Page 16 - South Issue 12

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When X Factor came along it offered
the ultimate rags-to-riches opportunity
for the general public to enjoy and
maybe even chase themselves. But the
competition, which has run for 10 series
now, needed something more than
the usual twenty-something wannabe.
Step forward mum of two (soon to be
three) Sam Bailey. She’s over 25, she’s
sung professionally before and she is
career focused, not fame hungry. Her
career looks set to take a different
path to past winners, aiming at a more
mature, sustainable and this summer
she continues in that vein by taking to
the stage at the Cornbury Festival. We
went along to meet Sam and talk about
her X Factor experience and what the
immediate future holds.
So where you the type of child who
wandered around constantly singing?
Was music your first love?
No, I wouldn’t say I was constantly
singing. Constantly playing football, yes,
but not singing. My dad was musical
so we had a piano in the house guitars,
bongos, full-size drum kit. So I used to
annoy my dad with my violin, which I
couldn’t really play, but I would attempt
to. But I was interested in playing football
as well as playing instruments and my
singing voice didn’t really appear until my
early teens.
Had you sung professionally before X
Factor?
I had, yes. I was a Blue Coat when I was
younger and I worked on a cruise ship
briefly in 1999-2000. I’ve supported
famous people at Lakeside County
Club at Frimley Green as well. I did a
performing arts course at college, but I’ve
never had a singing lesson in my life. It’s
all self-taught.
You actually took part in X Factor a
few years before you won and you
didn’t get that far into it. When was
the moment when you decided to
have another try?
I was sat down with my kids and it was
the first time that we had all sat down
Sam Bailey
Breaking the mould