James Morrison: "I'm Glad I Was Rejected by Fame Academy"  1/19/07

British singer/songwriter James Morrison once applied to British reality TV show Fame Academy, but he insists he is "glad" the talent-seeking bosses rejected his musical ability.

The You Give Me Something star applied to the BBC show in 2005 while struggling to launch his pop career, but he can now look back and laugh now he has found success without the help of instant fame.

He recalls, "I sent a tape in to Fame Academy about two years ago because I saw it being advertised. I felt I could sing a lot better than a lot of what I was hearing on the TV. I thought I could bring something to the show, that I could sing and play the guitar, that I might as well send if my tape and see what they said.

"If they had liked the tape and got me on the show, I'd have happily taken part. I just wanted to get someone to hear and see me and get a professional opinion to find out if I was wasting my time. I felt, what else can i do? At the time I was cleaning vans for a living and couldn't get any gigs. I thought Fame Academy was my big opportunity.

"They sent me a letter telling me I wasn't what they were looking for. I've still got that letter and the thing that makes me laugh is that it says at the bottom, 'Don't contact us, we'll contact you'. Now I'm kind of glad."