Official! Paulina Rubio joins FOX’s "X-Factor US"

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Paulina Rubio is the new judge on Fox’s X-Factor US and is the first straight up Mexican born judge to be on a English Language music reality competition show. Christina Aguilera (Ecuadorian father), Demi Lovato (quarter Mexican from mother’s side) and Mariah Carey (half-Venezuelan father) don’t really fancy themselves as Latinas, but Shakira and Rubio do.

Paulina Rubio, a.k.a “Pau,” is the Queen of Latin Pop, and is currently working on Telemundo’s La Voz Kids, a kids adaptation of NBC’s successful franchise The Voice and was also on the second season of La Voz… México.

Latin pop/dance rocker “Pau” joins Simon Cowell and Demi Lovato at the table with Kelly Rowland from Destiny’s Child being added as well. They’d be filling the judges’ seats vacated by LA Reid and Britney Spears.

X Factor US is set to film auditions in Charleston, SC, this Tuesday and Wednesday. The tweet was revealed by Cowell Monday. X Factor‘s third season will debut this fall.

Paulina Rubio’s selection to the judges table, is a direct response from FOX executives to Shakira’s very successful run on The Voice where she influenced Latino contestants to sing completely in Spanish. Something that was unheard of until Salvadorean singer Cáthia sang a full track of Luis Fonsi’s “No Me Doy Por Vencido” on national TV. Hispanic viewers flocked to see more of it and Fox executives recognized the trend and the overwhelming ratings results. Expect to see more contestants singing in Spanish on X-Factor US from now on.

Hispanics are driving and influencing major changes in media and even though Rubio is not a household American name, which might do her in, it makes it a bigger deal that Cowell chose her. Who else could you have gone for that is bigger or equivalent than Shakira? Only Sofia Vergara rivals her level of fame in the US and she’s not a singer. Maybe Thalia, Tommy Mottola’s wife, might have been an option, but Rubio already has experience at judging.