MUSIC & SPORT Music Contests WARM-UP SPEAKING PAIR WORK Ti piace la musica? Che genere preferisci? Qual è il tuo cantante o la tua band preferita? Qual è la tua canzone preferita? Discutine col tuo compagno. Music contests are popular all around the world. They are exciting shows that people enjoy watching with friends and family and that give popularity to new artists who sometimes become real music stars. Do you know any famous singers or bands who are now famous thanks to one of these shows? I bet you do! The X Factor Do you know what the term "X factor" means? It means extraordinary talent or quality. In 2004, a famous British producer, Simon Cowell, used that term for a new TV music competition he invented. He wanted to find the X factor in new artists that had to perform onstage in front of cameras and an audience. The prize of the competition was a recording contract and, above all, incredible popularity on TV. The X Factor show was such a great success that the format became popular in many countries. The show launched the careers of British artists such as One Direction and Adele. The Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual contest that started in 1956. The only year in which it didn’t take place was 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants come from any European country and to take part in the contest, they must be at least 16. Each participant country submits an original song that is performed live on TV and radio. The country with the winning song is the host country for the following year's event. In 2021 the Italian rock band Måneskin won the competition and Turin was the host city of the 2022 event. Many world-famous music artists desire to appear on the Eurovision stage. In the past, stars like Madonna, Abba and Celine Dion were at the contest as participants or guests. Ireland holds the record for the most victories. The American adaptation of the is the , launched in March 2022. Eurovision American Song Contest GLOSSARY : : : : : : : : : : : to aim mirare, ambire to bet scommettere to face towards voltarsi verso host ospite onstage sul palco prize premio to submit presentare term termine viewer telespettatori winning vincente to launch lanciare