Fleur East was warned by Alexandra Burke after she signed to Simon Cowell’s record label Syco, following her time on The X Factor.
Simon, who is returning to Britain’s Got Talent tonight (February 21), signed Fleur after she finished in second place on the ITV talent show in 2014.
However, after working hard for her dreams, Fleur realised there were issues with the label early on..
Fleur East on Simon Cowell’s label Syco
During an appearance on the What If People Find Out? podcast earlier this week, Fleur opened up about the huge success of her single Sax, which was a global hit.
Around the time of launching her first album, however, there had been a huge shift in the industry. Prior to, songs had been promoted on radio and television before they went on sale.
However, with streaming starting to take off, things had changed. Music was being promoted and marketed differently, and Fleur admitted she felt like the label’s “guinea pig”.
Fleur recalled having a meeting with her label, who were unsure how to release her album, Love, Sax & Flashbacks. Instead of releasing multiple singles beforehand, they put the whole record out after its first single Sax.
‘Everyone had all the songs, so how do you release singles that are already released? And how do you promo them all, when they’ve streamed them all?” she said.
Alexandra Burke’s warning
Fleur felt the pressure, admitting that every year, the label would eye up more talent to prioritise when a new series would air.
She recalled the time former winner Alexandra Burke, who used to be signed to the label, gave her a warning.
“I remember her saying to me, ‘Don’t let them forget about you, babe. Don’t let them forget about you,'” Fleur said.
Alexandra told Fleur to make sure she is “priority” and that she wasn’t “put on the shelf”. After her advice, the It Takes Two host began to “see all the signs”.
“I’ve heard of stories of this, artists getting shelved, artists getting dropped. And then next minute, I’m there, I’m this person that’s getting shelved,” she continued, describing the process as “mentally draining” after trying to convince them her music was good enough.
The singer revealed she was then doing studio sessions for the next two years, but wouldn’t be allowed to release any new material.
In the end, she was let free from the label after “pushing” and was able to take the music she recorded with her.
Read more: Fleur East ‘gutted’ over dad’s death as she pays an emotional tribute to her father
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