List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 2)
Encyclopedia
The second UK series of The X Factor
ran from 20 August to 17 December 2005 with Simon Cowell
, Sharon Osbourne
and Louis Walsh
mentoring and judging the finalists. 75,000 people auditioned for the second series, which saw Shayne Ward
declared winner, with Louis Walsh
emerging as the winning mentor.
. He began singing as a child, but did not take it seriously until his teenage years, and joined an R&B group called Fumin Man Dem. He had also won a singing contest organised by Choice FM
. Upon completing his A-Levels, Dorsett auditioned for the X Factor and was an early favourite alongside eventual winner Shayne Ward. However, in Week Six, he was eliminated after judge Osbourne, who held the casting vote that week, backed The Conway Sisters.
Following his departure from the show, Dorsett, now known as Nick D, has performed as a singer at Butlins
, and released EP
No Help or Handouts which include the singles "T.R.U.S.T" and "It's Alright".
native was one of two Irish acts in the series and survived two weeks before being voted off by judge Cowell, who described his performance of "Johnny B Goode" as "Shakin' Stevens
at a wedding". During his tenure as a contestant, his mother was rushed to hospital following an asthma attack; the news was concealed from his until his departure.
Magee, who later dropped out of University to pursue a career in music, has since told an interviewer: "I got very down, drank a lot and let myself go." He was also in the news in after his brothers Paul and David committed suicide in 2007 and 2009 respectively
Shayne Thomas Ward (born 16 October 1984) was a Mancunian
shop assistant who had previously reached the final thirty of Popstars: The Rivals.In 2005, he impressed the X Factor judges and became the bookmaker
s' favourite to win the show. After reaching the final, he defeated Journey South
and Andy Abraham
, and was named as the winner . He had not fallen into the bottom two throughout the entire competition, and won by a margin of 1.2% of the vote, out of a reported 10.8 million phone votes cast by viewers.
Ward's first single "That's My Goal
" became the Christmas single of 2005, and remains the only original winner's song to date. After his third album failed to reach the Top Ten, he was duly dropped by Syco Music .
descent and lives in Bradford
. She had competed in the first series of X Factor where she was placed in Osbourne's 16-24 category, but was sent home during the bootcamp stage. She tried again the following year with more success but was eliminated in Week 4.
Zinyuku has since signed a record deal and recorded a single with dance act Lockout
Andrew 'Andy' Abraham (born 16 July 1964, London) is a former refuse collector. Prior to this he worked as a bus driver for Arriva London
. Abraham, who is of of Grenadian
descent, was narrowly beaten to the top spot on The X Factor by Shayne Ward
by 1.2% of the national public vote.
Abraham has since released four albums, including his debut The Impossible Dream which reached #2 in the British album charts. In 2008, he represented the United Kingdom
at the Eurovision Song Contest
where he placed last out of twenty five countries.
who quickly became popular with the audience due to her vocals and personality. Before competing in the X Factor, she had sang in pentecostal choirs and had unsuccessfully attempted to land a record deal.
Edwards is now a West End
actress, and has starred in several productions including Carmen Jones
, We Will Rock You
, and most notably Chicago
. In 2007, she was named Favourite Reality Star at the Screen Nation awards.
, but she was rejected by judge Simon Cowell
after reaching the "Bootcamp" rounds. In 2005 she auditioned for the second series of the show.
Once she came face to face with the judges at her audition for the second series, Cowell immediately remembered her from the previous series and told her he had made a mistake in not putting her through to the live shows. Her rendition of "Stop" was good enough for her to be put through to the next stage with Sharon Osbourne
as her mentor. After successful performances at Bootcamp and at the Osbourne household in Los Angeles
, Lawson was given a chance to sing in the live stages of the show as part of Osbourne's final four.
At the beginning of the live shows Lawson was hotly tipped to take the title, and performances of "Piece of My Heart
" and "You're Beautiful
" made her one of the solid favourites to win. In fact, she was the bookmaker
s' favourite from the start of the live stages until she was eliminated from the show.
. His X Factor audition is notable as judge Cowell walked out in disgust after fellow judges Walsh and Osbourne voted him through to the second round. Slimani quickly became one of the competition's most controversial contestants due top his questionable vocal ability, but managed to remain in the contest until the quarter finals when he was voted out. To date he remains the only contestant to perform an original song - "It's Chico Time
". He planned to release it as a single for Christmas; this was postponed for contractual reasons until February 2006 when it entered the UK Singles Chart
at #1.
