and busker who frequently performs in Dublin’s Grafton Street. Ellie went viral on YouTube in June 2017 after performing a cover of “Supermarket Flowers” by Ed Sheeran, then in 2018, she made an appearance in “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”.
At just nine years old, Allie suffered the devastating loss of her mother. Two years later, she began performing almost weekly on Grafton Street under the supervision of her devoted father, who is also her music manager and responsible for the filming and uploading of her YouTube videos. In 2016, Allie left primary school and switched to homeschooling to avoid the bullying she was subjected to by her classmates. According to the singer, she would “come home really stressed… literally perspiring from the stress.”
Allie created her YouTube channel in 2014 and has since accumulated a billion views. With over ten million followers across her different social media platforms, the talented musician has shown that she is a force to be reckoned with. Allie also has a successful Patreon channel on which she provides fans with even more content.
In 2017, Allie auditioned for the 12th season of “Britain’s Got Talent” and advanced to the second round before being eliminated. In August of the same year, she wowed the audience with one of her many notable performances, which took place at the Miss Universe Ireland pageant. A few months after going viral online, Allie performed Adele’s “Million Years Ago” on “Ellen”. Clearly, this did a lot more for her career than “Got Talent”, because in late 2018 she signed a five-year contract with Patriot Records, which is owned by Ryan Tedder, the lead vocalist of One Republic.
Allie has given many live performances in Ireland since breaking onto the scene, starting out with a powerful rendition at the Cork Opera House in December 2016. Other venues include the Olympia Theatre in Dublin and the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall in Germany. Allie was also an opening act for OneRepublic during the group’s European tour in March 2020, in the UK, Germany, France, and the Netherlands which was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.
February 2020 brought with it the release of Allie’s first release under Patriot Records: a self-titled extended play in which she covered “At Last” by Etta James. Three months later, she performed with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, and Allie would end the year by joining forces with a collective of Irish female artists, and recording a single for a domestic abuse charity.
2021 was a quieter year for Allie, but even so, she performed on Virgin Media Television in an episode of “Fanning at Whelan”. In 2022, she teamed up with Steve Garrigan, the guitarist of Kodaline, for many fruitful studio sessions in which she wrote original songs that are rumored to be part of an upcoming project. She also performed at the AO Arena in Manchester, England for Queen Elizabeth’s 70th Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Despite being better-known for her covers, Allie has plenty of original material such as “Leave Me With a Decent Goodbye”, “Locked Inside”, “Without You”, and “Hero”. These songs often touch on her personal experiences; for example, “Locked Inside” reflects on Allie’s feelings during the difficult COVID-19 quarantine period, whereas “The Night Before” explores her complicated feelings and grief surrounding her mother’s death.
Allie released her first project, a self-titled album with ten tracks, in November 2017, capitalizing on her newfound internet fame. Her second album, “A Part of Me” was released under Patriot Records in June 2020 and contains 12 songs, and her second EP, “Live at Elbphilharmonie”, was released in September 2020.
As of 2023, Allie remains still hard at work with her YouTube channel, which has always been her main source of income. Fans will be pleased to know that the busker has also been diligently working on new material, and recently announced the upcoming release of “Stay” following rumors that she had lost interest in music.
From being unknown in the industry to having millions of followers and being paid to do what she loves, Allie’s life has definitely changed for the better since her short time on “Got Talent”. With that said, the talent show did little to propel her career, as viewers of the series didn’t have much of a chance to get to know the musician. Thankfully, Allie’s success isn’t dependent on the reality TV franchise, but rather on her own merit and talent.
I sang one of my favourite @DUALIPA songs for #TikTokClassics !! This is my version of Levitating with @filmorchesterBB
It's out now! Listen here – https://t.co/Ul61328riK pic.twitter.com/bNTdkrR15Y
— Allie Sherlock (@alliesherlock) August 1, 2022
“Got Talent” Franchise
The “Got Talent” talent show format is owned by its creator, Simon Cowell, and his company SYCOtv. As one of the most recognizable reality franchises in the world, the original “Got Talent” has launched spin-offs in over 70 countries, which is an incredible feat by all standards. Unlike “The X Factor” and “Idol”, “Got Talent” focuses on a whole range of skills, not just singing.
In 2014, the Guinness World Records named Simon Cowell’s franchise the most successful reality TV format in history. Simon – who, at the time had already created “The X Factor” – brought the idea to life in 2005, inspired by “New Faces” and “Opportunity Knocks”, British talent shows which contained novelty acts, singers, dancers, comedians, and many others.
Simon didn’t have to pitch his concept to many networks before ITV agreed to produce a pilot episode. After receiving positive feedback, the network began working on the show’s first season, but walked away from the project after a falling-out with the intended host. Undeterred, Simon shopped his idea around American networks before it was picked up by NBC.
“America’s Got Talent” premiered on NBC in June 2006, becoming the first international edition of the franchise. Thanks to its roaring success, the network commissioned more seasons; “Got Talent” also debuted in countries such as Sweden, Russia, Australia, and France to name a few. After reaching an agreement with ITV, Simon returned to the UK to work on a June 2007 debut for “Britain’s Got Talent”.
