List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 3)
Encyclopedia
The third UK series of The X Factor
was broadcast on ITV
between 19 August and 16 December 2006, with Simon Cowell
, Sharon Osbourne
and Louis Walsh
mentoring and judging the finalists. Auditions were held in cities around the UK and Republic of Ireland - London
, Manchester
, Birmingham
, Dublin, Leeds
and Glasgow
.
. Her aunt, Katie Angus, was in Sharon Osbourne's category but failed to make the final 4. At her audition Nikitta Angus performed "Dimming of the Day" written by Richard Thompson, which she recorded with her aunt for her mother's funeral in 2005. Angus was due to be a contestant in 2005 but was knocked down by a car ten minutes before her audition. She was eliminated in the fifth week (finishing in 7th place) after appearing in the bottom-two showdown with Ray Quinn.
In 2010 Nikitta's career began an upward climb, collaborating with many household names in the production of music for her forthcoming album. Nikitta can also be seen as a model, representing various fashion franchises across the UK, and is managed by Northern Star Artist Management. In July 2010, she participated in the TV show Don't Stop Believing
with cheerleading squad Blok and two other singers, but was eliminated by the judges after the group lost a sing-off.
Angus is currently a member of reality group G*Mania.
and often listened to her father's record collection. She says "I loved listening to Minnie Riperton
and Anita Baker
, plus 80s big vocalists Whitney Houston
, Mariah Carey
, Oleta Adams
and more recently Eva Cassidy
, and at the age of six I decided to be a singer".
Lewis wrote her first song at the age of 12, and attended the Sylvia Young stage school
and the Brit School
. Her audition performances for The X Factor were "Over the Rainbow
", "I Have Nothing
", and "Without You".
Lewis went on to win the contest, becoming the first woman to do so. Her first release was the song "A Moment Like This".
Lewis's vocal talents were consistently highly praised by all three judges throughout the competition, and on occasions she was compared to Mariah Carey
. On the 9 December show Simon Cowell remarked that of all Pop Idol and The X Factor performances, her performance of "Over the Rainbow
" was the best he had ever witnessed. The only criticisms she received, both from the judges and in the press, were related to her confidence. Cowell also commented throughout the show that Lewis's lack of awareness of her talents was what made her special. As with all X Factor winners before and after her, Lewis never fell into the bottom two throughout the live finals.
Following the release of Lewis's second single "Bleeding Love
" and debut album Spirit
, she became the biggest selling The X Factor contestant and the first to have international success. On 17 April 2008, Spirit debuted at number 1 on the American Billboard 200 album charts, with her single "Bleeding Love" simultaneously reaching the top spot.
, Surrey
) is one of five children; he has two brothers, David and Rory, and two sisters, Leah and Ella. Ashley's cousin is the Northampton Town
footballer, Leon McKenzie
. Ashley is very interested in gymnastics and has won many awards for his skills. He has done modelling work for Storm and Topman
in the past.
Ashley was in the bottom three during the third week of the live shows but avoided elimination. He was eliminated in week four.
at the time of the show, and was studying Performing Arts at The Merseyside Dance and Drama College, with one year of his course remaining. He has two older brothers who own a carpet warehouse. At college he received some vocal training and had also learnt to dance to quite an advanced level. Quinn is also known for playing Anthony Murray in the TV soap opera
Brookside
. This role won him the 2002 British Soap Award for Best Dramatic Performance, and the storyline in which he featured won Best Storyline. Quinn has also appeared in a children's drama called Cactus Jack.
Many of Quinn's X Factor performances had an old-fashioned feel, and in the earlier stages of the competition he was criticised by Louis Walsh for repeatedly performing swing
-style numbers. Sharon Osbourne christened him "panto boy" and the judges generally queried his ability as a pure singer as opposed to a "song-and-dance man". In the later stages the judges seemed satisfied that the range of his performances had widened.
Quinn was in the bottom two in the fifth week along with Nikitta Angus, but survived elimination. Quinn finished as runner-up behind Leona Lewis. He later appeared as a judge on the show Baby Ballroom.
In 2009, Quinn won the popular ITV1
show, Dancing on Ice
.
at the time of the show with his girlfriend Samia, whom he met at an open mike
event. Allen has one brother and one sister. He used to be in a gospel
group called The Continentals and another group called Citizen K. Allen has trained in method acting
, had professional dance tuition and can play clarinet
to grade 4. Allen's audition performance of "Let It Be
" was well received by the judges, and at bootcamp he sang "Crazy
".