Slimani is still in the music business, and in 2008 he appeared in the reality TV show CelebAir
in which he placed third
Songs:
I Want It That Way
by Backstreet Boys
(Week One)
"I’ll Be There" by The Jackson Five (Week Two)
-based quartet had taken part in other talent shows including "London Battle of the Boroughs" in which they placed third Following their departure from the show, Addictiv Ladies complained that Walsh, who held the casting vote that week, had voted against them in order to spite fellow judge Cowell
The group has since disbanded. Lead singer Fleur is currently pursuing a modelling career while Stephanie is an actress.
The Conway Sisters consisted of Irish
siblings Laura, Marie, Sharon and Sinead, who were all born and raised in Sligo
. Prior to auditioning for the X Factor they had released a number of singles in Ireland with limited success. Despite lead singer Marie's impressive vocals, The Conways failed to make an impression with viewers. In week 5 of The X Factor knockout stages, they found themselves in the bottom-two with crowd favourite Maria Lawson
. The latter was voted off by Louis Walsh
who held the casting vote that week, prompting booing from the studio audience and fellow judge Sharon Osbourne
to claim that "he voted with his passport" - referring to the fact that both Walsh and the Conway Sisters were Irish. The decision provoked controversy in the UK media, especially when it was revealed that Walsh had known the Conways personally prior to the competition.
Following their nomination for expulsion and the generally negative comments of their mentor, Simon Cowell
, The Conways worked for the next episode of the show without the guidance of Cowell, who persisted with negative comments for the rest of their tenure. They were eliminated in week 7 after Cowell voted against them – the first and so far only time that an X Factor mentor had voted off their own act, when not forced to do so (both acts in the bottom two are from the same mentor/catagory.) Upon their dismissal from the competition, the group claimed that Walsh had been their true mentor.
The Conway Sisters have since broken up, with Laura attempting to pursue a solo career.
singing duo, consisting of brothers Andy and Carl Pemberton. They are originally from Middlesbrough
, Teesside
, and performed in pubs and clubs throughout the United Kingdom
for over eight years, prior to achieving third place on the second UK series of television talent show The X Factor
in 2005. The duo have stated that Bon Jovi
, U2
and Mary J Blige have been influences for their work.
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...
ran from 20 August to 17 December 2005 with 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...
, Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....
and Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
mentoring and judging the finalists. 75,000 people auditioned for the second series, which saw Shayne Ward
Shayne Ward
Shayne Thomas Ward is an English pop singer who rose to fame as the winner of second series of The X Factor. He has sold over 3 million records worldwide and has had number one albums and singles in 9 countries.During The X Factor competition, Ward was mentored by manager Louis Walsh...
declared winner, with Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
emerging as the winning mentor.
Nicholas Dorsett
Nicholas Dorsett (born May 27, 1987) is from Enfield, LondonLondon
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...
. He began singing as a child, but did not take it seriously until his teenage years, and joined an R&B group called Fumin Man Dem. He had also won a singing contest organised by Choice FM
Choice FM
Choice FM, branded on-air as London's Choice, is a brand used by the UK's biggest radio company, Global Radio for its network of black music radio stations...
. Upon completing his A-Levels, Dorsett auditioned for the X Factor and was an early favourite alongside eventual winner Shayne Ward. However, in Week Six, he was eliminated after judge Osbourne, who held the casting vote that week, backed The Conway Sisters.
Following his departure from the show, Dorsett, now known as Nick D, has performed as a singer at Butlins
Butlins
Butlins is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families....
, and released EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
No Help or Handouts which include the singles "T.R.U.S.T" and "It's Alright".
Phillip Magee
Phillip Magee is a Northern Irish former student of Queen's University. The LarneLarne
Larne is a substantial seaport and industrial market town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a population of 18,228 people in the 2001 Census. As of 2011, there are about 31,000 residents in the greater Larne area. It has been used as a seaport for over 1,000 years, and is...
native was one of two Irish acts in the series and survived two weeks before being voted off by judge Cowell, who described his performance of "Johnny B Goode" as "Shakin' Stevens
Shakin' Stevens
Shakin' Stevens, also known as "Shaky" is a platinum selling Welsh rock and roll singer and songwriter who holds the distinction of being the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s . His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, although it was not until 1980 that he saw...
at a wedding". During his tenure as a contestant, his mother was rushed to hospital following an asthma attack; the news was concealed from his until his departure.
