Ella Henderson has claimed that The X Factor is more about "artistry" now than it was before.
The singer - who placed sixth on the singing contest last year - argued that the fact you can play a guitar during your audition shows the show has grown.
"A lot of it has changed as well. You can go on there with an instrument," Henderson told BBC Newsbeat. "You can play and there's just a lot more artistry to the show and that's great."
She added: "We've got somebody like James Arthur, who won and he's an incredible talent.
"Everybody was so different this year and so diverse and I think it just shows the show is a credible show at the end of the day and that people have come off it who really do take music seriously."
Henderson recently signed a record deal with Simon Cowell's Syco record label and will work with Emeli Sandé on a song for her debut album later this year.