Allen was in the bottom two three times, and was eliminated the third time, on 18 November.
, broke her back when she was 13 and was left paraplegic
, dependent on a wheelchair
and crutch
es to get around. In 1997, she entered A Song for Europe
but lost out to Katrina and the Waves
. She also sang on the track "Freedom" by dance act QFX
, which reached #21 in the UK Singles Chart
. In 2003 she appeared in three episodes of the Channel 4
comedy The Book Group
, playing Carol Ann.
In the X Factor audition stages, she performed the songs "Show Me Heaven
", "Something
", "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" and "You've Got a Friend
".
McGregor was eliminated by the judges in the third live show.
, had been running his own marquee company for four years. He had been singing for twenty years, and performed in pubs and clubs in his local area. His claim to fame before taking part in The X Factor was putting up a marquee for Jools Holland
. He has one sister and one brother. Mills has a Diploma in music and also plays piano and guitar. Mills' biggest performance to date had been at the Guildford Folk and Blues Festival
. Mills was also a keyboard player in the tribute band to The Doors
called The L.A. Doors.
He was in the bottom two for the first time in week seven alongside Eton Road but survived elimination. Mills was voted off The X Factor in the semi-final, finishing in third place.
Mitchell was in the bottom two in week one, but avoided elimination. However, she was automatically eliminated by the public in the third week, having received the fewest votes in the special double-elimination show.
Donovan Bailey formed the band in 2005 after asking Jones to sing to him over the telephone. Sanderson and Fisher were mutual friends who joined the group at the same time. They had performed around the country at various holiday parks and pubs and chose the name 4Sure because they were "four guys sure of their destiny". In fact, their destiny was elimination in week two.
Since leaving The X Factor 4Sure have been busy writing and recording new songs and have also supported Boyz II Men
on their UK Tour as well as other American artists.
The four had known each other since they attended a dance school called Chiltern Casting on Eaton Road together when they were younger. They named themselves after the road, slightly changing the spelling. They had all been singing for a number of years in shows, competitions and cabarets. However, they had only been together as a group for four days when they auditioned for The X Factor. From their first audition, Simon Cowell branded Anthony Hannah as "the odd one" in reference to his distinct look. At the age of 14, Hannah took part in Stars in Their Eyes Kids
, performing as Robbie Williams
.
He also performed with Gareth Gates
on Top of the Pops
in 2003, after winning this opportunity in a competition.
Eton Road were in the bottom two for the first time on 18 November, but were saved by Cowell. The following week they were in the bottom two again, and were eliminated by Cowell, who had the casting vote on both occasions.
After The X Factor they performed at over 300 gigs and had a very big fan base. In August 2007 Anthony Hannah left and was replaced with 19-year-old Marcus Collins. Hannah has since been in the recording studio and has gigged up and down the country, including an appearance at London's biggest gay club, G-A-Y
.Anthony did a one off gig for his fans in the Wirral, in 2009. Anthony is rumoured to appear in Mersey Shore, a spin off of Jersey Shore
. He is currently recording abroad and has a famous boyfriend to boot, Harry Derbridge of The Only Way Is Essex. Mersey Shore is based around their relationship. No official comment by Anthony has yet being made.
Eton Road's debut single, "Wishing", received its first airplay on Thursday 4 October 2007 on a local Liverpool late night radio show, though they had not yet signed to a record label. In September 2007 their official website (http://www.etonroad.org.uk) and official MySpace
site (http://www.myspace.com/officialetonroad) were launched. Their debut single, "Wishing", was released in January 2008 and reached #5 on the IndieStore.com charts. In January 2008 they were signed by Malcom Feld. In March 2008, Marcus Collins was advised to leave the band. Collins is now pursuing a solo career and writing new material to perform with a 10-piece band. In 2011, Collins auditioned for the eighth
series of The X Factor, and made it to the live finals. David Heath, James Edwards and Daniel Morris decided to carry on as a trio, but in October 2008 Eton Road announced that they had split on their official Myspace account.
Just after the split Danny Morris launched a solo career. In October he performed at the Big Brother Halloween Party in Leicester, he switched on Christmas lights in and around Liverpool with Juice FM in November, and in December 2008 he performed alongside Diana Vickers and Ruth Lorenzo (2008 X Factor finalists) in the Pop Factory Tour. He is now signed to o9 Management in Liverpool.