Magee, who later dropped out of University to pursue a career in music, has since told an interviewer: "I got very down, drank a lot and let myself go." He was also in the news in after his brothers Paul and David committed suicide in 2007 and 2009 respectively
Shayne Ward
Shayne Thomas Ward (born 16 October 1984) was a Mancunian
Mancunian
Mancunian is the associated adjective and demonym of Manchester, a city in North West England. It may refer to:*The city of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England**The people of Manchester, or the list of people from Manchester...
shop assistant who had previously reached the final thirty of Popstars: The Rivals.In 2005, he impressed the X Factor judges and became the bookmaker
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
s' favourite to win the show. After reaching the final, he defeated Journey South
Journey South
Journey South are an English singing duo, consisting of brothers Andy and Carl Pemberton. They are originally from Middlesbrough, Teesside, and performed in pubs and clubs throughout the United Kingdom for over eight years, prior to achieving third place on the second UK series of television talent...
and Andy Abraham
Andy Abraham
Andrew Abraham is an English singer. He was the runner-up in the second UK series of TV talent show The X Factor in 2005 to Shayne Ward, and also represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.Before applying for The X Factor, Abraham was a refuse collector...
, and was named as the winner . He had not fallen into the bottom two throughout the entire competition, and won by a margin of 1.2% of the vote, out of a reported 10.8 million phone votes cast by viewers.
Ward's first single "That's My Goal
That's My Goal
"That's My Goal" is a song, released in 2005 as the first single by Shayne Ward, the winner of the second series of X Factor. The song was first heard in the final of the aforementioned series, where it was performed by both Ward and X Factor runner up, Andy Abraham. The single was rush-released on...
" became the Christmas single of 2005, and remains the only original winner's song to date. After his third album failed to reach the Top Ten, he was duly dropped by Syco Music .
Chenai Zinyuku
Chenai Zinyuku (born June 1, 1986) is of Zimbabwean and EnglishEnglish 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...
descent and lives in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
. She had competed in the first series of X Factor where she was placed in Osbourne's 16-24 category, but was sent home during the bootcamp stage. She tried again the following year with more success but was eliminated in Week 4.
Zinyuku has since signed a record deal and recorded a single with dance act Lockout
Andy Abraham
Andrew 'Andy' Abraham (born 16 July 1964, London) is a former refuse collector. Prior to this he worked as a bus driver for Arriva London
Arriva London
Arriva London is a division of Arriva which operates bus services in London, UK. It is made up of many previous bus operators including previously independent Grey Green...
. Abraham, who is of of Grenadian
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
descent, was narrowly beaten to the top spot on The X Factor by Shayne Ward
Shayne Ward
Shayne Thomas Ward is an English pop singer who rose to fame as the winner of second series of The X Factor. He has sold over 3 million records worldwide and has had number one albums and singles in 9 countries.During The X Factor competition, Ward was mentored by manager Louis Walsh...
by 1.2% of the national public vote.
Abraham has since released four albums, including his debut The Impossible Dream which reached #2 in the British album charts. In 2008, he represented the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
at the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
where he placed last out of twenty five countries.
Brenda Edwards
Brenda Edwards is a former accounts manager and mother-of-two from LutonLuton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
who quickly became popular with the audience due to her vocals and personality. Before competing in the X Factor, she had sang in pentecostal choirs and had unsuccessfully attempted to land a record deal.
Edwards is now a West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
actress, and has starred in several productions including Carmen Jones
Carmen Jones
Carmen Jones is a 1943 Broadway musical starring Muriel Smith in the title role, later made into a 1954 musical film; the play also ran for a season in 1991 at London's Old Vic and most recently in London's Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre in 2007. It is an updating of the Georges Bizet...
, We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You (musical)
We Will Rock You is a jukebox musical, based on the songs of Queen and named after their hit single of the same name. The musical was written by British comedian and author Ben Elton in collaboration with Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor...
, and most notably Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
. In 2007, she was named Favourite Reality Star at the Screen Nation awards.
Maria Lawson
In 2004, Lawson auditioned for the first series of The X FactorThe 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...
, but she was rejected by judge 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...
after reaching the "Bootcamp" rounds. In 2005 she auditioned for the second series of the show.
Once she came face to face with the judges at her audition for the second series, Cowell immediately remembered her from the previous series and told her he had made a mistake in not putting her through to the live shows. Her rendition of "Stop" was good enough for her to be put through to the next stage with Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....
as her mentor. After successful performances at Bootcamp and at the Osbourne household in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Lawson was given a chance to sing in the live stages of the show as part of Osbourne's final four.
At the beginning of the live shows Lawson was hotly tipped to take the title, and performances of "Piece of My Heart
Piece of My Heart
"Piece of My Heart" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns and originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. The song came to greater mainstream attention when Big Brother and the Holding Company covered the song in 1968 and had a hit with it...
