Joe McElderry
Encyclopedia
Joseph "Joe" McElderry is an English
singer and model
. He won the sixth series
of the ITV
show The X Factor
in 2009. His first single "The Climb" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
and Irish Singles Chart
s. He was also crowned the winner of the second series of Popstar to Operastar
, two years later in 2011. He has been featured on two #1 charity singles, released two UK top 3 albums, had the 30th best seller of the 2000's, the best selling single from a British male artist in 2009, the biggest selling CD of 2009, selling over one million records, and has featured on a movie soundtrack
.
, England, McElderry is the only child of Jim McElderry and Eileen Joyce. The couple separated when McElderry was a child. McElderry was raised in a small flat on Tyneside.
McElderry attended Harton Technology College
in Lisle Road, South Shields, before joining South Tyneside College
to study AS
level school qualifications, and Newcastle College
to study performing arts. He was the Pride of South Tyneside's Young Performer of the Year in 2008. McElderry studied for BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts (Advanced Performance) at Newcastle College
Performance Academy and in 2010 graduated with triple distinction. He took the role of 'Danny Zuko' in Grease
performed at Harton Technology College.
's "Dance with My Father
".
Mentored by Cheryl Cole
, he made it through to the live finals and was announced the winner on 13 December 2009, beating runner up Olly Murs
with his version of Miley Cyrus
's "The Climb
".
McElderry's prize, as winner, was a recording contract with Simon Cowell's Syco
record label, whose parent company is Sony Music Entertainment. The contract has a stated value of £
1 million, of which £150,000 is a cash advance and the remainder allocated to recording and marketing costs. The single "The Climb" was released as McElderry's debut single.
Along with The X Factor finalists, McElderry recorded vocal for featured on a charity single, a cover of Michael Jackson
's hit "You Are Not Alone
". It was released in aid of London's Great Ormond Street Hospital
. The finalists premiered the song live on the 15 November edition of the programme; the single was available for digital download that day and a physical release followed the day after. The single reached number one in the UK Singles Chart.
for 11–17 December 2009.
"The Climb" was a contender for 2009's UK Christmas number one, competing against, and losing to, Rage Against the Machine
's "Killing in the Name
". McElderry's single sold 450,000 compared to Rage Against the Machine's 502,000 after a Facebook
-based campaign was started in protest of The X Factors dominance of the Christmas number one title. This was the first time since 2004 that the X Factor winning single was denied the top spot for Christmas in the UK Singles Charts. Simon Cowell stated that he was "gutted for Joe because a number one single meant a lot to him. But I have to congratulate Jon and Tracy [Morter, who started the Facebook campaign]." McElderry's single stayed at number one on the Irish charts for a second week securing him the Irish Christmas number one (18–25 December 2009), and the song moved up to the top spot in the UK Singles Chart on 27 December. The single had the fifth highest sales of all UK singles released in 2009 staying one week at #1. It was also the top selling Irish single of 2009 where it remained at the top spot for four consecutive weeks. "The Climb" was nominated in the British Single category at the 2010 BRIT Awards
but lost out to fellow X Factor contestants JLS
. McElderry performed "Don't Stop Believin'
" and presented an award at the 15th National Television Awards
in London
on 20 January 2010.
In January 2010, he participated in the Helping Haiti charity single, a cover of "Everybody Hurts
" arranged by Simon Cowell
in order to raise money for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
. McElderry took part in the Great North Run
half marathon
21.0975 kilometres (13.1 mi) race on 19 September 2010 raising money for Teenage Cancer Trust
.
McElderry and seven other finalists, Olly Murs
, Stacey Solomon
, Danyl Johnson, Lloyd Daniels, John & Edward
, Jamie Archer and Lucie Jones, appeared in the X Factor Live tour which began on 15 February 2010 at the Echo Arena Liverpool and concluded on 4 April at the SECC
. McElderry performed the songs "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
", "Love Story
", "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
", "She's Out of My Life
", "Don't Stop Believin'
" and his debut single "The Climb
" on the tour. On 15 March, it was reported that McElderry had signed a modelling
deal with Next Models. He performed on Radio 1's Big Weekend on 22 May 2010, singing an acoustic version of "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Telephone
" in the Live Lounge
tent and he also performed "Don't Stop Believin'" and his single, "The Climb" on The 5:19 Show.
In 2010, McElderry recorded his debut album Wide Awake
which was released on 25 October 2010. Producers of the album included Dallas Austin
and John Shanks
. He launched the album with a performance at G-A-Y
.
The first single released from Wide Awake was "Ambitions", a cover of a song by Norwegian
band Donkeyboy
. He filmed a music video
for the song in September 2010. The video was directed by Nigel Dick
. Ambitions premiered on BBC Radio One on 19 September 2010. The single went on sale on 8 October 2010 in Ireland. It went on sale by digital download in United Kingdom on 10 October 2010, with the physical CD available for purchase in the United Kingom the following day. The song debuted at #6 on the UK Singles Chart
and #4 on the Irish Chart
.
McElderry's album Wide Awake debuted at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart
, with retail sales of 39,405 copies in the country during the album's first week of release. The album fell to number 20 on the chart the following week, and to number 40 the week after that. As of 24 October 2011, 100,040 copies of Wide Awake had been sold at retail in the United Kingdom.
"Someone Wake Me Up
" was the second single taken from the album. It was released as a single on 5 December 2010 in the United Kingdom. It debuted and peaked at number 68 on the UK Singles Chart.
McElderry was approached by Twentieth Century Fox to record the specially written track, "There’s A Place For Us", written by American songstress Carrie Underwood
, which features in the soundtrack to
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
. and was also the B-side to "Someone Wake Me Up". The song was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2011 for Best Original Song - Motion Picture.
