Time to read between the lines, 'X Factor' fans. Season 1 winner Melanie Amaro has seen her debut, 'Truly,' shelved yet again. It was supposed to be released shortly after her Dec. 2011 victory, but was pushed to late 2012 and then to March 2013. Now, her label has said there is "no scheduled release date" for the singer's debut. That's not a good sign. The album may never see the light of day.

The Hollywood Reporter got the scoop from Epic, the label to which the singer is signed.

With Mel's debut shelved indefinitely, things don't bode well. While her 2012 Pepsi Super Bowl commercial was a high profile, post-win spot, her subsequent three singles, 'Don't Fail Me Now,' 'Love Me Now' and 'Long Distance,' all landed with a thud and flopped. Her fellow Season 1 competitors -- Chris Rene, who is huge in New Zealand, Rachel Crow, who has a real acting career, and Marcus Canty, who has an EP on deck next week -- remain active and releasing music. Amaro, meanwhile, is MIA. She didn't strike while the 'X' iron was hot.

That's not a good sign, especially with Season 2 winner Tate Stevens releasing his debut on April 23, a mere four months after he took the crown, and contestants Emblem3 and Fifth Harmony writing and releasing music, including a Frank Ocean cover delivered by the latter. The second season contestants remain active and generate plenty of online chatter, something Amaro hasn't.

Unfortunately, Amaro's fate seems sealed. While there's no confirmation, all signs point to the fact that she is likely on her way to getting dropped and 'Truly' will remain unheard.

THR's story also points out Amaro's scenario is not uncommon. Most U.K. 'X Factor' winners haven't fared well, while runners up like Cher Lloyd and that little band you may have heard of called One Direction have exploded.

We have a theory. Maybe those big, room-filling voices that eventually win the prize work best within the confines of the show, whereas the groups and other, quirkier acts that get sent home tend to do better in the actual marketplace.

Think about Phillip Phillips vs. Jessica Sanchez on last year's 'American Idol.' While Sanchez is a belter with a diva voice, that style isn't setting the consumer world on fire right now, while Phillips' blend of guitar-based, neo folk is. While lots of viewers felt Sanchez was the better singer, America still chose a winner whose sound and style was incredibly current. So while Season 11 of 'Idol' bucked the trend of the big belter winning and flopping while the runners up flourish, that often seems to be the case.

For her part, Amaro is keeping a positive attitude. "I am definitely keeping my fingers crossed that I continue to grow when it comes to my singles and that they continue to progress and get higher and hopefully make Billboard charts and get nominations and all that good stuff,” she told a local paper about remaining in limbo nearly 18 months after her win.

Watch the Melanie Amaro 'Don't Fail Me Now' Video

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