Tulisa - The Biography (15 page)

At the press launch for the perfume, at The Perfume Shop in London’s Oxford Street, Tulisa wore a distinctive black dress with red stripes criss-crossing and white squares. In colour scheme and design it was similar to the famous
X Factor
logo. However, if coordination had been intended it could just have easily been to tie in with The Perfume Shop logo, which featured the same colours and a similar design. The dress was said to have been designed by Karen Millen. One bitchy press report on the launch suggested that her outfit’s similarity to the shop’s logo made her appear like she was a girl employed by the store. However, with black heels and her hair in a semi-bouffant, she looked stylish and stunning as the press snapped away at her.

It is difficult to launch a celebrity perfume with statements that are anything other than a bit fatuous, as many other celebrity scent-launchers have found. Tulisa told the assembled press that she ‘wanted a fragrance that I could relate to’. She added that her design was to create: ‘something powerful without losing its girlieness. I wanted to be able to wear it day and night. This fragrance will really give the girls the confidence to show those boys who is boss.’ Cheesy stuff, but no more so than the statements uttered by other celebrities who have launched their own scents. At the Oxford Street launch, hundreds of Tulisa’s fans queued for several hours to be able to meet her at the event. She announced during it that she had plans to launch a clothing line. Mindful of the age and background of many of her admirers, she said: ‘Lots of my fans are young girls so I want to make sure they don’t have to spend a lot of money.’ Speaking of her own wider plans, she added: ‘Then I want to expand into other areas. I’d love to be known as a successful female businesswoman worldwide.’ Fazer had, in 2010, also said he wished to launch his own clothing line. For it he envisaged a name: Na Na Wear. Imaginative, or perhaps not.

 ****

Back in
X Factor
land, she was at the heart of the story again. Almost lost amid the ongoing controversy over Tulisa and Walsh’s remarks about Misha were Tulisa’s comments about the performance of Frankie Cocozza, which had been criticial. ‘I really enjoyed myself on stage,’ he said. ‘I wasn’t too impressed with my comments, but I can’t do anything about that. Tulisa said that I’d lost my innocence, but I don’t think I’ve ever been innocent if I’m honest.’ He snapped that any criticisms he received from Tulisa and the rest of the panel only fuelled his determination. ‘Hearing the bad comments from the judges makes you determined and makes you want to do better.’

Next, Tulisa had more work to do when a member of her band The Risk dropped a bombshell on her. Ashley J Baptiste threw an almighty spanner in the works when he  told Tulisa: ‘This isn’t for me. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.’ She was shocked, but soon adapted to the news philosophically. ‘He had to do what was right for him,’ she reasoned. She had to decide what to do in the wake of this news – and fast. Unlike the everyday pop world, where a band’s commitments could be put on hold while a new member was carefully chosen, the weekly demands of
The X Factor
dictated a swift resolution. Using the same creativity and daring that she had employed to put together The Risk in the first place, Tulisa decided to refer back to Nu Vibe. She thought that band’s member Ashford Campbell would be a neat replacement for Baptiste. She asked both parties if they were happy with her plan and checked with producers that it would be permitted. Having got the green light, she made her decision official: Campbell would join The Risk immediately. The three remaining original members of The Risk issued a statement giving the thumbs-up to Tulisa’s move. ‘He’s mega talented and will bring so many qualities to group,’ they said. ‘We’re so glad he said yes and we can’t wait to get rehearsing.’

Meanwhile, an eventful week for Tulisa was capped when her band Rhythmix was forced to change its name. A youth charity based in Brighton was dismayed when it learned that its name was also being used by the band. It said its work with tens of thousands of young people over the past 12 years was being put ‘at risk’ by the band’s name. A Facebook campaign was launched by the charity, demanding that the band change its name. This came to a head, in the week after the Misha controversy, when Tulisa’s band announced it would change its name to Little Mix. Even then the charity was not entirely satisfied. Its chief executive complained that it had taken too long for the matter to be resolved. He even called for
X Factor
bosses to pay the legal costs the charity had incurred after hiring lawyers.

