Simon Cowell has admitted that he is no longer interested in pop and prefers church music.

The X Factor judge is promoting his new group Angelis, who were put together after Cowell sent a group of experts to find the best choir singers in Britain. The six young choristers who impressed the judges have now been signed to the SonyBMG record label.

"Pop was my lifeblood - but I haven’t looked at the Top 40 for months," Cowell told The Times. "I discovered the power of these wonderful choral voices. I think this is the kind of music that people now want to hear. It captures a popular mood."

He added: "The choristers we auditioned were not stage school monsters. They had a background in public singing and good parents who supported them. They weren’t starstruck. They just wanted to sing well."