Danny Morris has now started touring with his Overload Tour and is set to perform his show at St George's Hall in Liverpool in May 2009. His tour has also sponsored a local under 16s football club – Parkfield JFC. The Overload Tour
Brian (born 28 November 1986) and Craig (born 16 December 1985) lived at the time of the show with their parents and have a half brother from their father's previous relationship. The MacDonald Brothers had been singing together seriously for three years at weddings and clubs, and occasionally performed backing vocals. One of their biggest performances as The MacDonald Brothers had been in front of Hugh Grant
at the Ceilidh
Dance.
The MacDonald Brothers were repeatedly rubbished by Simon Cowell
, who called their performances "dreary" and "pointless" and expressed amazement as the pair continued to survive the vote. They were finally eliminated on 2 December 2006, finishing in overall fourth place. At the series 4 Glasgow audition, Cowell made a "formal apology" to Scotland that they had been represented by the brothers in series 3.
The duo have, however, been popular in their native Scotland, with their first album reaching number 1 in the Scottish charts and number 18 in the UK charts. Their second album, The World Outside, is due for release.
They have also toured with Westlife
and are currently signed to Scottish music label The Music Kitchen.
The Unconventionals came together just a few weeks before their appearance on The X Factor. Drew Jaymson and Andrew Newey had known each other since 1990 when they both performed at a charity gig. Liz Ewing was brought into the group after working with Jaymson on the musical Grease
. Nicola Dawn and Lucy Newton knew Jaymson from their time working on the Boy George
musical Taboo
in London's West End. Tom Newman, Dawn's boyfriend, was the only member who was previously unknown to most of the group. The Unconventionals had had only one performance of note, a charity performance at the night club Too 2 Much.
Since leaving the X Factor they have toured alongside the MacDonald Brothers, supporting Westlife at Wembley Arena and The Point, Dublin. They also opened for Tom Jones
and Beverley Knight
in London.
The Unconventionals officially announced the release of their debut single "Abstract YoYo" for 14 September 2009, as a digital-only release. A video for the single has also been produced http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbwmbRHk5H0 . An physical release album entitled "Flower To The People" was released in July 2010 and features Little Britain's Matt Lucas as a guest rapper. A number of Sir Bernard Chumley's 'associates' are also reported to make an appearance on the record which received extensive airplay and acclaim on BBC Radio 2. There were four further single releases "Push The Button", "Top Of The World", "Strawberry Sunshine" & "Long Distance Christmas". They also recorded the song "Stop Telling Me Lies" written for them by Tom Watkins (Bros, East 17) and Nicky Graham (Bros), and the theme tune to the reality series Working 9 to 5. Along the way, original members of the group Drew, Tom and Andrew were joined by three new girls, West End musical performers Kelly-Ann Gower, Melissa Jacques and Laura Lee.
Original band members from the X Factor series have all achieved individual success - Nicola Dawn has toured the world as lead singer/narrator in Cirque Du Soleil, Lucy Newton went on to perform on the West End stage in such musicals as Wicked
(Glinda u/s) and Priscilla Queen of the Desert. and Liz Ewing garnered great acclaim as Shirley also in Priscilla Queen Of The Desert at London's Palace Theatre. Drew Jaymson has continued writing and performing with major names, in addition to his musical theatre activities. Tom Newman toured the UK in the controversial play Future Me, and Andrew Newey has toured internationally as part of another 3 boy 3 girl vocal group The WestEnders.
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...
was broadcast on 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...
between 19 August and 16 December 2006, 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. Auditions were held in cities around the UK and Republic of Ireland - 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...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Dublin, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
Nikitta Angus
Nikitta Angus (born 19 October 1988 in Manchester, England) raised in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. Her aunt, Katie Angus, was in Sharon Osbourne's category but failed to make the final 4. At her audition Nikitta Angus performed "Dimming of the Day" written by Richard Thompson, which she recorded with her aunt for her mother's funeral in 2005. Angus was due to be a contestant in 2005 but was knocked down by a car ten minutes before her audition. She was eliminated in the fifth week (finishing in 7th place) after appearing in the bottom-two showdown with Ray Quinn.
