Has Jordan Blown Her Pop Career?
After losing her Eurovision bid in an embarrassing
live show, we ask the experts if Jordan can ever redeem herself and
have a successful music career…
When Jordan stood up on stage and sang in front of
8 million TV viewers on the BBC’s Eurovision decider making
your mind up this month, it was supposed to signal the start of her
triumphant assault on the music industry. But by the time the closing
credits rolled later that night, the entire nation was left
wondering if Jordan’s dreams of pop stardom had been wiped out
forever.
Jordan’s only previous musical experience was
when she performed on Westlife’s she’s the one talent
search last Christmas, but that didn’t stop the 26 year old
glamour model from bravely showcasing her live vocals on making your
mind up with a song called not just anybody. The pregnant mother of
one hoped that winning the contest would convince the nation that
she has what it takes to be the next Kylie or Madonna. But when Jordan’s
three minutes on stage were met with derisive boos from the audience,
it became all too clear that her best just wasn’t good enough,
and Javine was chosen instead to represent the UK at Eurovision in
the Ukraine in May.
But despite a performance that she described herself
as “nervous” and “wobbly”, Jordan is still
intent on carving out a pop career, and claims she has already secured
a record deal and will release her debut single in October. So, following
her embarrassing performance on Imaking your mind up, can the model
ever be taken seriously as a singer? We asked a selection of music
industry experts - PR guru Max Clifford, pop manager Jonathan Shalit,
G-A-Y club promoter Jeremy Joseph and Ifame academy vocal coach Carrie
Grant - for their considered verdicts. Here are their honest appraisals
of Jordan’s
chances of ever hitting top of the charts…
Her Eurovision performance
So guys, you’ve heard the voice, what do you think?
Jonathan Shalit: Jordan has admitted she’s no singer. She’s
a modle who does a bit of singing. It takes a lot of courage to get
up in front of millions and sing like that so I respect her.
Jeremy Joseph: I wouldn’t call it a performance, it’s
more pantomime. I was expecting one of her dancers to come on and
go “It’s behind you!” even the audience was booing
her.
Carrie Grant: Judging by her performance, I’d say she spent
most of her preperation time promoting the song, rather than rehersing
it. It looked like she’d just learnt it on the night . She looked
stiff, and her vocals were mechanical. If she’d practised more
she wouldn’t have sounded like that.
Max Clifford: I think it just confirmed what people knew already -
her voice is OK, but it’s never going to set the world alight.
Celebrity vs. talent
After this performance, do you think Jordan can seriously launch a
pop career?
JJ: From the talent she demonstrated on the show, I really wouldn’t
think so
JS: It’s hard to say. I couldn’t turn Jordan into a pop
star. I really don’t understnd why she’s going down this
route. She’s likable and very genuine, but she’s not a
great singer. I don’t see the logic of her craving to be a singer.
It’s an unnecessary ambition.
MC: Simon Cowell told me a year ago that if Jordan was given the perfect
song, she could be successful. But she won’t be able to do it
with her own talent - just like 95 percent of the chart stars.
Could she have a hit just because of who she is?
JJ: She is very good at marketing herself, but to try to do something
that she’s obviously not capable of would be wrong.
CG: There’s a lot of public interest in Jordan, and women have
really started to like her - especially after her appearance on I’m
a celebrity…she did herself a lot of good on that.
JJ: I’m a celebrity… may have helped her cross over, but
just because she’s in magazines, it doesn’t mean people
like her.. Her Eurovision bid result - despite all the publicity she
did - shows that people don’t actually like her. She should
stick to what she does best, which is to egt her tits out and have
more
implants. That’s her career.
The Cowell factor
Simon Cowell thinks Jordan could have a massive pop career. Is her
wrong?
CG: I love Simon, but what stuns me is that he can say that Beyonce
can’t sing, and yet he’ll back Jordan. I think we need
to get Simon’s ears cleaned out!
JJ: If it’s true that Simon is behind Jordan, I’d have
to ask what she has got on him. It would be the only explanation.
JS: Well as far as I know, she’s not been offered record deals
and Simon Cowell has not offered her one.
Max, you would know - has Simon offered her a deal?
MC: If he has, I haven’t heard of it. He tends to tell me everything.
I would be amazed if he offered her a deal!
But if he were to sing her up, do you think he’d
end up with egg on his face?
MC: If Simon did take her on, noone would know about it unless the
record was a hit. Only then would you see a picture of the two of
them together
JS: No serious record company would sign her. Anyone who did would
be laughed at.
Soul sister?
Jordan says she wants to sing soul ballads, Is this the right direction
for her?
CG: No! She shouldn’t do ballads - she’d be setting herself
up for a fall. If she’s going to do it at all, she should stick
to the up tempo disco diva numbers
MC: She hasn’t got the voice for ballads. There are a lot of
people out there with amazing voices, and she’s not fit to clean
their shoes. She needs a gimmick song. Remember Samantha Fox? She
had a few hits. In other words, if a Pete Waterman or a Simon Cowell
worked very hard with her and made a real commercial record, she could
enjoy her 15 minutes in the spotlight.
The future
How do you think Jordan should progress from here?
MC: She should concentrate on finding the right song - that is the
key to everything - then maybe she could have a hit
JJ: I think she should only release a song anonymously - she should
let it go to number 1, and then come out and tell everyone it’s
her
JS: A lot of pop stars have no talent, but having all those machines
in the studio can make any voice sound great. Jordan should get a
great pop song that everyone likes
CG: With difficulty. Five years ago, she would have done OK trying
to make it as a pop star, but now pop is dead. Indie and rock are
in. Therefore I think it would be virtually impossible for her to
release records. Where’s the space for Jordan? There isn’t
any.
The verdict
So guys, when all is said and one, could Jordan really do it and have
a hit?
JJ: Having a pop career with what little talent Jordan has got is
bad for the industry - it will just demonstrate that anyone with big
tits can go out and have a career. That’s just wrong.
MC: With the right song she could have a hit, but she’s no Madonna,
that’s for sure.
CG: She’s a good-looking girl with bags of personality and loads
of publicity, but if she wants to be successful, she’s going
to need to put a lot more work into the vocals and stage presence
JS: She could have a hit if she had the perfect sonAg, but I can say
now that she certainly won’t have a long term pop career.