No publicly named person from Syco has made an on-the-record comment about the end of the company's relationship with McElderry. In an interview that aired on 18 May 2011 on the television programme North East Tonight
, McElderry made his first public comments about his departure from the company. During the interview, he said:
In radio interviews during the month of July 2011, McElderry spoke further about the circumstances of the end of his relationship with Syco. He told Terry Wogan
in an interview on BBC Radio Two that he had actually parted ways with Syco in February 2011. In an interview with Real Radio that aired on 13 July 2011, McElderry, when speaking about his commercial struggles, said: "I think a lot of it was to do with the fact that I went away for so long. . . . I think we left it a bit too late with releasing the album. But I think it's also down to the label." He said that there were "timing issues" and, "We missed out on a few things." In an interview with Tony Horne (who at that time was with Metro Radio
in Newcastle upon Tyne
), McElderry said that he did not believe that he was getting enough work to do while he was with Syco.
On 14 July 2011, McElderry told Radio Newcastle that he "wasn't happy" when he was with Syco. He said that Syco had made mistakes "timing-wise" and in "the marketing side of things." He declined in that interview to be more specific about what he thought the mistakes were, saying that it was "pointless" at that juncture to get into "the blame game." He did say that he was "happy" with his album, Wide Awake, although, if he had to do it over again, "maybe" he would have included "a few more ballads." But he added that the album's songs gave him "some great fast material" to perform alongside ballads when he performed live, and also said that, when he was making the album, he wanted to show that he could be "diverse" and perform fast songs as well as ballads of the type that he had performed on X Factor.
McElderry told Tony Horne that he had a meeting with Syco staff members in February 2011. He told Radio Newcastle that, at the meeting, he expressed his unhappiness with the company, and said to the staff members that the relationship with Syco was not working for him. According to McElderry, the staff members said that the relationship was not working for the company either, and all concerned agreed to go their separate ways. McElderry also told Radio Newcastle: "I just needed to go out and explore on my own and fend for myself a bit instead of being in this huge kind of establishment that kind of protected us. I needed to go out there and be a proper artist and fend for myself, by myself, and do things my way."
McElderry has also stated that his split with Syco was amicable, and there was no "fight" between them. He told Tony Horne, "I'm still great friends with all the team there." He told the Shields Gazette
: "I really like Simon Cowell and always think very highly of him. . . . There's no hard feelings there — there never has been and never will be." He told Capital FM on 19 August 2011 that he was "forever thankful" to Syco and Simon Cowell for the opportunity that they gave him, adding, "I love them to bits." He said in the same interview that he was "a massive fan" of X Factor.
He also denied the report (attributed to an unnamed "friend" in the Daily Mail's article about Syco's dropping of him) that he was "devastated" when Syco dropped him. He said in radio interviews that he had not been "depressed." He told Dean Piper of the Sunday Mirror
: "Being dumped by Syco wasn't the end of my world — it was the opposite. I'm actually glad it happened. People were coming up to me thinking I was going to be depressed but I honestly wasn't. My thoughts were, 'Right, let's get on with it and work out what to do next.'" Later, he told Out in the City magazine:
Also in 2011, McElderry terminated his relationship with Modest! Management, the management company that had managed him since his victory on X Factor. He subsequently hired Angie Jenkinson as his new manager.
On 20 March 2011, the Sunday Mirror
tabloid published an article which claimed that McElderry's "dream of world stardom [was] over," and that he had moved out of an apartment in an upscale section of London
and had moved back home to South Shields
to live with his mother. McElderry later said that the article was so wildly inaccurate that he laughed when he read it. He told Out in the City magazine in August 2011: "I've always lived in South Shields, I've never moved to London, so I never 'moved back'! I just looked at that article, and I was laughing my head off at what a load of rubbish it was. I think it was the day that article went out, I had just put down a deposit on my own house, so I just thought: 'How far from the truth can it be?'. It was water off a duck's back. I just thought: 'Whatever — let them write whatever the hell they want'."
at a reception at Buckingham Palace
that celebrated young people in the performing arts.
In late January or early February 2011, ITV
approached McElderry's management about his being a contestant on the upcoming second series of Popstar to Operastar
. McElderry agreed and entered the show, which started on 5 June 2011. He won the show on 10 July 2011. After the show it was revealed that, in all of the episodes in which he competed, McElderry received more votes than all of the other contestants combined, never receiving less than 58.2% of the total public votes. He defeated Cheryl Baker
in the final with 77.1% of the public vote.
On 11 July 2011, McElderry confirmed that he would be recording his second studio album, stating “It’s not going to be pop, it’s going to be a lot of big, lush ballads. I wanted to do a few more ballads on my first album. It’s going to appeal to all my fans. I’m going to sing a few Italian songs. I’m not going to change my voice – I don’t want to scare people too much... I can’t reveal which label it’s with but it’s an amazing label.
The label was later revealed to be Decca Records
. On 24 July 2011, he headlined a free homecoming gig at Bents Park as part of South Tyneside Summer Festival 2011, singing a set list of 20 songs, with over 20,000 people in the audience. The album, Classic
, was released on 22 August 2011. Classic debuted on the official UK top 40 albums chart at number 2 on the chart that was released on 28 August 2011 The album was certified gold, within 10 days after the release. McElderry performed at Festival of Remembrance on 12 November 2011, this was the third time performing in front of the queen. He embarked on his debut solo tour, Classic Tour
in November 2011. He appeared on Big River Big Songs: The Tyne, singing the title track, "Big River
".
McElderry released a Christmas album titled Classic Christmas
on 28 November 2011. He will introduce The Nutcracker
at The O2 arena from 27 December 2011 to 30 December 2011.
