Music

Interview

Interview: Scarlett Lee previews The X Factor tour

We spoke to The X Factor star about life after the tv show.

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In the 2017 series of The X Factor, Scarlett Lee had her dreams snatched away from her when judge Sharon Osbourne decided she wasn’t up to scratch for the show and eliminated the young singer during the competition’s controversial Six Chair Challenge stage.

Whilst many would never recover from such a devastating blow to their confidence, it made the young singer from Surrey more determined and in 2018, after a year of relentless work, Scarlett came back to The X Factor, and came back swinging.

Mentored by Simon Cowell, Scarlett won over the hearts of a nation and made it all the way to this year’s final of the competition, wowing audiences with her renditions of tracks such as Frankie Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You and This Is Me taken from the hit movie The Greatest Showman.

Scarlett Lee sings This Is Me | Live Shows Week 6 | X Factor UK 2018

Although she eventually finished runner-up to Dalton Harris, who Scarlett refers to as “amazing”, Scarlett’s future in the music business looks as bright as her shining personality.

It all starts with the huge The X Factor Live Tour 2019 in February. Ahead of the shows, we called Scarlett to ask her how she’s feeling about the gigs and how she’s adjusting to post The X Factor life.


It’s been less than two weeks since the final, have you managed to process it? 

I think it’s finally started to sink in. It still feels like an absolute dream, from what happened last year to now, and being the last girl in the final is overwhelming.

It must feel particularly vindicating, given what happened last year.

It feels very surreal. I don’t understand how this has happened. I think last year I didn’t have the confidence, and I took a risk coming back this year because I want to be good and I want to be successful. I want people to know that if you follow your dreams, you can make it happen.

Your final performance with Leona Lewis felt like a proper X Factor moment. 

The amount of people who have been talking about that performance is crazy. It was just so much fun, it felt like it was just me and her, in a bedroom singing together. Leona is such a great person, she really inspires me.

Scarlett duets with Leona Lewis | Final | The X Factor UK 2018

What was it like being on the show? 

It was amazing. It’s like being on a big rollercoaster. Sometimes I was getting upset because I felt I wasn’t good enough, and sometimes I’d just be so happy with my performances that I’d wake up on a Sunday and think, you know what if I get sent home today, at least I’d made it this far. I’m so so sad that it’s over.

The live tour kicks off in February! How excited are you? 

I am so excited about the tour. This is something I’ve dreamed of since I was 10. I went to see The X Factor tour at Wembley Arena when One Direction were on it, and I told my sister “I’m going to be on that stage one day.” It’s a dream come true and I cannot wait to be reunited with all my friends from the show.

What can fans expect from your set? 

I’m just going to take this experience and just be me. Every song I performed on the show means something to me and I want to project that on stage. Me, Dalton and Shan have written a song, and hopefully, we’ll get to perform that as well.

Are you looking forward to seeing your fellow contestants again? 

Yes. They’re like brothers and sisters to me. I miss them all. I think we’re all gonna go on holiday together soon for a big celebration. It’s been an amazing year for us all.

Who’s going to be in charge of the music on the tour bus? 

It’s got to be Anthony. Every time I saw him in the house he had earphones in and he listens to everything.

Have you thought about what’s next for you as an artist? 

100%. I’ve been speaking to Simon (Cowell) and Lauren, who are both away enjoying the sun at the moment. I’ve been writing songs, I know what kind of music I want to make and know where I want to go with it. An album is definitely, definitely coming next year. I also want to get involved with more charity work and raise awareness around bullying.


Scarlett Lee joins Dalton Harris, Anthony Russell, Danny Tetley, Acadia & Aaliyah, Brendan Murray, Shan Ako and Bella Penfold on The X Factor arena tour in 2019.

Here are the dates:

15 February 2019 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
16 February 2019 – First Direct Arena, Leeds
17 February 2019 – Resorts World Arena, Birmingham (matinee)
19 February 2019 – Brighton Centre, Brighton
20 February 2019 – Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth
22 February 2019 – Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
23 February 2019 – The SSE Arena Wembley, London (matinee & evening)
24 February 2019 – FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield
26 February 2019 – Bonus Arena, Hull
27 February 2019 – BHGE Arena, Aberdeen
28 February 2019 – The SSE Hydro, Glasgow
1 March 2019 – Echo Arena, Liverpool
2 March 2019 – Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle
3 March 2019 – Manchester Arena, Manchester (matinee)
5 March 2019 – 3Arena, Dublin
6 March 2019 – SSE Arena, Belfast

Tickets for The X Factor Live Tour 2019 are available now through Ticketmaster.co.uk