In 2010 Nikitta's career began an upward climb, collaborating with many household names in the production of music for her forthcoming album. Nikitta can also be seen as a model, representing various fashion franchises across the UK, and is managed by Northern Star Artist Management. In July 2010, she participated in the TV show Don't Stop Believing
Don't Stop Believing
Don't Stop Believing is a British television talent show that aired on Channel 5 in summer 2010. It was inspired by the musical comedy-drama Glee, which airs in the United States on the Fox network. The series featured live shows in which musical performance groups competed against each other, with...
with cheerleading squad Blok and two other singers, but was eliminated by the judges after the group lost a sing-off.
Angus is currently a member of reality group G*Mania.
Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis (born 3 April 1985) grew up in North LondonNorth London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
and often listened to her father's record collection. She says "I loved listening to Minnie Riperton
Minnie Riperton
Minnie Julia Riperton was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single "Lovin' You". She was married to songwriter and music producer Richard Rudolph from 1972 until her death in the summer of 1979. They had two children - music engineer Marc Rudolph and actress/comedienne Maya...
and Anita Baker
Anita Baker
Anita Baker is an American R&B/soul jazz singer-songwriter. To date, Baker has won eight Grammy Awards, and has four platinum albums and two gold albums to her credit....
, plus 80s big vocalists Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
, Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, Oleta Adams
Oleta Adams
Oleta Adams is an American soul, jazz, and gospel singer and pianist.-Biography:Adams was born the daughter of a preacher and was raised with gospel music. In her youth her family moved to Yakima, Washington, which is sometimes shown as her place of birth.Before gaining her opportunity to perform,...
and more recently Eva Cassidy
Eva Cassidy
Eva Marie Cassidy was an American vocalist known for her interpretations of jazz, blues, folk, gospel, country and pop classics. In 1992 she released her first album, The Other Side, a set of duets with go-go musician Chuck Brown, followed by a live solo album, Live at Blues Alley in 1996...
, and at the age of six I decided to be a singer".
Lewis wrote her first song at the age of 12, and attended the Sylvia Young stage school
Sylvia Young Theatre School
Sylvia Young Theatre School is an independent fee-paying stage school, in Westminster, London, named after its founder and Principal, Sylvia Young.-Outline:...
and the Brit School
BRIT School
The London School for Performing Arts & Technology is a British school located in Selhurst, Croydon, in London, England, with a mandate to provide education and vocational training for the performing arts, media, art and design and the technologies that make performance possible...
. Her audition performances for The X Factor were "Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
"Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...
", "I Have Nothing
I Have Nothing
"I Have Nothing" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston and released as the third single from The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album on February 20, 1993 by Arista Records. The song was written by David Foster and Linda Thompson, and produced by Foster...
", and "Without You".
Lewis went on to win the contest, becoming the first woman to do so. Her first release was the song "A Moment Like This".
Lewis's vocal talents were consistently highly praised by all three judges throughout the competition, and on occasions she was compared to Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
. On the 9 December show Simon Cowell remarked that of all Pop Idol and The X Factor performances, her performance of "Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
"Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...
" was the best he had ever witnessed. The only criticisms she received, both from the judges and in the press, were related to her confidence. Cowell also commented throughout the show that Lewis's lack of awareness of her talents was what made her special. As with all X Factor winners before and after her, Lewis never fell into the bottom two throughout the live finals.
Following the release of Lewis's second single "Bleeding Love
Bleeding Love
"Bleeding Love" is a pop/R&B ballad co-written by Jesse McCartney and Ryan Tedder and produced by Tedder for British singer Leona Lewis's debut album, Spirit. The song is the album's lead single , released in the United Kingdom and Ireland in October 2007...
" and debut album Spirit
Spirit (Leona Lewis album)
Spirit is the debut album by British singer Leona Lewis, released by Syco Music in November 2007 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, followed by a worldwide release during early 2008...
, she became the biggest selling The X Factor contestant and the first to have international success. On 17 April 2008, Spirit debuted at number 1 on the American Billboard 200 album charts, with her single "Bleeding Love" simultaneously reaching the top spot.
Ashley McKenzie
Ashley Frank McKenzie (born 1986 in CroydonCroydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
) is one of five children; he has two brothers, David and Rory, and two sisters, Leah and Ella. Ashley's cousin is the Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
footballer, Leon McKenzie
Leon McKenzie
Leon Mark McKenzie is an English professional footballer, who plays for Kettering Town.-Personal life:...