" arranged by Simon Cowell
in order to raise money for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
. McElderry took part in the Great North Run
half marathon
13.1 mile race on 19 September 2010 raising money for Teenage Cancer Trust
, which he is also an ambassador for. He performed at The Ray of Sunshine charity concert on 11 March 2011. Two days later, he performed at Theatre Royal in Newcastle to help raise money for Josie's Dragonfly trust. He also took part in a Comic Relief
campaign, where celebrities and prolific Twitter
users auctioned off the chance to be followed by a star, it raised £560. McElderry performed on 13 July 2011 at the Newcastle Teenage Cancer Trust Unit, the acoustic set was streamed live to all other Teenage Cancer Trust units across the country as well as on the website. He ran the Great North Run again in 2011, once again supporting the Teenage Cancer Trust, finishing in 1 hour and 42 minutes. The singer was put up for auction on QVC
in aid of charity and eventually sold for £6,350, the shopping channel set up the auction in the name of Breast Cancer Care.
for Next Models. McElderry has also worked as a substitute DJ on Newcastle's Metro Radio
. In April 2011 Joe headlined National Student Pride in Brighton's seafront club Coalition which was attended by students from all over the U.K and sponsored by Ernst & Young.
, thanking his family and fans for their support. The gay charity Stonewall
has listed McElderry as a gay role model
.
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|2010
|"The Climb"
|BRIT Award
for Best British Single
|
|-
|Joe McElderry
|BT Digital Music Awards
for Best Newcomer
|
|-
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"|2011
|"There’s A Place For Us"
|Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song - Motion Picture 2011
|
|-
|}
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
singer and model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
. He won the sixth series
The X Factor (UK series 6)
The sixth series of British television music competition The X Factor started on ITV on 22 August 2009 and was won by Joe McElderry on 13 December 2009. Cheryl Cole emerged as the winning mentor for the second consecutive year, the first time in the show's history that a mentor has won back-to-back...
of the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
show The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
in 2009. His first single "The Climb" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
s. He was also crowned the winner of the second series of Popstar to Operastar
Popstar to Operastar
Popstar to Operastar is a British television programme singing competition based around the training of pop stars of current to be able to sing opera. The show began airing on ITV on 15 January 2010 at 9pm. The show is repeated on TV3 Ireland on Saturday evening. The programme is produced by...
, two years later in 2011. He has been featured on two #1 charity singles, released two UK top 3 albums, had the 30th best seller of the 2000's, the best selling single from a British male artist in 2009, the biggest selling CD of 2009, selling over one million records, and has featured on a movie soundtrack
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (soundtrack)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the soundtrack album of the 3-D film of the same name. David Arnold composed the soundtrack, which was released on December 7, 2010...
.
Early life
Born in South ShieldsSouth Shields
South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...
, England, McElderry is the only child of Jim McElderry and Eileen Joyce. The couple separated when McElderry was a child. McElderry was raised in a small flat on Tyneside.
McElderry attended Harton Technology College
Harton Technology College
Harton Technology College is a mixed secondary school in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, England, with pupils aged from 11-16...
in Lisle Road, South Shields, before joining South Tyneside College
South Tyneside College
South Tyneside College is a large further education college in South Tyneside in North East England, with its main sites in the towns of South Shields and Hebburn. The college offers part-time and full-time courses for both young students and adults alike...
to study AS
GCE Advanced Level
The Advanced Level General Certificate of Education, commonly referred to as an A-level, is a qualification offered by education institutions in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Cameroon, and the Cayman Islands...
level school qualifications, and Newcastle College
Newcastle College
Newcastle College is a Further Education and Higher Education college in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the largest mixed economy College in the country and claims to offer more courses in more subjects than any of its geographical competitors....
to study performing arts. He was the Pride of South Tyneside's Young Performer of the Year in 2008. McElderry studied for BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts (Advanced Performance) at Newcastle College
Newcastle College
Newcastle College is a Further Education and Higher Education college in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the largest mixed economy College in the country and claims to offer more courses in more subjects than any of its geographical competitors....
Performance Academy and in 2010 graduated with triple distinction. He took the role of 'Danny Zuko' in Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
performed at Harton Technology College.
2009: The X Factor
McElderry auditioned for The X Factor in 2007, but it wasn't shown because he felt he was too young compared to the other contestants and opted to walk away. He auditioned again in 2009 in Manchester and sang Luther VandrossLuther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
's "Dance with My Father
Dance with My Father (song)
"Dance with My Father" is the title track to singer-songwriter Luther Vandross' thirteenth studio album. With Richard Marx, Vandross wrote the song based on his personal experience...
".
Mentored by Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
, he made it through to the live finals and was announced the winner on 13 December 2009, beating runner up Olly Murs
Olly Murs
Oliver Stanley "Olly" Murs is an English singer-songwriter and TV presenter. Murs rose to fame after being the runner-up on the sixth series of The X Factor...
with his version of Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
's "The Climb
The Climb (song)
"The Climb" is a song performed by American recording artist and actress Miley Cyrus, for the 2009 film Hannah Montana: The Movie. The song was written by Jessi Alexander and Jon Mabe, and produced by John Shanks. It was released on March 5, 2009, as the lead single of the film's soundtrack by...
".
McElderry's prize, as winner, was a recording contract with Simon Cowell's Syco
Syco
Syco Entertainment, often known as simply Syco , is a global joint venture between Simon Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment focused on the production and exploitation of music, television, film and digital content...
record label, whose parent company is Sony Music Entertainment. The contract has a stated value of £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
1 million, of which £150,000 is a cash advance and the remainder allocated to recording and marketing costs. The single "The Climb" was released as McElderry's debut single.
