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Jedward: they thought it was all over... it ain't now

The Grimes twins looked like being another one-hit wonder after being dumped by Sony, but they could be here to stay, says Ed Power

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By Ed Power
Friday Mar 19 2010

Can you believe it? Just when Jedward seemed to have it all -- a number one single, a string of sell-out dates across the country, lifetime membership of the gym at Lucan Spa Hotel -- evil Sony Records does the unthinkable and drops them.

On the very day the Grimes twins were preparing to perform in front of their largest ever home-town audience -- 9,500 screaming fans at The O2 -- it was announced that Simon Cowell's label was to end its relationship with John and Edward.

That's despite their debut single, a distinctively tongue-in-cheek version of Queen's Under Pressure (complete with gurning Vanilla Ice), shooting to the top of the charts and narrowly missing number one in Britain.

Though Simon Cowell probably wishes it were otherwise, this assuredly won't be the last we've heard of Jedward. There's that eight-night stand at Vicar Street for starters.

And no sooner had Sony ejected them from the building -- one imagines Simon was on hand to administer the final boot down the rubbish chute -- than Universal Music snapped them up, to a three-album deal no less.

"Universal is the best record company in the world," said Louis Walsh, their most prominent supporter on X Factor and unofficial cheerleader. "They're the same company who signed up stars like Boyzone and Take That -- the lads are going to go far with them behind them."

Good news for Jedward, who, one senses, haven't even begun to milk their 15 minutes of infamy yet (we can argue as to whether they will have much in the way of a pop career 12 months from now, but you wouldn't bet against them being millionaires).

Obviously their fans will be relieved too. When news of their parting of the ways with Sony rippled through the cyberspace, the reaction on Planet Jedward was, to put it mildly, apocalyptic. "I LOVE you both soooooooooooooooooo much, we will NOT let them drop you" shrieked one tweet. Another opined, "dropping jedward biggest mistake! they will get another contract and be more successful than u could imagine". How right they were.

For the rest of us, the prospect of the Grimes going on to record three entire albums (one less than the Smiths made in their whole career) and presumably hogging the airwaves until Christmas 2014 almost certainly qualifies as a 'mixed blessing'. Would it not have been better if, having made their point -- that silly hair and D4 accents are no impediment to pop stardom -- Jedward vanished in a metaphorical puff of smoke, leaving behind only the vague whiff of Brylcreem and two revolving dickie bows?

In other words, would it not have been better if they had settled for being a one hit wonder?

This isn't an original thought. Writing in Spin magazine a few years back, American commentator Jeff Gordinier suggested that less is often more. He cites The Strokes as the classic example.

Had they split after their iconic first album they would have gone down as one of the most important, and enigmatic rock groups of all time. Instead, they released two dreary follow-ups and a string of awful solo LPs. Now nobody really cares whether they stay together or not -- not even frontman Julian Casablancas, going by recent pronouncements.

Similarly, Arcade Fire -- every snooty music bloggers' favourite band -- blew us all away with their first record. Only to break the spell with an overwrought second LP which, of all things, references Bruce Springsteen's Born In The USA phase (sorry, 'Glory Days' will never, ever be cool, Bruce fans). Now we look forward to their next effort with a vague sense of dread

Only the very mad -- possibly criminally insane -- would dare mention Jedward and Arcade Fire in the same sentence. Nonetheless, the point stands. Sometimes, it's better to create a splash, then smartly exit rather than hanging about and getting on everyone's nerves. If Jedward can never top Under Pressure, why even try?

On the other-hand, who knows? Perhaps there's more to the Grimes than the accents, the hair and the apparent total absence of musical or dancing ability (that's Simon Cowell speaking, not us). Kylie Minogue started out as little more than a toothy grin and an annoying backing track -- before you knew it she was hanging out with Nick Cave and Manic Street Preachers. Similarly, Girls Aloud and Leona Lewis have all stepped up from reality show infamy to critical quasi-respectability. If Cheryl Cole can manage it, why not John and Edward?

Certainly anyone who saw them at The O2 will vouch for their charm as performers. Sitting through the two-hour show (trust us, it felt a lot longer than that), it quickly became evident the Grimes twins possessed 100 times the star power of all the other X Factor contenders combined (winner Joe McElderry came across as a blushing schoolboy by comparison). Maybe Sony simply couldn't handle their white-hot talent.

- Ed Power

Irish Independent