Not that we didn’t know this already but today, we get official confirmation from ITV that former Destiny’s Child songstress Kelly Rowland will join Take That’s Gary Barlow, Louis Walsh and N-Dubz songstress Tulisa Contostavlos as a judge on the UK’s X Factor. Filmed auditions begin on Wednesday in my hometown Birmingham. “I am so excited to join The X Factor UK and be able to spend time in one of my favourite places in the world,” Kelly said in a statement. “The music coming out of the UK right now is incredible with artists like Adele, Jessie J and James Blake, so I’m confident this season of The X Factor will give me opportunity to hear a few diamonds in the rough. Being a judge is never easy, but I promise to be as sternly honest as I can and also encourage everyone who crosses the stage. I can’t wait to meet the world’s next superstar!” she added.

Kelly serves as a worthy judge on the UK’s biggest talent show. Not only can she sing but being from one of the biggest selling girl groups of all time shows Rowland has even bigger credentials than previous judge Cheryl Cole. Rowland has the right looks, musical know-how and has cracked BOTH sides of the Atlantic. This is the type of credibility bosses should have been looking for in their judge choices (one of the main reasons why Cole encountered the sack on the US version in the first place). Not to mention that Rowland’s new single ‘Motivation’ is doing extremely well in the US. Last week, the track soared to number one on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Chart and she has also secured herself a solid fanbase in the UK as well. At present, the world is now Kelly’s oyster.