Along with The X Factor finalists, McElderry recorded vocal for featured on a charity single, a cover of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's hit "You Are Not Alone
You Are Not Alone
"You Are Not Alone", released on the 10th of August 1995, is the second single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory. The R&B ballad's composition has been attributed R. Kelly in response to difficult times in his personal life. He then forwarded a bare demo tape to Jackson, who liked the song and...
". It was released in aid of London's Great Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children is a children's hospital located in London, United Kingdom...
. The finalists premiered the song live on the 15 November edition of the programme; the single was available for digital download that day and a physical release followed the day after. The single reached number one in the UK Singles Chart.
2009-10: The X Factor Live Tour and Wide Awake
McElderry's debut single, "The Climb", was available to download at midnight on 14 December 2009 and was released physically on 16 December 2009. According to industry sources, approximately 100,000 copies of the single were sold on the day of its release. On 18 December 2009, it was announced that McElderry secured the top spot in the Irish Singles ChartIrish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
for 11–17 December 2009.
"The Climb" was a contender for 2009's UK Christmas number one, competing against, and losing to, Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
's "Killing in the Name
Killing in the Name
"Killing in the Name" is a song by American rap metal band Rage Against the Machine, featured on their self-titled debut album, and was released as the lead single from the album in November 1992...
". McElderry's single sold 450,000 compared to Rage Against the Machine's 502,000 after a Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
-based campaign was started in protest of The X Factors dominance of the Christmas number one title. This was the first time since 2004 that the X Factor winning single was denied the top spot for Christmas in the UK Singles Charts. Simon Cowell stated that he was "gutted for Joe because a number one single meant a lot to him. But I have to congratulate Jon and Tracy [Morter, who started the Facebook campaign]." McElderry's single stayed at number one on the Irish charts for a second week securing him the Irish Christmas number one (18–25 December 2009), and the song moved up to the top spot in the UK Singles Chart on 27 December. The single had the fifth highest sales of all UK singles released in 2009 staying one week at #1. It was also the top selling Irish single of 2009 where it remained at the top spot for four consecutive weeks. "The Climb" was nominated in the British Single category at the 2010 BRIT Awards
2010 BRIT Awards
The 2010 BRIT Awards took place on Tuesday 16 February 2010. It was the 30th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The awards ceremony was held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London. The ceremony was broadcast live on ITV1, hosted by Peter Kay with Fearne...
but lost out to fellow X Factor contestants JLS
JLS
- Music :* JLS, an English boyband** JLS , debut album by JLS* JLS a Spanish Rock band based in Zaragoza , Spain formed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by lead Leo Susana.- Organizations :...
. McElderry performed "Don't Stop Believin'
Don't Stop Believin'
"Don't Stop Believin is a popular song by the American rock band Journey, originally released as a single from their 1981 album Escape, which became a #9 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 on its original release. It re-entered the UK Singles Chart in 2009 as a result of increased prominence of digital...
" and presented an award at the 15th National Television Awards
National Television Awards
The National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted on by the general public. Because of the way the awards are decided, winners are...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 20 January 2010.
In January 2010, he participated in the Helping Haiti charity single, a cover of "Everybody Hurts
Everybody Hurts
"Everybody Hurts" is a song by R.E.M., originally released on the band's 1992 album Automatic for the People and was also released as a single in 1993. It peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on the UK Singles Chart and #3 on the French Singles Chart.-History:Much of the song was written by...
" arranged by Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
in order to raise money for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
. McElderry took part in the Great North Run
Great North Run
The Bupa Great North Run is the world's largest half marathon, taking place annually each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields in England. The run was devised by former Olympic 10,000 m bronze medallist and BBC Sport commentator Brendan Foster.The first Great...
half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
21.0975 kilometres (13.1 mi) race on 19 September 2010 raising money for Teenage Cancer Trust
Teenage Cancer Trust
Teenage Cancer Trust is a charity that focuses on the needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer, leukaemia, Hodgkin’s and related diseases by providing specialist teenage units in NHS hospitals. The units are dedicated areas for teenage patients, who are involved in their concept and creation...
.
McElderry and seven other finalists, Olly Murs
Olly Murs
Oliver Stanley "Olly" Murs is an English singer-songwriter and TV presenter. Murs rose to fame after being the runner-up on the sixth series of The X Factor...
, Stacey Solomon
Stacey Solomon
Stacey Solomon is a British singer, television presenter, model and reality TV star. She rose to fame during her time on the sixth series of The X Factor, coming third overall on the show...
, Danyl Johnson, Lloyd Daniels, John & Edward
Jedward
John Paul Henry Daniel Richard Grimes and Edward Peter Anthony Kevin Patrick Grimes are an Irish hip pop duo. They are identical twins and perform under the name Jedward...
, Jamie Archer and Lucie Jones, appeared in the X Factor Live tour which began on 15 February 2010 at the Echo Arena Liverpool and concluded on 4 April at the SECC
Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre , located on the north bank of the River Clyde, in Glasgow, is Scotland's largest exhibition centre....
. McElderry performed the songs "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" is the first single from British musician Elton John's 1974 album Caribou; it was released that year during the latter half of May in the United Kingdom, and on 10 June in the United States.-Lyrics and music:...
", "Love Story
Love Story (Taylor Swift song)
"Love Story" is a country pop song performed by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was written by Swift and produced by Nathan Chapman, alongside Swift. It was released on September 12, 2008 by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from Swift's second studio album Fearless...
", "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" is a song written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. It was recorded by Elton John and released in 1976, both as a single and as part of the Blue Moves album. It was his second single on Rocket Records. The song is a mournful ballad about a romantic relationship...
