My BGT pre-audition experience

The BGT pre-audition is the audition stage where contestants must audition in front of a single producer of the show and a camera man.The act is filmed for the purpose of producers too look through the footage to help determine who is getting through to the TV stage. There was over 75,000 that applied this year i was told on the day. I know that only 500 get through to the televised judges stage. I applied for the London audition which took place in the Excel convention centre.

So there I was on December the 8th travelling up to London (with the support of my dad) for my BGT audition. I would first like to point out how easy it is to sign up and apply for BGT. The auditions are open to anyone and you apply via their website that has a very simplistic 1-page application form that only asks your name, age and a short description of your act. It was that easy. Easier than signing up to amazon or any other site.

One of the most fundamental questions I asked myself prior to leaving the house and beginning the long journey up to London was "Should I wear my cowboy hat?" to which my answer was no. This might seem like a stupid question to ask but think about how producers of these shows portray things and how important image is as I previously discussed. Although these auditions are not televised it would sure have impact in terms of how I dressed. I decided no for the simple fact that despite the fact people told me the hat suits me and It's really stage attire that fits in with the country artist image- if they thought I looked a bit silly they would use that against me. I didn't want to give them that ammunition. No hat!

Another thing about applying that is interesting to note is when you sign the TV release form and essentially sign the contract for the show - you are given the full rights of your performance and well...you as a performer to the company Syco. Which if you couldn't tell from the company name is a joint little  entertainment company owned by Simon Cowell and Sony Music .What this means is (especially as an artist) you are signing an exclusivity contract in which Simon's record label essentially owns you as an artist and your material when you sign up for the show. This means that if you were lucky enough to get far in the process and have success in the competition then you would have signed something to say you will take part in the BGT live tour that happens after the show and if Simon Cowell wishes he could sign you up to his record label. Proof if ever there was that the show can indeed take you places if you get far, and that Simon Cowell may have an agenda beyond making good TV.

After a long 6 hour journey we entered the Excel centre and navigated our way through to the main lobby area. This is the main seating area where all the contestants and their families had to sit around and witness some people practising their talents. There was a mirror set up for dancers , in which one fell over. Hmm, embarrassing. There was one sight that I saw in the lobby area though that really got me thinking. There was a several young children that were I guess barely 6 years old that were in the lobby area. One of them I remember had a single hula hoop around his waist he was spinning around. And I couldn't help feel that his parents is putting him in a really weird position and the whole thing felt kinda wrong. They have applied for him to walk into a room with a scary producer, a feat for most adults, to swing a hoop round his waist. And I have to ask what's the point and why you would do that from a parents point of view. To clarifying here- I am all for encouraging talent amongst young children. Some of them are incredible singers and in the competition stand a good chance. Their parent's I am sure would want to push their kids into it and support their talents but lets be honest....a hula hoop swing around a waist isn't going to be anything that's going to stand a chance in the competition. And at such a young age I wonder how much that kid even realised what was going on and how much pressure that kind of environment would have. BGT is open to all age groups but I think there is a point where they are just too young for a competition like this. It's enough to rattle the nerves out of most adults....

From the lobby area we were told to follow somebody to an audition room and wait outside in groups of 10.We were then individually told the scary words "okay ready, go on through" to the audition room for our individual auditions.One of the first things to note is that the room is absolutely gigantic. When the application form amusingly mentioned giving them a heads-up if you were to bring live animals such as  "elephants" to the audition- I guess they weren't kidding. A bull African Elephant would happily fit in that room with ample space to manoeuvre . If you watch other talent shows or been to an audition you would of course know that this is the norm to have a gaping vacuum of space between the person conducting the audition and the contestant. It's like no-mans land in WW1 where I wish I could dig a trench and hide away. It certainly piles on the nerves to know I have to sing in such a large space with such a gap between us without a microphone and having to project my voice over a backing instrumental. Oddly enough I wasn't nervous because I pulled that confidence switch that enabled my performing/musical persona to come out. It's more nervous singing in front of your own family then in that audition because the producer/cameraman has never seen you before so they wouldn't know I'm quite an introvert usually.So I walked into the room with a bit of a swagger and tried to pull of the confidence which I think worked. Or I looked ridiculous.I went in expecting questions to try and gather the sort of personality I have but surprisingly there was no questions other than what my name is and what song I was singing. I suppose at the pre-audition stages they are literally more focused on looks and talent than anything else. No chance for a good sob story at this stage!

As I was singing I saw the young producer make notes behind the desk. I'm really curious to see what those notes were! It's really interesting to think that those 1-2 minutes I was in that room I had to make SOME impression to stand out from the thousands upon thousands that applied. How do you stand out from 75,000?  I assume at this stage the quick note-taking is enough to have a verdict as to who is definitely not even worth a look or not. To get down to 500 is a monumental task so they must have a really quick criteria in which to judge.

They aren't really true judges at this stage so half a song and the song was stopped and that was it. I'm not sure if they give feedback to everyone because they don't really have to. She did say my voice suited country music though and it was unusual for someone my age to be singing it. That's exactly  what I wanted to hear. This game isn't about how is the best singer or who has more talent....it's about them finding things that are a bit unique/interesting and would appeal to the audience. If they want a young country singer (an angle I chose to go in with specifically to try and stand out) then there could theoretically be a tiny slither of hope of me getting through. When you have 75,000 apply though- the word "chance" comes with a mandatory "no" on the front of it. I was really happy that I went in with confidence and got some good feedback and that's really all I could have wished for.

They gave me a piece of paper and sent me on my way. Through Jan/Feb they call people to tell them if they are through to the next round or not. Or they send you a letter by the end of March to say you haven't gotten through. My boss at work told me "Ohhh I bet you are just waiting by the phone everyday hoping it will ring" - No. The exact opposite! When you are in a competition that had 75,000 apply you don't wait by the phone hoping for anything. You go on with your life expecting a letter by the end of March. Anything else is a massive surprise.