‘The X Factor’ UK: Nicholas McDonald releases first single ‘Answerphone’

Nicholas McDonald really isn’t wasting too much time at all following “The X Factor” UK to get his name out there as an artist. After all, the young Scottish singer has just released “Answerphone,” the first track off of his upcoming album. How is it? Let’s just say that it may be in some ways comparable to “Swagger Jagger,” but at least that one was somewhat catchy.

Let us be clear here when we say that the track below is by no means Nicholas’ fault: It feels so much more that this is the result of a record label just trying to cash in and throwing an album together before it is fully ready. This is reminiscent in a way of what happened to Marcus Collins a couple of years ago after he finished in second place on the show. The writing here is very cheesy and juvenile, and the lyrics about answering a phone are basically played out courtesy of Lady Gaga and so many others out there in the industry.

Is there still a chance that McDonald ends up having a career? Sure, and his March 10 album “Arms of an Angel” (bit of a sappy title for a teenager, no?) has some standards that people should like. On the disc, he is covering everyone from Adele (“Someone Like You”) to Westlife (“Flying Without Wings”). His post-show single “Superman” is also on there. There are some good songs, but it feels like a very disjointed release … and it has us worried already about what the folks over at Syco are going to give reigning champion Sam Bailey to work with. She, like Nicholas, is not considered to be perfect for pop audiences.

What do you think about Nicholas’ first single, and do you feel like this is a good or bad omen for the rest of the album? Let us know all your thoughts below, and click here if you want to get a glimpse at what else is coming on “The X Factor” this season.

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Photo: ITV