", "She's Out of My Life
She's Out of My Life
"She's Out of My Life" is a song written by musical artist Tom Bahler. Although it has been claimed that Bahler wrote the song about Karen Carpenter, Bahler stated, "The fact is, I had already written that song by the time Karen and I became romantic. That song was written more about Rhonda Rivera...
", "Don't Stop Believin'
Don't Stop Believin'
"Don't Stop Believin is a popular song by the American rock band Journey, originally released as a single from their 1981 album Escape, which became a #9 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 on its original release. It re-entered the UK Singles Chart in 2009 as a result of increased prominence of digital...
" and his debut single "The Climb
The Climb (song)
"The Climb" is a song performed by American recording artist and actress Miley Cyrus, for the 2009 film Hannah Montana: The Movie. The song was written by Jessi Alexander and Jon Mabe, and produced by John Shanks. It was released on March 5, 2009, as the lead single of the film's soundtrack by...
" on the tour. On 15 March, it was reported that McElderry had signed a modelling
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
deal with Next Models. He performed on Radio 1's Big Weekend on 22 May 2010, singing an acoustic version of "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Telephone
Telephone (song)
"Telephone" is a song written and performed by Lady Gaga. It was released from her third extended play and second major release The Fame Monster . The song, featuring American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles, was written by Gaga and Rodney Jerkins...
" in the Live Lounge
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
tent and he also performed "Don't Stop Believin'" and his single, "The Climb" on The 5:19 Show.
In 2010, McElderry recorded his debut album Wide Awake
Wide Awake (Joe McElderry album)
Wide Awake is the debut album of English pop singer Joe McElderry, winner of the sixth series of British talent competition The X Factor...
which was released on 25 October 2010. Producers of the album included Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of his most notable clients include Michael Jackson, TLC, Boyz II Men, Pink, Monica, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, Another Bad Creation, Fishbone, Sugababes, Anastacia, Namie Amuro, Kim...
and John Shanks
John Shanks
John Matthew Shanks is a modern rock writer and Grammy Award–winning producer.Born in New York City, Shanks moved to Los Angeles when he was 17....
. He launched the album with a performance at G-A-Y
G-A-Y
G-A-Y is a gay nightclub in London. It operated from the London Astoria music venue for 15 years until July 2008. The Boston Globe described it as "London's largest gay-themed club night", NME reported that it "attracts 6,000 clubbers each week", and The Independent described it as "the one London...
.
The first single released from Wide Awake was "Ambitions", a cover of a song by Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
band Donkeyboy
Donkeyboy
Donkeyboy are a pop band from Drammen, Norway, formed in 2005. The band consists of Cato Sundberg , Kent Sundberg , Peter Michelsen , Thomas Drabløs , and Alexander Garborg Ågedal .-Biography:Donkeyboy were signed to Warner Music after an employee came across their music on MySpace...
. He filmed a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song in September 2010. The video was directed by Nigel Dick
Nigel Dick
Nigel Dick is an English music video and film director, writer and musician based in Los Angeles, California. He directed the Band Aid video "Do They Know It's Christmas?", as well as over 300 other music videos.Nigel Dick should not be confused with the Australian Dr...
. Ambitions premiered on BBC Radio One on 19 September 2010. The single went on sale on 8 October 2010 in Ireland. It went on sale by digital download in United Kingdom on 10 October 2010, with the physical CD available for purchase in the United Kingom the following day. The song debuted at #6 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and #4 on the Irish Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
.
McElderry's album Wide Awake debuted at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, with retail sales of 39,405 copies in the country during the album's first week of release. The album fell to number 20 on the chart the following week, and to number 40 the week after that. As of 24 October 2011, 100,040 copies of Wide Awake had been sold at retail in the United Kingdom.
"Someone Wake Me Up
Someone Wake Me Up
"Someone Wake Me Up" is a 2010 pop song by singer Joe McElderry. The single was released on 5 December 2010 as the third and final single from his debut album, Wide Awake. The single's B-side, "There's a Place for Us", was recorded for the soundtrack of the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage...
" was the second single taken from the album. It was released as a single on 5 December 2010 in the United Kingdom. It debuted and peaked at number 68 on the UK Singles Chart.
McElderry was approached by Twentieth Century Fox to record the specially written track, "There’s A Place For Us", written by American songstress Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
, which features in the soundtrack to
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (soundtrack)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the soundtrack album of the 3-D film of the same name. David Arnold composed the soundtrack, which was released on December 7, 2010...
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a 2010 3D fantasy-adventure film based on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third novel in C. S. Lewis's epic fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia . It is the third installment in The Chronicles of Narnia film series from Walden Media...
. and was also the B-side to "Someone Wake Me Up". The song was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2011 for Best Original Song - Motion Picture.
2011: Departure from Syco
After "Someone Wake Me Up," McElderry released no further singles or albums with Syco. On 15 April 2011, it was reported in the news media that McElderry's contract with Syco would not be renewed when it expired the following month.No publicly named person from Syco has made an on-the-record comment about the end of the company's relationship with McElderry. In an interview that aired on 18 May 2011 on the television programme North East Tonight
North East Tonight
North East Tonight is a regional television news and current affairs programme, also including local sports news and local features of interest, produced by ITV Tyne Tees & Border at its studios in Gateshead, and serving the "Tyne Tees" part of the region .The remainder of the ITV Tyne Tees & Border...
, McElderry made his first public comments about his departure from the company. During the interview, he said:
[E]verything that happened with Syco, and parting ways with them — I believe it's all an experience.