" and "You're Beautiful
You're Beautiful
"You're Beautiful" is a pop rock song co-written by British singer James Blunt, Sacha Skarbek, and Amanda Ghost for Blunt's debut album Back to Bedlam . It was released as the third single from the album in 2005. In the UK and Australia the song reached number one and number two respectively...
" made her one of the solid favourites to win. In fact, she was the bookmaker
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
s' favourite from the start of the live stages until she was eliminated from the show.
Chico Slimani
Yousseph 'Chico' Slimani (born 2 April 1971) is a Welsh singer of Moroccan descent who had previously worked as a goat herder and stripperExotic dancer
The terms exotic dancer and exotic dance can have different meanings in different parts of the world and depending on context. In the erotic sense, "exotic dance" is a often used to refer to practitioners of striptease...
. His X Factor audition is notable as judge Cowell walked out in disgust after fellow judges Walsh and Osbourne voted him through to the second round. Slimani quickly became one of the competition's most controversial contestants due top his questionable vocal ability, but managed to remain in the contest until the quarter finals when he was voted out. To date he remains the only contestant to perform an original song - "It's Chico Time
It's Chico Time
"It's Chico Time" is the first single by The X Factor contestant Chico . Chico performed the song on the show on 19 November 2005. It is the only time that a contestant has performed an original song in the live stages of the show...
". He planned to release it as a single for Christmas; this was postponed for contractual reasons until February 2006 when it entered 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 ...
at #1.
Slimani is still in the music business, and in 2008 he appeared in the reality TV show CelebAir
CelebAir
CelebAir is a reality TV series in which 11 celebrities performed the duties of cabin crew and check-in attendants. The series is presented by Angellica Bell and aired on ITV2 from 2 September 2008 until 23 October 2008, when Lisa Maffia was declared the winner.For the show, Monarch Airlines...
in which he placed third
4Tune
4Tune, Eliminated Week 2, X-Factor 2005Songs:
I Want It That Way
I Want It That Way
"I Want It That Way" is a song by the Backstreet Boys, and their first single from their 1999 album Millennium. It was written by Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson along with other producers. The song was highly played on the radio and the video, directed by Wayne Isham, was well played on television...
by Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...
(Week One)
"I’ll Be There" by The Jackson Five (Week Two)
Addictiv Ladies
Addictiv Ladies was the first act to be eliminated from the competition, and consisted of A Level students and childhood friends Fleur East, Nicola Owusu-Arontoh, Stephanie Yamson, and Vivienne Umeh. Before competing in The X Factor, the LondonLondon
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...
-based quartet had taken part in other talent shows including "London Battle of the Boroughs" in which they placed third Following their departure from the show, Addictiv Ladies complained that Walsh, who held the casting vote that week, had voted against them in order to spite fellow judge Cowell
The group has since disbanded. Lead singer Fleur is currently pursuing a modelling career while Stephanie is an actress.
The Conway Sisters
The Conway Sisters consisted of Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
siblings Laura, Marie, Sharon and Sinead, who were all born and raised in Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
. Prior to auditioning for the X Factor they had released a number of singles in Ireland with limited success. Despite lead singer Marie's impressive vocals, The Conways failed to make an impression with viewers. In week 5 of The X Factor knockout stages, they found themselves in the bottom-two with crowd favourite Maria Lawson
Maria Lawson (singer)
Maria Lawson is an English singer who finished in eighth place in the second UK series of television talent show The X Factor in 2005.-Early life:...
. The latter was voted off by Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
who held the casting vote that week, prompting booing from the studio audience and fellow judge Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....
to claim that "he voted with his passport" - referring to the fact that both Walsh and the Conway Sisters were Irish. The decision provoked controversy in the UK media, especially when it was revealed that Walsh had known the Conways personally prior to the competition.
Following their nomination for expulsion and the generally negative comments of their mentor, 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...
, The Conways worked for the next episode of the show without the guidance of Cowell, who persisted with negative comments for the rest of their tenure. They were eliminated in week 7 after Cowell voted against them – the first and so far only time that an X Factor mentor had voted off their own act, when not forced to do so (both acts in the bottom two are from the same mentor/catagory.) Upon their dismissal from the competition, the group claimed that Walsh had been their true mentor.
The Conway Sisters have since broken up, with Laura attempting to pursue a solo career.
Journey South
Journey South are an EnglishEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
singing duo, consisting of brothers Andy and Carl Pemberton. They are originally from Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
, Teesside
Teesside
Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
, and performed in pubs and clubs throughout the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for over eight years, prior to achieving third place on the second UK series of television talent 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 2005. The duo have stated that Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
, U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
and Mary J Blige have been influences for their work.
See also
- List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 1)
- List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 3)
- List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 4)
- List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 5)
- List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 6)
- List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 7)
- List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 8)