Talent Spotting

IF anyone has a nose for talent it's Carrie Grant. With 22 years
experience in showbiz, the vocal coach has proved a valuable addition
to shows like Pop Idol and Fame Academy, where she helped the likes of
Will Young and David Sneddon go on to success.

But even Grant can get it wrong sometimes, as she did when she first
met Sneddon. Initially writing him off as 'really boy band', she was
forced to change her mind when he proved his talent as a songwriter.

Her mistake has been recorded for posterity in one of Sneddon's songs,
a track from his album called OK, in which he sings, 'If they had
their way you'd be singing on the street and working bars, then
they're on your side, you can do no wrong'. Up until now she was
unaware of Sneddon's sly retort.

'Really?' she laughs. 'Does he sing, 'That bitch vocal coach who
didn't believe in me?' Something similar, I'm sure.'

But Grant is happy to admit her first impression of the Fame Academy
winner was wrong.

'I told him to show me what he could do and he did and he was great,'
she says. 'No one likes that more than I do. I love the fact that I
can change my mind about someone if they show me something they
haven't shown before.'

Grant, 37, is now ploughing all her showbiz know-how into brand new
reality series The Agents, on the CBBC Channel on Saturdays and Sundays.

But this time she's unlikely to annoy anyone as much as she did
Sneddon as she's back to the type of advisory role she had on Pop Idol
rather than sitting in judgement on the contestants as she did in Fame
Academy.

Each week The Agents gives three children from two different schools
the chance to find and nurture a local talent who they will enter in a
head-to-head showdown with the talent found by their rival school.

'The thing is the agent's performer could win but it doesn't mean the
agents will win,' explains Grant. 'Really the series is about the
agents and it could be that the talent was already brilliant and they
didn't really develop them.

'But if the other school really worked hard in putting their budget
together, developing their artist well and did brilliantly as agents,
they could still win.'

Grant has been enjoying the series immensely since it started filming
a few weeks ago. Not only has she been travelling about the country -
the schools are based in Nottingham, Newcastle, Bristol, Birmingham,
Leeds, Cardiff and Liverpool - but she's found the 'agents' themselves
to be very entertaining.

'I was wondering how a kids reality show would work at first but
they've been so funny to watch,' she laughs. 'There was this great
moment in Newcastle where the boy captain said, 'The problem is you
won't resolsify my opinion' and the girl's going, 'That is not true, I
always resolsify your opinion', and they had this whole argument
around this word that no one knew the meaning of.'

So far Grant hasn't ruffled any feathers with her typically
forthcoming advice. In fact the agents are usually too star struck to
get upset with this important lady off the telly.

'When I go in it's really funny because it's a surprise visit and
they're really shocked,' she grins. 'It's such a lovely thing because
I've been in the industry for 22 years just plodding away unknown and
suddenly I'm known and just seeing the children's faces when they see
me is so excellent.'

Grant's wealth of showbiz experience began when she became a dancer on
leaving school. She then went on to singing and also did a bit of
presenting before becoming a vocal coach.

Along with her husband David, who is also a vocal coach and appeared
with her on Pop Idol, she has trained some of the biggest names in pop
music including Diana Ross, S Club, Melanie C, Robbie Williams, Atomic
Kitten and Rod Stewart.

On Fame Academy she became known for her searingly-honest opinions,
but she says that it's only on Fame Academy that her criticism has
elicited bad reactions from those she's training.

'I can only imagine that it's awful to be standing there on national
television and be told your performance isn't good enough to get you
signed.

'But they were getting a £1m deal for goodness sake, they've got
to be good.'

After also casting her expert eye over the 'talents' at this year's
Celebrity Fame Academy, Grant will be back at the school for a third
time later this year for the second proper series of the show. This
time she'll be joined by hubbie David, who she lives with in north
London with their two children.

'It's in the middle of auditions,' she says of the show. 'Last year I
wasn't there from the beginning and it's been interesting because a
lot of the people that got into the Academy last time would certainly
not get in this time, the standard is really high.

'I think it's going to be pretty much the same format as before,
except that David's doing this series with me which is great.

'Someone asked him the other day what we are going to be like on the
show and he said, 'Well Carrie shoots straight between the eyes and
I'm more slow release poison',' laughs Grant. 'I'm not sure whether
that's a positive comment or not.'