I've gotten absolutely no regrets about anything that I've done over the past two years — in the music that I chose, and anything that I did, because at that time and at that moment in time when I chose to do those things and chose to do those songs, that was just what I wanted to do. And I enjoy taking risks. It's exciting.
For a boy of 19 to get what I've got at the minute and what I'm doing at the minute, it's amazing, and I am genuinely happy with what I'm doing.
In radio interviews during the month of July 2011, McElderry spoke further about the circumstances of the end of his relationship with Syco. He told Terry Wogan
Terry Wogan
Sir Michael Terence Wogan, KBE, DL , or also known as Terry Wogan, is a veteran Irish radio and television broadcaster who holds dual Irish and British citizenship. Wogan has worked for the BBC in the United Kingdom for most of his career...
in an interview on BBC Radio Two that he had actually parted ways with Syco in February 2011. In an interview with Real Radio that aired on 13 July 2011, McElderry, when speaking about his commercial struggles, said: "I think a lot of it was to do with the fact that I went away for so long. . . . I think we left it a bit too late with releasing the album. But I think it's also down to the label." He said that there were "timing issues" and, "We missed out on a few things." In an interview with Tony Horne (who at that time was with Metro Radio
Metro Radio
Metro Radio is an independent local radio station based in Newcastle upon Tyne and broadcasting to Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Northumberland. The station's output is principally contemporary pop and dance music...
in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
), McElderry said that he did not believe that he was getting enough work to do while he was with Syco.
On 14 July 2011, McElderry told Radio Newcastle that he "wasn't happy" when he was with Syco. He said that Syco had made mistakes "timing-wise" and in "the marketing side of things." He declined in that interview to be more specific about what he thought the mistakes were, saying that it was "pointless" at that juncture to get into "the blame game." He did say that he was "happy" with his album, Wide Awake, although, if he had to do it over again, "maybe" he would have included "a few more ballads." But he added that the album's songs gave him "some great fast material" to perform alongside ballads when he performed live, and also said that, when he was making the album, he wanted to show that he could be "diverse" and perform fast songs as well as ballads of the type that he had performed on X Factor.
McElderry told Tony Horne that he had a meeting with Syco staff members in February 2011. He told Radio Newcastle that, at the meeting, he expressed his unhappiness with the company, and said to the staff members that the relationship with Syco was not working for him. According to McElderry, the staff members said that the relationship was not working for the company either, and all concerned agreed to go their separate ways. McElderry also told Radio Newcastle: "I just needed to go out and explore on my own and fend for myself a bit instead of being in this huge kind of establishment that kind of protected us. I needed to go out there and be a proper artist and fend for myself, by myself, and do things my way."
McElderry has also stated that his split with Syco was amicable, and there was no "fight" between them. He told Tony Horne, "I'm still great friends with all the team there." He told the Shields Gazette
Shields Gazette
The Shields Gazette, established in 1849, is a daily evening newspaper. It is the oldest provincial evening newspaper in the United Kingdom....
: "I really like Simon Cowell and always think very highly of him. . . . There's no hard feelings there — there never has been and never will be." He told Capital FM on 19 August 2011 that he was "forever thankful" to Syco and Simon Cowell for the opportunity that they gave him, adding, "I love them to bits." He said in the same interview that he was "a massive fan" of X Factor.
He also denied the report (attributed to an unnamed "friend" in the Daily Mail's article about Syco's dropping of him) that he was "devastated" when Syco dropped him. He said in radio interviews that he had not been "depressed." He told Dean Piper of the Sunday Mirror
Sunday Mirror
The Sunday Mirror is the Sunday sister paper of the Daily Mirror. It began life in 1915 as the Sunday Pictorial and was renamed the Sunday Mirror in 1963. Trinity Mirror also owns The People...
: "Being dumped by Syco wasn't the end of my world — it was the opposite. I'm actually glad it happened. People were coming up to me thinking I was going to be depressed but I honestly wasn't. My thoughts were, 'Right, let's get on with it and work out what to do next.'" Later, he told Out in the City magazine:
I mean this in the least big-headed way possible, but it wasn't a depressing time. Obviously, getting dropped by your record label is not an ideal situation, but I just kind of thought, "OK, what's next? Let's move on to the next chapter". I didn't dwell on it. I don't want to say that I wasn't bothered because obviously I care about my music, but I kind of thought: "Right, let's go out and explore who I'm going to release music with next". It was an exciting time, as well as being a kind of wake-up, I suppose.
Also in 2011, McElderry terminated his relationship with Modest! Management, the management company that had managed him since his victory on X Factor. He subsequently hired Angie Jenkinson as his new manager.
On 20 March 2011, the Sunday Mirror
Sunday Mirror
The Sunday Mirror is the Sunday sister paper of the Daily Mirror. It began life in 1915 as the Sunday Pictorial and was renamed the Sunday Mirror in 1963. Trinity Mirror also owns The People...
tabloid published an article which claimed that McElderry's "dream of world stardom [was] over," and that he had moved out of an apartment in an upscale section of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and had moved back home to South Shields
South Shields
South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...
to live with his mother. McElderry later said that the article was so wildly inaccurate that he laughed when he read it. He told Out in the City magazine in August 2011: "I've always lived in South Shields, I've never moved to London, so I never 'moved back'! I just looked at that article, and I was laughing my head off at what a load of rubbish it was. I think it was the day that article went out, I had just put down a deposit on my own house, so I just thought: 'How far from the truth can it be?'. It was water off a duck's back. I just thought: 'Whatever — let them write whatever the hell they want'."
2011-present: Popstar to Operastar and Classic
On 9 May 2011, McElderry performed the song "Something's Coming" from West Side StoryWest Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
at a reception at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
that celebrated young people in the performing arts.