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In 2010, “Britain’s Got Talent” won several awards at the annual BAFTA TV ceremony. Simon then discussed the possibility of a global version of the show, “World’s Got Talent”, which would share a similar format to the Eurovision Song Contest. Over the next few weeks, intrigue around the hypothetical show reached a crescendo, as Simon shared more details about his idea, saying that 20 winning contests of “Got Talent” franchises from around the world would perform for $1 million in prize money at the Royal Albert Hall.
“World’s Got Talent” was set to premiere in 2011, but Simon put his plans on hold due to conflicts with his judging schedule for “The X Factor USA” and “Britain’s Got Talent”. Fox Network cancelled the first show in 2014 due to poor ratings, at which Simon returned to the UK version as a judge. However, there were no more talks of “World’s Got Talent” becoming an official show.
Lawsuits
Simon is known for his impeccable business acumen and success as a record executive. However, the London native has weathered his fair share of controversy throughout his decades-long career, despite most incidents being left behind. In 2010, a former “Britain’s Got Talent” contestant named Emma Amelia Pearl Czikai filed a lawsuit against the judge for the staggering sum of $3.8 million.
Emma claimed that Simon had degraded and humiliated her, and also broadcast her audition clip despite her explaining that her poor performance was due to health problems. In 2010, the former contestant explained in a pre-hearing review in London that cervical spine neuritis had impacted her rendition of “You Raise Me Up” by Westlife.
Before Emma finished singing the first line of the song, Simon and Piers Morgan had already hit the buzzers; their fellow judge, Amanda Holden, held out until the chorus. After asking if she could start again, Emma was loudly booed by the audience. She would later claim to have suffered discrimination from the show, after they refused to lower the volume of the backing track and microphone levels.
Despite giving a compelling statement in which she compared the show to “a re-emergence of modern-day barbarism with all its inherent cruelty”, Emma was left disappointed when her case failed to reach the employment tribunals, due to the fact that Simon wasn’t her employer and that a long time had passed since the incident.
Although this lawsuit has yet to materialize, news outlets began reporting in summer 2022 that an unknown number of “X Factor” contestants planned to file a lawsuit against Simon’s production company. Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, an anonymous source mentioned the bullying, mistreatment, and neglect that she and five other contestants – who were all in talks with a legal firm – had been subjected to, and the “trauma” they had suffered as a result of the show.
Simon himself didn’t release a statement regarding the lawsuit, but SyCo asked the Sunday Mirror to clarify that the judge was neither aware of nor involved in the harrying incidents described by the source.
Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell was born in October 1959 to Julie Brett and Eric Cowell, in London, but the record executive was raised in Elstree, Hertfordshire. Julie was a ballet dancer and socialite, whereas Eric was a property developer, estate agent, and music industry executive. Simon has five siblings: Nicholas, John, Tony, Michael and June.
Having studied at Radlett Preparatory School, Simon dropped out of Dover College after taking the mandatory GCE O levels, passing English Language and Literature before transferring to Windsor Technical College. During his time at Windsor, Simon obtained a GCE in Sociology and worked odd jobs, often clashing with his workmates and bosses. Finally, Eric pulled strings to get his son a job in the mail room of EMI Music Publishing, where he worked as an executive at the time.
Trying and failing to get a promotion, a disillusioned Simon left EMI but returned shortly afterwards. He left for good in 1980 and formed E&S Music, which lasted three years. Next, Simon teamed up with Iain Burton to form Fanfare Records, which sold exercise videos and music from Rondó Veneziano and associated acts. Simon’s first hit song was Sinitta’s 1986 single, “So Macho”; Stock Aitken Waterman was another popular artist on the roster. Despite the occasional success, Fanfare Records disbanded in 1989, leaving Simon on the brink of bankruptcy.
Never one to give up, Simon later set up S Records under BMG, and created novelty records with acts such as World Wrestling Federation, Power Rangers, and Zig and Zag. In 1995, he convinced British actors Jerome Flynn and Robson Green of “Soldier Soldier” to sign to his label and record “Unchained Melody”, a song they had performed on the show. Surprisingly, the song topped the UK music charts and remained in the number-one spot for seven weeks, becoming the best-selling single of the year – and their self-titled album released a few months later, would become the best-selling album of the year. Simon has often credited the duo, now known as Robson & Jerome, with earning him his first million.
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From then on, Simon’s career took a turn for the better, and after creating Syco in 2005, he never looked back. The company has three divisions – Syco Music, Syco TV, and Syco Film. His best-known acts include the now-defunct boy band One Direction, which had sold 70 million records worldwide as of 2020, making them one of the most successful groups in their genre.
Despite his wealth and extravagant lifestyle, Simon is also a proud philanthropist who has been involved in charity work for decades. Causes close to his heart include Together for Short Lives – the UK charity for children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions –, Manchester Dogs’ Home, and Children’s Hospices UK. In 2010, there was considerable media speculation about the record mogul receiving a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth, which was allegedly suggested by the Prime Minister of the time, Gordon Brown.
“Britain’s Got Talent” is returning for a 15th season sometime in 2023, with auditions already being held across the UK. The confirmed judges are Simon, Amanda, Alesha Dixon, and Bruno Tonioli who is replacing comedian David Walliams on the panel. Although no official broadcast date has been announced, the show usually airs from mid-April to late May or early June.
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