Fleur East has revealed she asked to be released from her record contract with Simon Cowell’s Syco label after finding the experience “mentally draining”. The singer, who finished runner-up on The X Factor in 2014, left the label in 2017 following three years signed to the company.
Speaking on the What If People Find Out? podcast with comedian James Barr, the 38-year-old described the pressure of recording music that was repeatedly rejected by executives.
She said:
“I could see I was being left at the side. Going into studio sessions every single day for two years is mentally draining.
“Then having them go, ‘I just don’t think it’s strong enough’.”
She added:
“That is so, so difficult to deal with and I’d just had enough, to be honest.”
“Imagine begging to be let go”
Fleur said the situation culminated in a direct confrontation with label executives.
“I walked into the office, demanded a meeting and said, ‘What are you doing with me? Just let me go. I’m a big girl. This limbo, this shelving period is awful. This is worse than just letting me go, so please just do it’.
“I had to really force them. Imagine begging to be let go.”
Her comments highlight the challenges artists can face when projects stall under major label deals, particularly after high-profile TV exposure.
Simon Cowell apologises for past behaviour
Fleur’s remarks come after Simon Cowell recently apologised for some of his past on-screen criticism of aspiring artists.
Speaking to The Sunday Times about his time on The X Factor, which ran in the UK from 2004 to 2018 and in the US from 2011 to 2013, he said:
“I did realise I’ve probably gone too far.
“What can I say? I’m sorry. I’m not proud of it. But then again, the upside is that it made the shows really popular worldwide.”
In December, Cowell also apologised for “being a dick” during his time judging American Idol.
He has since returned to television with his Netflix series Simon Cowell: The Next Act, which follows his search for a new boyband.
Cowell said of criticism around the show:
“The only thing I can judge is my own taste. I can’t please everyone. If you don’t like it, you don’t like it, but that’s your call.”