In late January or early February 2011, ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
approached McElderry's management about his being a contestant on the upcoming second series of Popstar to Operastar
Popstar to Operastar
Popstar to Operastar is a British television programme singing competition based around the training of pop stars of current to be able to sing opera. The show began airing on ITV on 15 January 2010 at 9pm. The show is repeated on TV3 Ireland on Saturday evening. The programme is produced by...
. McElderry agreed and entered the show, which started on 5 June 2011. He won the show on 10 July 2011. After the show it was revealed that, in all of the episodes in which he competed, McElderry received more votes than all of the other contestants combined, never receiving less than 58.2% of the total public votes. He defeated Cheryl Baker
Cheryl Baker
Cheryl Baker is an English television presenter and singer. She is most famous for being a member of 1980s pop group Bucks Fizz, and has performed for the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest twice, winning it the second time.-Early career:After leaving school and a series of secretarial jobs, Cheryl...
in the final with 77.1% of the public vote.
On 11 July 2011, McElderry confirmed that he would be recording his second studio album, stating “It’s not going to be pop, it’s going to be a lot of big, lush ballads. I wanted to do a few more ballads on my first album. It’s going to appeal to all my fans. I’m going to sing a few Italian songs. I’m not going to change my voice – I don’t want to scare people too much... I can’t reveal which label it’s with but it’s an amazing label.
The label was later revealed to be Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
. On 24 July 2011, he headlined a free homecoming gig at Bents Park as part of South Tyneside Summer Festival 2011, singing a set list of 20 songs, with over 20,000 people in the audience. The album, Classic
Classic (Joe McElderry album)
Classic is the second studio album by British singer Joe McElderry. It was released by Decca Records on 19 August 2011 in Ireland and on 22 August 2011 in the United Kingdom...
, was released on 22 August 2011. Classic debuted on the official UK top 40 albums chart at number 2 on the chart that was released on 28 August 2011 The album was certified gold, within 10 days after the release. McElderry performed at Festival of Remembrance on 12 November 2011, this was the third time performing in front of the queen. He embarked on his debut solo tour, Classic Tour
Classic Tour
Classic Tour is the first solo UK tour by north east English singer Joe McElderry. The tour took place throughout November 2011.-Setlist:#If You Love Me#Real Late Starter#Smile#Wide Awake*Costume change#Don't Stop Believing#Love Story#Open Arms#Superman...
in November 2011. He appeared on Big River Big Songs: The Tyne, singing the title track, "Big River
Big River (Jimmy Nail song)
Big River is a song written and performed by Jimmy Nail and released on the album Big River. It was released as a single in 1995.. It was performed by Joe McElderry on the DVD, Big River Big Songs: The Tyne.-Background:...
".
McElderry released a Christmas album titled Classic Christmas
Classic Christmas (Joe McElderry album)
Prior the release of the album, Entertainment Focus praised the album, calling it "another winning release from Joe McElderry", giving the album 4/5 stars.-Tracklist:The tracklist was confirmed on the official newsletter.-Release history:...
on 28 November 2011. He will introduce The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
at The O2 arena from 27 December 2011 to 30 December 2011.
Philanthropy
In January 2010, he participated in the Helping Haiti charity single, a cover of "Everybody HurtsEverybody Hurts
"Everybody Hurts" is a song by R.E.M., originally released on the band's 1992 album Automatic for the People and was also released as a single in 1993. It peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on the UK Singles Chart and #3 on the French Singles Chart.-History:Much of the song was written by...
" arranged by Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
in order to raise money for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
. McElderry took part in the Great North Run
Great North Run
The Bupa Great North Run is the world's largest half marathon, taking place annually each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields in England. The run was devised by former Olympic 10,000 m bronze medallist and BBC Sport commentator Brendan Foster.The first Great...
half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
13.1 mile race on 19 September 2010 raising money for Teenage Cancer Trust
Teenage Cancer Trust
Teenage Cancer Trust is a charity that focuses on the needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer, leukaemia, Hodgkin’s and related diseases by providing specialist teenage units in NHS hospitals. The units are dedicated areas for teenage patients, who are involved in their concept and creation...
, which he is also an ambassador for. He performed at The Ray of Sunshine charity concert on 11 March 2011. Two days later, he performed at Theatre Royal in Newcastle to help raise money for Josie's Dragonfly trust. He also took part in a Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
campaign, where celebrities and prolific Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
users auctioned off the chance to be followed by a star, it raised £560. McElderry performed on 13 July 2011 at the Newcastle Teenage Cancer Trust Unit, the acoustic set was streamed live to all other Teenage Cancer Trust units across the country as well as on the website. He ran the Great North Run again in 2011, once again supporting the Teenage Cancer Trust, finishing in 1 hour and 42 minutes. The singer was put up for auction on QVC
QVC (UK)
QVC UK is a digital television shopping channel broadcast in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1993 when QVC, Inc. formed a deal with Sky TV to create a UK version of the US channel. "QVC — The Shopping Channel" first broadcast in the UK on 1 October 1993. QVC UK - 20% owned by Sky - moved into...
in aid of charity and eventually sold for £6,350, the shopping channel set up the auction in the name of Breast Cancer Care.
Other activities
In March 2010 it was reported that McElderry had signed up as modelModel (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
for Next Models. McElderry has also worked as a substitute DJ on Newcastle's Metro Radio
Metro Radio
Metro Radio is an independent local radio station based in Newcastle upon Tyne and broadcasting to Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Northumberland. The station's output is principally contemporary pop and dance music...
. In April 2011 Joe headlined National Student Pride in Brighton's seafront club Coalition which was attended by students from all over the U.K and sponsored by Ernst & Young.
