2011: One Direction and JLS to features on X Factor Charity Single this year

JLS and One Direction have been drafted in by Simon Cowell to sing on this year’s X Factor charity single according to reports.

It is the first time that former contestants have taken part in the annual charity project. This year the proceeds will be donated to children’s charity ‘Together For Short Lives.’

Insiders claim that Cowell is worried that without a bit of star power, the release of ‘Wishing On A Star’ will be a bit of a flop and with ratings falling each week for his ITV show, he can’t afford to have another project look like a failure.

An insider told The Sun: “Simon and the other SyCo execs want huge sales this year and weren’t sure the contestants would get that on their own.

“Now they’ll be using One Direction and JLS’s combined fan base to sell the song. It’s a no-brainer and is bound to be a huge seller now.”

James Michael revealed yesterday that the X Factor final sixteen will be returning to the ITV show in two weeks time, to perform the track on the day of it’s digital release.

Wishing On A Star will be available via download on November 20 and via physical single on November 21, on Syco Music.