. Ashley is very interested in gymnastics and has won many awards for his skills. He has done modelling work for Storm and Topman
Topman
TOPMAN is the stand-alone fashion business counterpart of Topshop that caters exclusively to men’s clothing. A part of the Arcadia Group, which also owns Burton, Miss Selfridge, Wallis, Evans, British Home Stores and Dorothy Perkins, Topman has a chain of high-street men's clothing stores located...
in the past.
Ashley was in the bottom three during the third week of the live shows but avoided elimination. He was eliminated in week four.
Ray Quinn
Ray Quinn (born 25 August 1988) lived with his parents in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
at the time of the show, and was studying Performing Arts at The Merseyside Dance and Drama College, with one year of his course remaining. He has two older brothers who own a carpet warehouse. At college he received some vocal training and had also learnt to dance to quite an advanced level. Quinn is also known for playing Anthony Murray in the TV soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Brookside
Brookside
Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
. This role won him the 2002 British Soap Award for Best Dramatic Performance, and the storyline in which he featured won Best Storyline. Quinn has also appeared in a children's drama called Cactus Jack.
Many of Quinn's X Factor performances had an old-fashioned feel, and in the earlier stages of the competition he was criticised by Louis Walsh for repeatedly performing swing
Swing (dance)
"Swing dance" is a group of dances that developed with the swing style of jazz music in the 1920s-1950s, although the earliest of these dances predate swing jazz music. The best known of these dances is the Lindy Hop, a popular partner dance that originated in Harlem and is still danced today...
-style numbers. Sharon Osbourne christened him "panto boy" and the judges generally queried his ability as a pure singer as opposed to a "song-and-dance man". In the later stages the judges seemed satisfied that the range of his performances had widened.
Quinn was in the bottom two in the fifth week along with Nikitta Angus, but survived elimination. Quinn finished as runner-up behind Leona Lewis. He later appeared as a judge on the show Baby Ballroom.
In 2009, Quinn won the popular ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
show, Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...
.
Robert Allen
Robert Allen lived in EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
at the time of the show with his girlfriend Samia, whom he met at an open mike
Open mike
An open mike or open mic is a live show where audience members may perform at the microphone. Usually, the performers sign up in advance for a time slot with the host or master of ceremonies. These events can be focused on poetry and the spoken word, music, comedy, and the open format of open...
event. Allen has one brother and one sister. He used to be in a gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
group called The Continentals and another group called Citizen K. Allen has trained in method acting
Method acting
Method acting is a phrase that loosely refers to a family of techniques used by actors to create in themselves the thoughts and emotions of their characters, so as to develop lifelike performances...
, had professional dance tuition and can play clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
to grade 4. Allen's audition performance of "Let It Be
Let It Be (song)
"Let It Be" is a song by The Beatles, released in March 1970 as a single, and as the title track of their album Let It Be. It was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was their final single before McCartney announced his departure from the band...
" was well received by the judges, and at bootcamp he sang "Crazy
Crazy (Gnarls Barkley song)
"Crazy" is the debut single from Gnarls Barkley, a musical collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green, and is taken from their 2006 debut album St. Elsewhere...
".
Allen was in the bottom two three times, and was eliminated the third time, on 18 November.
Kerry McGregor
Kerry McGregor, a full-time mother from West LothianWest Lothian
West Lothian is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and South Lanarkshire....
, broke her back when she was 13 and was left paraplegic
Paraplegia
Paraplegia is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek: παραπληγίη "half-striking". It is usually the result of spinal cord injury or a congenital condition such as spina bifida that affects the neural elements of the spinal canal...
, dependent on a wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
and crutch
Crutch
Crutches are mobility aids used to counter a mobility impairment or an injury that limits walking ability.- Types :There are several different types of crutches:...
es to get around. In 1997, she entered A Song for Europe
Making Your Mind Up (TV series)
Eurovision: Your Country Needs You was a BBC TV show broadcast annually to select the United Kingdom's entry into the Eurovision Song Contest...
but lost out to Katrina and the Waves
Katrina and the Waves
Katrina and the Waves was an English pop rock band, best known for their 1985 hit "Walking on Sunshine" and their 1997 Eurovision Song Contest victory with the song "Love Shine a Light".-Pre-history: The Waves and Mama's Cookin' :...
