The genius of Jedward
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
Jedward: they inspire some with revulsion, shame and hate on the one hand but I think it’s fair to say that the majority in Ireland admire and love them. I’m in this later camp and am very sad that they’re gone. I won’t be watching what’s left of the X Factor because there’s nothing left in it to watch.
What make Jedward brilliant is that they entertain with comedy and delight. They are funny to watch and funny to listen to; they say funny things and are funny without trying to be. Their performances were what everyone tuned in to watch, even the judges. Every week they made mistakes in timing with their dancing and music and never sang that well but it didn’t matter; it became part of their charm and another aspect to their comedy. Another factor that made them unique and better than all the other contestants is their attitude. They were always upbeat; as the judges slated them to the chorus of audience boos, they stood on with smiles and you could tell they were loving every minute of being on the show, regardless of the negative press. This attitude was infectious and was reflected in their lively performances.
The X Factor has spent that last few years convincing the public at large that the diva voice is the epitome of vocal talent (which I personally abhor). If Frank Sinatra turned up to auditions he would be slated for not warbling on a high note for 20 seconds. And with this singing philsophy Jedward’s poor voices were always going to attract criticism. And so the conflict between their deficient vocals and superior ability to entertain divided opinion, filled newspapers and upped the television ratings, ironically making them more famous than the show, proving they have the x-factor.
But despite what people say, the X Factor is not a singing competition; it is a piece of mass popular enertainment and Jedward brought that entertainment to a whole new level. For the last decade we’ve been subjected to singer after singer, some good, some bad, some great; but at the end of the day they were all just singers. None of them ever entertained the way Jedward did.
I’ve never bought a CD or gone to a concert of a reality singing competition star, but if Jedward played in Dublin, I would definitely go to see them. I hope they have a great career ahead of them. They entertained us like no other X Factor act and they did Ireland proud. I leave you with what is to me Jedward’s moment of genius: the red pvc suits, the Britney dance moves, and the hilarious remake of the Titanic scene from Britney’s video.
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I just don’t get it. Genius in not being able to sing perhaps?!
They’re not as thick as people think. Not by a long shot. They have a touch of the Jade Goody approach about them. Just like nobody could remember the majority of BB winners and yet they remember Jade (prior to the publicity of her death etc.) people will remember the Jeds where they won’t be able to name anyone bar Leona, who is in fairness, a class above.
It turned out to be Jed We Can’t. Any truth in the fact they’re gonna be on the Toy Show?
Anto – genius in the entertaining for me. I find comedy more interesting than singing which is why I find all the others boring in comparison.
Ciara – I heard that rumour and I hope it’s true. If I hear I’ll let you know.
What amazed me about the Jed thing was the venom in the backlash. People seemed to forget that behind all the hype and scandal and bad dancing are two very young kids whose only “crime” is to want to be popstars.
I mean, I had one acquaintance posting on her Facebook page that “They better not ever go out in Dublin again if they know what’s good for them.” Threats of violence against kids? Classy.
I suppose anyone in the spotlight inspires such extremes. People write things on social media that they would never say in person or out loud. We all do it.
Oh, you’re right, and I’m as guilty of having a pop at ’slebs more than the next person! As we all know…
But here we’re talking about two kids who weren’t celebrities YET, who didn’t have coaching in handling media or the creation of public personas or whatever, kids for whom the likelihood was that they’d be back home a couple of weeks after their adventure started.
I mean, they were no wee Jordans!
It’s true.
Check out Jedward on GMTV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TztUdnF3LXc
Love this article.
I believe that the backlash against Jedward was appalling, they are just a couple of kids trying to achieve their dream, not actually a crime last time I checked.
But the backlash helped them in one respect. The positive attitude that they maintained through the competitive made them infinitely more likeable. Who can really say after the media, the people booing at them, as well as the ‘haters’ come actually remain positive? Not many.
Especially one particular X-factor singer whose name we wont mention…