At the live show on Saturday, the personnel change in The Risk was eclipsed by another swap: on the judges’ panel. Kelly Rowland was reportedly too ill to fly home from America for the weekend’s shows. It was announced that 2008
X Factor
winner Alexandra Burke would sit in for Rowland on the weekend’s shows. Burke’s presence brought a fresh energy to the show, quite literally in the form of the excited delivery of her verdicts. At one stage she reacted angrily to some comments from Walsh, and concluded her outburst ‘OK dot com,’ much to the
side-split
amusement of many viewers on Twitter. The Burke verdict that most impacted on Tulisa was not for one of the bands, but for Habibis, of whom Tulisa had grown so fond. Although Burke was ostensibly replacing Rowland, that did not mean she gave automatic positive feedback to the American singer’s acts. When it came to Habibis, Burke followed damning verdicts from Walsh and Barlow with a not entirely complimentary judgement herself. Her positives about Habibis were lukewarm, and she added that there had been a ‘slight tuning problem’ with her rendition of ‘Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)’.

On the following evening’s results show, Tulisa was delighted when her remaining acts The Risk and Little Mix were both safely voted through. Indeed, for many viewers and commentators Little Mix had been the pick of the bunch in the previous evening’s live show. Their striking take on the Katy Perry song ‘ET’ had united the panel and most viewers. Tulisa felt great as she left the stage, with both her acts intact after the dreaded public vote. However, as she took her seat back on the panel, her joy was tempered by the realisation that the bottom two would be Misha B and Habibis. For Tulisa it was difficult to decide which of the pair to vote to save. On the one hand, she admired the talent of Habibis and had also grown very close to the young Londoner. However, she admired the rich talent of Misha, whose style of music came closer to that of N-Dubz than any of the other contestants. Furthermore, Tulisa was keenly aware that the public would view her decision through the prism of the previous weekend’s controversy between her and Misha. If she saved Habibis, she realised, a lot of people would see this as her sticking a second knife into Misha. Decisions, decisions!

Walsh had, predictably, already voted to save Misha B when it came to Tulisa’s turn to speak. She announced that she and Misha had addressed their issues from the previous weekend, and added that she would have to base her decision on music, rather than ‘personalities and connections’. Already, things were looking bleak for Habibis. ‘I have to go to the person I can most relate to musically, the person who represents the music from my roots,’ added Tulisa, before announcing she would send Habibis home. After Rowland came to the same decision – via a telephone link-up – Misha B was saved and Habibis left the competition.

It had been a tough moment for Tulisa to send Habibis home. Their bond and friendship had been strong from when they first met during the competition. Tulisa would have loved to save her friend, but she had told herself from the moment she first signed the contract to be an
X Factor
judge that she would approach everything during the show with the utmost honesty and integrity. Though it had been a tough week for her, it ended with her standing tall. Not only had she successfully negotiated her two acts through the public vote, she had also seen Little Mix soar in popularity and respect. The crowning high for Tulisa came when the public saw her put aside a personal friendship with Habibis to vote honestly. What an eventful seven days it had been – and Tulisa had been the only
X Factor
judge to get into the Halloween spirit by wearing a cat-woman outfit for the Saturday evening show, complete with pointy ears.

The weekend’s drama had done little to dispel perceptions that Tulisa and Rowland had genuinely fallen out. Barlow insisted that all the drama on the panel was genuine and that relations between judges did get ‘heated’. He went on to single out Tulisa for praise. ‘[She] is brilliant,’ he said. ‘To come onto the panel as a complete beginner and put those groups together like she did, shows a real eye for talent. I hope one of her groups gets through to the final few. They’re very lucky to have her – she spends a lot of time and energy on them.’

Another of Barlow’s comments in this interview with
Heat
magazine was a critical one of Walsh, who he accused of spending insufficient time with his acts. Meanwhile, another newspaper placed Walsh and Tulisa in the centre of an alleged fresh controversy. It was claimed that Cowell, tired of the slipping viewing figures for the show, had charged Walsh with the responsibility of shaking up the judges’ panel. The chief option being mulled over by Walsh was, reportedly, replacing Tulisa with former
X Factor
judge Cheryl Cole. It was safe to say that no such swap was ever in danger of happening, and that this story could be filed under the ‘hype’ category. Meanwhile, Rowland arrived back in Britain after her prolonged absence. She looked in decent health as she arrived at LAX Airport for the flight to the UK. With a dash of irony, no sooner had Rowland recovered than Tulisa fell ill. She pulled out of all promotional arrangements for her perfume after being hit by toothache.