. She also sang on the track "Freedom" by dance act QFX
QFX
QFX is an image editing computer program, developed by Ron Scott a Texan photographer and software engineer. The first version was released in 1990. At the time of its release, QFX was one of the most feature-rich image editing applications available on the PC platform...
, which reached #21 in 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 ...
. In 2003 she appeared in three episodes of the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
comedy The Book Group
The Book Group
The Book Group is a comedy drama that aired on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom between 2002 and 2003, and ran for two series. It was written and directed by the American-born Glasgow resident Annie Griffin, who also wrote and directed Festival...
, playing Carol Ann.
In the X Factor audition stages, she performed the songs "Show Me Heaven
Show Me Heaven
Australian singer Tina Arena released her version of the song as the fifth single for her 1994 album Don't Ask.-Chart performance:-Other cover versions:...
", "Something
Something
"Something" is a song by The Beatles, written by lead guitarist George Harrison in 1969. It was featured on the album Abbey Road, and was also the first song written by Harrison to appear on the A-side of a Beatles' single...
", "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" and "You've Got a Friend
You've Got a Friend
"You've Got a Friend" is a song from 1971, originally written and performed by Carole King. It was included in her album Tapestry of 1971, but was made famous by James Taylor's cover version the same year...
".
McGregor was eliminated by the judges in the third live show.
Ben Mills
Ben Mills, from Ashford, KentAshford, Kent
Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most...
, had been running his own marquee company for four years. He had been singing for twenty years, and performed in pubs and clubs in his local area. His claim to fame before taking part in The X Factor was putting up a marquee for Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
. He has one sister and one brother. Mills has a Diploma in music and also plays piano and guitar. Mills' biggest performance to date had been at the Guildford Folk and Blues Festival
GuilFest
GuilFest, formerly the Guildford Festival of Folk and Blues is a music festival held in Stoke Park, Guildford, England each July. The festival, like the larger Glastonbury Festival, features a range of genres including rock, folk, blues, and in recent years pop...
. Mills was also a keyboard player in the tribute band to The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
called The L.A. Doors.
He was in the bottom two for the first time in week seven alongside Eton Road but survived elimination. Mills was voted off The X Factor in the semi-final, finishing in third place.
Dionne Mitchell
Dionne Mitchell was born and raised in London and lived with her parents at the time of the show. Mitchell has two older sisters and four older brothers. She had been singing for six years after joining a theatre company and performing in a play. After the show the company asked her to stay on. She had also performed in clubs and as a backing singer at concerts.Mitchell was in the bottom two in week one, but avoided elimination. However, she was automatically eliminated by the public in the third week, having received the fewest votes in the special double-elimination show.
4Sure
4Sure are Andrew Fisher, Kriss Jones, Donovan Bailey and Jermaine Sanderson.Donovan Bailey formed the band in 2005 after asking Jones to sing to him over the telephone. Sanderson and Fisher were mutual friends who joined the group at the same time. They had performed around the country at various holiday parks and pubs and chose the name 4Sure because they were "four guys sure of their destiny". In fact, their destiny was elimination in week two.
Since leaving The X Factor 4Sure have been busy writing and recording new songs and have also supported Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
on their UK Tour as well as other American artists.
Eton Road
Eton Road were originally made up of Anthony Hannah, Danny Morris, David Heath and James Edwards. The name was spelled "Eton Rd" in the show's captions.The four had known each other since they attended a dance school called Chiltern Casting on Eaton Road together when they were younger. They named themselves after the road, slightly changing the spelling. They had all been singing for a number of years in shows, competitions and cabarets. However, they had only been together as a group for four days when they auditioned for The X Factor. From their first audition, Simon Cowell branded Anthony Hannah as "the odd one" in reference to his distinct look. At the age of 14, Hannah took part in Stars in Their Eyes Kids
Stars In Their Eyes
Stars in Their Eyes is a British television talent show that ran on Saturdays nights from 21 July 1990 until 23 December 2006 in which contestants impersonate showbiz stars...
, performing as Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
.
He also performed with Gareth Gates
Gareth Gates
Gareth Paul Gates , is an English singer-songwriter. He was the runner-up in the first series of the ITV talent show Pop Idol. Gates has sold over 3.5 million records in the UK alone. He is also known for having a stutter, and has talked about his speech impediment publicly...
on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
in 2003, after winning this opportunity in a competition.
