Alexandra Burke: I was told to bleach my skin to look whiter

X Factor winner Alexandra Burke said she was told to bleach her skin and change her hair “to look whiter” as she spoke about her experiences of racism in the music industry. “Because that is just absurd to me that somebody could even remotely say to someone: ‘Bleach your skin so that you can look whiter.’ “Still to this moment it breaks my heart that I was told that.” Burke then turned emotional as she discussed other “heartbreaking” experiences. Describing how someone told her “you can’t release this kind of music, because white people don’t understand that”, she said: “I am so upset with myself that I allowed that.” It comes after fellow X Factor contestant Misha B spoke out about the show pushing an “angry black girl narrative” on her.