What are you looking for this year?

Someone who stands out from the crowd. Someone who knows who they are and what they want to be. Not people copying an artist who is already out there. I want them to be telling me what music we should be making for people their age – especially the younger ones. They have to be relevant.

Have there been lots of memorable auditions this year?

There have been a lot of memorable ones this year for different reasons – you will know them when you see them. I don’t want to give too much away.

What things do auditionees do that put you off?

There are certain songs we hear over and over again at auditions and it really puts you off. They can be great songs but when you’ve heard them 20 times already that day, it’s off putting. And I also like it when they are totally honest about why they have entered – if you’ve entered because you want to get rich and famous then that’s great!

The X Factor returned to Dublin this year for the first time in a few years. How was the talent there?

I think Louis particularly enjoyed being there – given the chance he’d have put most of the auditionees straight through – probably even before they’d sung. I had no idea what to expect – Louis has told us for years there is more talent in Dublin than anywhere else in the world… so we went there because of him!

Do you think sometimes the judges overshadow the auditionees?

That’s a really good point. Sometimes we have gotten into the habit, and obviously I am partly responsible for this, of the judges personalities being talked about more than the contestants. The judges are there for their opinions, so for me, the most important criteria for sitting on a judging panel is, do you actually know what you are talking about?

How do you know when you’ve found someone with the X Factor?

Tastes change all the time and I think it can actually change over time. If you look at the pop music world today, it’s been completely influenced by Lady Gaga, Glee, Katy Perry. Two years ago it was a very different landscape. And the reason we call the show The X Factor is it’s more than just a singing voice, because if it were only a singing voice we could just as easily make a show where contestants send in tapes and we listen to the voices. All great artists are relevant, they have that steel in their eyes – it’s charisma, personality, being unique, entertaining, and all those things rolled into one.

How have the guest judges worked out this year?

They have been great – each of them has been different in their own way and brought different perspectives to

the auditions.

Which category would you like to mentor this year?

They each have their appeal – the winning one basically! Cheryl would be absolutely unbearable if she won again.

Do we have more surprises to come with the live shows?

Of course. There are new things happening all the time and we change things on a weekly, no actually, daily basis.

How would you sum up this year’s show?

I’m excited by it. It’s different in a lot of ways. Things have moved on and the show will reflect that.

SUMMER is almost over, which means school, homework (boo) but most excitingly, The X Factor is back! The brilliant first show of the seventh season made us laugh and cry and there’s plenty more to come… according to Simon Cowell!