‘She was right under his nose!’ Greg James accuses Simon Cowell of missing out on signing Dua Lipa after she starred in an advert for X Factor back in 2013
Greg James has accused Simon Cowell of missing out on signing Dua Lipa to his company Syco Entertainment.
The DJ, 35, revealed on Tuesday’s edition of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show that the singer, 25, had appeared in an advert for Simon’s show X Factor back in 2013, in which she sang a cover of Sister Sledge’s Lost In Music to promote auditions.
Discussing the resurfaced video, Greg claimed: ‘I know Simon Cowell doesn’t need the money – but she was right under his nose and he didn’t sign her!’
‘She was right under his nose!’ On Tuesday, Greg James accused Simon Cowell of missing out on signing Dua Lipa after she starred in an advert for X Factor back in 2013 (pictured in March)
Dua portrayed a wannabe contestant in the advert who was seen singing in her garden while hanging out laundry before stepping out onto the X Factor auditions.
Simon was not part of the show’s judging panel in 2013, with Take That’s Gary Barlow taking his place and also appearing in the trailer.
Gary was joined by Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne and Nicole Scherzinger, and the quartet could be seen at the end of the advert looking excitedly at Dua.
Instead, Simon took part in the US edition of the show, and appeared on the judge’s panel alongside Demi Lovato, Paulina Rubio, and Kelly Rowland.
Greg revealed Dua appeared in an advert for Simon’s show X Factor back in 2013, and sang a cover of Sister Sledge’s Lost In Music to promote auditions (Simon pictured in 2018)
Pre-debut: Dua portrayed a wannabe contestant in the advert who was seen singing in her garden while hanging out laundry before stepping out onto the X Factor auditions
Claim: Discussing the resurfaced video, Greg (pictured) claimed: ‘I know Simon Cowell doesn’t need the money – but she was right under his nose and he didn’t sign her!’
Sam Bailey won the competition in 2013 with Sharon as her mentor, and Simon returned to the judges panel in 2014 for the 11th series.
Dua was a model at the time she did the advert, and following her appearance on it she signed a contract with Tap Management and then went on to sign a record deal with Warner Bros. Records in 2014.
The singer has released two albums since her debut, her self-titled record in 2017 and Future Nostalgia last year, both of which have become huge hits.
MailOnline has contacted Dua and Simon’s representatives for further comment.
Start: Dua appeared in the advert before getting her big break in the music industry
Absent: Simon was not part of the show’s judging panel in 2013, and he also did not appear in the advert that Dua sang in
Dua made waves at the 2021 BRIT Awards last week as she ran through a medley of some of her biggest hits at the ceremony, held at London’s O2.
The awards ceremony truly belonged to her as the evening saw her scoop the accolade for Female Solo Artist and the Mastercard British Album of the Year Award for her lockdown hit Future Nostalgia.
As she accepted her Best Female Solo artist gong, which she dedicated to nurse Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, Dua said: ‘[Dame Elizabeth] has spent her stellar nursing career fighting racial injustice.
Absent: Take That’s Gary Barlow (far left) took Simon’s place in the 2013 series and starred with Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne and Nicole Scherzinger (pictured)
Across the pond: Instead, Simon took part in the US edition of the show, and appeared on the judge’s panel alongside Demi Lovato, Paulina Rubio, and Kelly Rowland (pictured)
‘She has spent so much time and is a strong advocate for protecting frontline workers, thank you.
‘She has also said that there is a massive disparity between love and respect for frontline workers, because we need to clap them but we need to pay them.
‘So I think what we should do is give a massive round of applause and give Boris a message that we all support a pay rise for our frontline.’
Career path: Dua (pictured last week) was a model at the time, and after the advert she signed a contract with Tap Management and got a record deal with Warner Bros. Records in 2014