Dermot O’Leary sympathises with ‘X Factor’ acts for having to "rigorously butcher" songs down to two-and-a-half minutes.
The talent show’s presenter admits one thing the programme has taught him about music is how tough it is for the contestants to chop a song down, but insists anyone can spot a talented singer no matter what age they are.
Speaking to Spotify to promote his new memoir, ‘The Soundtrack to my Life’, he said: "It’s taught me that it’s very hard to cut a song down to two-and-a-half minutes – there just aren’t that many songs that can stand that rigorous sort of butchery. But it’s also taught me how universal it is.
"It doesn’t matter if you’re a 16-year-old NME reader or someone’s granny watching ‘The X Factor’, a great song and a great performer will always affect you."
As well as listening to the dulcet tones of several ‘X Factor’ contestants while he is at work, the 41-year-old TV presenter admits he feels happy when he hears his wife Dee laughing and their cats purring.
When asked what his favourite noise is, he added: "I would say two things. My wife laughing is, of course, number one, but we have two cats. One is partially blind and when she meows and purrs in a way that signals she’s content it makes me content too. Oh, and a woodpigeon on a sunny day!"
To accompany his book’s launch, Dermot has put together his ‘Soundtrack to my Life’ Spotify playlist, featuring tracks which have played an important part in his life; such as ‘Macarena’ by Los Del Rio, ‘Rehab’ by Amy Winehouse, and One Direction’s ‘Little Things’.
Dermot O’Leary sympathises with X Factor ‘butchery’
