28 Jan 2026

Feature interview: The often-unseen cost of fame

From Afternoons, 3:10 pm on 28 January 2026
Katie Waissel

Photo: Katie Waissel

Singer-songwriter Katie Waissel shot to fame on The X Factor in 2010, the same season that launched One Direction.

Since then, she’s spoken candidly about abuse, exploitation, and what she believes is the industry’s failure to protect young artists.

Now an outspoken advocate for artists’ rights, she's involved in O-W-H-L, a group pushing the industry to take real responsibility for the people it profits from.