Personal life
In July 2010, McElderry announced on his official website that he is gayGay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, thanking his family and fans for their support. The gay charity Stonewall
Stonewall (UK)
Stonewall is a lesbian, gay and bisexual rights charity in the United Kingdom named after the Stonewall Inn of Stonewall riots fame. Now the largest gay equality organization not only in the UK but in Europe, it was formed in 1989 by political activists and others lobbying against section 28 of the...
has listed McElderry as a gay role model
Role model
The term role model generally means any "person who serves as an example, whose behaviour is emulated by others".The term first appeared in Robert K. Merton's socialization research of medical students...
.
Awards and nominations
|-| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|2010
|"The Climb"
|BRIT Award
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
for Best British Single
|
|-
|Joe McElderry
|BT Digital Music Awards
BT Digital Music Awards
The BT Digital Music Awards were created in the UK in 2001 and are held annually. Music industry professionals can nominate artists, venues and hardware into the Judge's Choice award categories...
for Best Newcomer
|
|-
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"|2011
|"There’s A Place For Us"
|Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song - Motion Picture 2011
|
|-
|}
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
IRL Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
SCT |
||||
| 2010 | Wide Awake Wide Awake (Joe McElderry album) Wide Awake is the debut album of English pop singer Joe McElderry, winner of the sixth series of British talent competition The X Factor...
|
3 | 5 | 2 |
|
British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... : Gold |
| 2011 | Classic Classic (Joe McElderry album) Classic is the second studio album by British singer Joe McElderry. It was released by Decca Records on 19 August 2011 in Ireland and on 22 August 2011 in the United Kingdom... Decca Records Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades.... |
2 | 20 | 3 |
|
British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... : Gold |
| Classic Christmas Classic Christmas (Joe McElderry album) Prior the release of the album, Entertainment Focus praised the album, calling it "another winning release from Joe McElderry", giving the album 4/5 stars.-Tracklist:The tracklist was confirmed on the official newsletter.-Release history:... |
|
British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... : Gold |
||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
IRL Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
SCO |
|||||||||||
| 2009 | "The Climb" | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|
Wide Awake Wide Awake (Joe McElderry album) Wide Awake is the debut album of English pop singer Joe McElderry, winner of the sixth series of British talent competition The X Factor... |
|||||||
| 2010 | "Ambitions" | 6 | 5 | 4 | |||||||||
| "Someone Wake Me Up Someone Wake Me Up "Someone Wake Me Up" is a 2010 pop song by singer Joe McElderry. The single was released on 5 December 2010 as the third and final single from his debut album, Wide Awake. The single's B-side, "There's a Place for Us", was recorded for the soundtrack of the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage... " |
68 | 69 | — | ||||||||||
| 2011 | "Last Christmas Last Christmas "Last Christmas" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, released on Epic Records in 1984, on a double A-side with "Everything She Wants". It was written by George Michael, one half of the duo... " |
— | — | — | Classic Christmas | ||||||||
| As featured artist | |||||||||||||
| 2009 | "You Are Not Alone You Are Not Alone "You Are Not Alone", released on the 10th of August 1995, is the second single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory. The R&B ballad's composition has been attributed R. Kelly in response to difficult times in his personal life. He then forwarded a bare demo tape to Jackson, who liked the song and... " (as part of The X Factor finalists) |
1 | 1 | 10 |
British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... : Gold |
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| 2010 | "Everybody Hurts Everybody Hurts "Everybody Hurts" is a song by R.E.M., originally released on the band's 1992 album Automatic for the People and was also released as a single in 1993. It peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on the UK Singles Chart and #3 on the French Singles Chart.-History:Much of the song was written by... " (as part of Helping Haiti) |
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British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... : Platinum |
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Other charted songs
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
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| 2011 | "Time to Say Goodbye Con te Partiró - History :The song's original single release by Polydor Records was not commercially successful in Italy, and received little radio airplay there. Elsewhere, however, it was a massive hit. In France and Switzerland, the single topped the charts for 6 weeks, earning a triple Gold sales award. In... " |
158 | Classic Classic (Joe McElderry album) Classic is the second studio album by British singer Joe McElderry. It was released by Decca Records on 19 August 2011 in Ireland and on 22 August 2011 in the United Kingdom... |
Music videos
| Year | Song | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "The Climb" | Max & Dania |
| 2010 | "Ambitions" | Nigel Dick Nigel Dick Nigel Dick is an English music video and film director, writer and musician based in Los Angeles, California. He directed the Band Aid video "Do They Know It's Christmas?", as well as over 300 other music videos.Nigel Dick should not be confused with the Australian Dr... |
| "Someone Wake Me Up" | Trudy Bellinger Trudy Bellinger Trudy Bellinger is a British music video director. Bellinger is currently affiliated with Merge @ Crossroads Films. In addition to music videos, she has also directed TV adverts for Rimmel and M & S fashion Spring and Autumn-Videography:1997... |
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| 2011 | "Time To Say Goodbye" | Peter Fallon |
| "Dance With My Father" | ||
| "Solitaire" |
Tours
- The X Factor Tour 2010The X Factor (UK series 6)The sixth series of British television music competition The X Factor started on ITV on 22 August 2009 and was won by Joe McElderry on 13 December 2009. Cheryl Cole emerged as the winning mentor for the second consecutive year, the first time in the show's history that a mentor has won back-to-back...
(February 2010 - April 2010) - Classic TourClassic TourClassic Tour is the first solo UK tour by north east English singer Joe McElderry. The tour took place throughout November 2011.-Setlist:#If You Love Me#Real Late Starter#Smile#Wide Awake*Costume change#Don't Stop Believing#Love Story#Open Arms#Superman...
(November 2011)