It’s Official: Kelly Rowland, Paulina Rubio Joining ‘X Factor’
May 20th, 2013
It’s official. Joining Simon Cowell and Demi Lovato as judges on season three of The X Factor U.S. will be singers Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio, Fox has announced.
Said Cowell in a statement: “It’s taken more than a decade but I’m delighted to finally be on a panel with three girls (I think!). Paulina and Kelly both have great taste and massive experience in the music industry and together with Demi, this is going to be a fun panel. It just feels like the time to do something different.”
The much rumored move is unsurprising, as Rowland previously served as a judge on the eighth season of The X Factor U.K. This wouldn’t be the first time Cowell has pulled talent from his series across the pond. In the first season of The X Factor U.S., Cowell had initially tapped Cheryl Cole to judge, though she was ultimately replaced by Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, who herself later moved across the pond to judge in the U.K.
“I am very excited to be reuniting with Simon Cowell,” said Rowland, a member of ’90s girl group Destiny’s Child, which launched the career of Beyonce, and whose next solo album, Talk a Good Game,is scheduled for release on June 1. “It feels great to be able to take this journey here at home in the states!” As for Mexican singer-actress Rubio, who also hails from a teen group, she warned, “Simon, be careful what you wish for, let’s see if you are ready to handle me, empieza la fiesta, amigo!” (loose translation: the party begins, friend).
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