In another, ultimately successful, bid to boost ratings, the show’s producers decided to stage a double elimination the following weekend. As the public debated which two acts would leave the competition, few predicted that either of Tulisa’s remaining acts would be in danger of the dreaded chop. Both Little Mix and The Risk were, in fact, most often discussed as potential finalists or even as becoming the first band to win
The X Factor
. So what a shock it was when The Risk finished bottom in that weekend’s public vote, thus becoming the first act to leave on the night. It had been an entertaining weekend of
X Factor
. On the Saturday evening the acts sang ‘club classics’ songs. From Johnny Robinson’s camp opener to Little Mix’s superb rendition of ‘Don’t Stop The Music’ at the top of the show, it was an entertaining evening. The performance generally regarded as the low-point of the show was Frankie Cocozza’s chaotic take on ‘I Gotta Feeling’ by Black Eyed Peas. Given that he had already been considered likely to be voted out, lots of viewers expected that the bottom two would be Cocozza plus one other. Robinson was tipped to join him, in part because he had performed in the opening slot, known as the ‘graveyard slot’ due to the fact that the opener act is often forgotten by the time the voting lines open at the end of the show.

On the following evening’s results show there was widespread shock when O’Leary announced the results of the public vote, and it was revealed that Cocozza had survived a place in the bottom three. As gasps rang across the audience, even Cocozza seemed shocked and a little embarrassed to have survived. The shock became deeper when it sunk in that The Risk was in the bottom three alongside Robinson and the controversial Kitty Brucknell. Tulisa looked devastated. All she could hope for now was that they had not finished bottom, as that act would be sent home immediately, leaving the other two to battle for survival in the ‘sing-off’. However, Tulisa’s act was not going to be permitted any such lifeline. To her surprise and horror, it quickly transpired they
had
finished bottom of the public vote and would be eliminated immediately. The  stunned expression on Tulisa’s face said it all. Meanwhile, O’Leary asked the band why they thought they had finished bottom. Risk member Derry Mensah replied: ‘I don’t know what it is, I’m just happy that we’re here together.’ The band’s de facto front man Charlie Healy confirmed that the band planned to ‘carry on’ together, while Andrew Merry added: ‘It’s been an absolute honour to sing with these guys, it’s been an amazing experience. Thanks to everyone who’s helped us along the way.’ Then it was time to wave them goodbye. After the sing-off Robinson was sent home by the judges, allowing Brucknell to survive another week.

Afterwards, Tulisa was asked what she thought had caused her previously fancied band to crash out of the voting public’s favour. ‘I don’t know,’ she said, still clearly shaken and upset. ‘I think maybe the band changeover, the dramas affected them probably… I don’t know.’ Whenshe was asked whether her initial manufacturing of the band and the subsequent line-up change prior to the previous weekend’s show had played a part, Tulisa attempted an answer but it was clear she was still in a state of some disbelief as she addressed that theory. ‘Yeah there’s a possibility, maybe that’s why they were getting so much support until now but honestly I have no idea,’ she continued. ‘It was honestly a massive shock for me tonight, I’m not denying that. I’m totally baffled. I don’t think they deserved to go at all.’ Despite admitting that her line-up changes and manufacturing of the band might have been responsible for their exit, Tulisa was absolutely clear that she had no regrets over her actions. It is not in Tulisa’s nature to back down easily on a decision she has made. She was not about to do so here. ‘I definitely do not regret one moment of creating those groups or watching them perform or watching them grow or getting to know them,’ she said. ‘For me it’s been a good experience for me and for them and life-changing for them because they’re going to go on to do good things and I can never regret changing someone’s life, no way.’

Tulisa had to pick herself up and begin another week of working on keeping her one remaining act in the running. Little Mix was growing in stature each week and Tulisa was determined for so many reasons to give them her backing. Firstly, they were her act, secondly they were her only remaining act and thirdly, she felt a sense of sisterhood with the girls and was keen to buck the
X Factor
trend of girl bands being unsuccessful. Tulisa had carefully, and not entirely inaccurately, positioned them as everyday girls who female voters should relate to, rather than envy. All the same, the band and their mentor faced a huge mental obstacle. In fact, Tulisa had a double trend to buck. No band had ever won
The X Factor
. The closest were G4 and JLS who had finished runners-up to Steve Brookstein and Alexandra Burke respectively. If Tulisa could take Little Mix all the way, she would be making
X Factor
history, as well as being the winning mentor. Quite a target to aim for.