Eton Road were in the bottom two for the first time on 18 November, but were saved by Cowell. The following week they were in the bottom two again, and were eliminated by Cowell, who had the casting vote on both occasions.
After The X Factor they performed at over 300 gigs and had a very big fan base. In August 2007 Anthony Hannah left and was replaced with 19-year-old Marcus Collins. Hannah has since been in the recording studio and has gigged up and down the country, including an appearance at London's biggest gay club, 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...
.Anthony did a one off gig for his fans in the Wirral, in 2009. Anthony is rumoured to appear in Mersey Shore, a spin off of Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore (TV series)
Jersey Shore is an American reality television series that premiered on MTV on December 3, 2009 in the United States. The series follows the lives of eight housemates spending their summer at the Jersey Shore in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Season 2 followed the cast escaping the cold northeast...
. He is currently recording abroad and has a famous boyfriend to boot, Harry Derbridge of The Only Way Is Essex. Mersey Shore is based around their relationship. No official comment by Anthony has yet being made.
Eton Road's debut single, "Wishing", received its first airplay on Thursday 4 October 2007 on a local Liverpool late night radio show, though they had not yet signed to a record label. In September 2007 their official website (http://www.etonroad.org.uk) and official MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
site (http://www.myspace.com/officialetonroad) were launched. Their debut single, "Wishing", was released in January 2008 and reached #5 on the IndieStore.com charts. In January 2008 they were signed by Malcom Feld. In March 2008, Marcus Collins was advised to leave the band. Collins is now pursuing a solo career and writing new material to perform with a 10-piece band. In 2011, Collins auditioned for the eighth
The X Factor (UK series 8)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The eighth series began airing on ITV on 20 August 2011. Louis Walsh is the only judge from the previous series to return, as the other three, Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole, all left to join other...
series of The X Factor, and made it to the live finals. David Heath, James Edwards and Daniel Morris decided to carry on as a trio, but in October 2008 Eton Road announced that they had split on their official Myspace account.
Just after the split Danny Morris launched a solo career. In October he performed at the Big Brother Halloween Party in Leicester, he switched on Christmas lights in and around Liverpool with Juice FM in November, and in December 2008 he performed alongside Diana Vickers and Ruth Lorenzo (2008 X Factor finalists) in the Pop Factory Tour. He is now signed to o9 Management in Liverpool.
Danny Morris has now started touring with his Overload Tour and is set to perform his show at St George's Hall in Liverpool in May 2009. His tour has also sponsored a local under 16s football club – Parkfield JFC. The Overload Tour
The MacDonald Brothers
The MacDonald Brothers are Brian MacDonald and Craig MacDonald.Brian (born 28 November 1986) and Craig (born 16 December 1985) lived at the time of the show with their parents and have a half brother from their father's previous relationship. The MacDonald Brothers had been singing together seriously for three years at weddings and clubs, and occasionally performed backing vocals. One of their biggest performances as The MacDonald Brothers had been in front of Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
at the Ceilidh
Céilidh
In modern usage, a céilidh or ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing. It originated in Ireland, but is now common throughout the Irish and Scottish diasporas...
Dance.
The MacDonald Brothers were repeatedly rubbished 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...
, who called their performances "dreary" and "pointless" and expressed amazement as the pair continued to survive the vote. They were finally eliminated on 2 December 2006, finishing in overall fourth place. At the series 4 Glasgow audition, Cowell made a "formal apology" to Scotland that they had been represented by the brothers in series 3.
The duo have, however, been popular in their native Scotland, with their first album reaching number 1 in the Scottish charts and number 18 in the UK charts. Their second album, The World Outside, is due for release.
They have also toured with Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
and are currently signed to Scottish music label The Music Kitchen.
The Unconventionals
The Unconventionals - Andrew Newey, Drew Jaymson, Elizabeth "Liz" Ewing, Lucy Newton, Nicola Dawn and Tom Newman.The Unconventionals came together just a few weeks before their appearance on The X Factor. Drew Jaymson and Andrew Newey had known each other since 1990 when they both performed at a charity gig. Liz Ewing was brought into the group after working with Jaymson on the musical 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,...
. Nicola Dawn and Lucy Newton knew Jaymson from their time working on the Boy George
Boy George
Boy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
musical Taboo
Taboo (musical)
Taboo is a stage musical with a book by Mark Davies , lyrics by Boy George, and music by George and Kevan Frost....
in London's West End. Tom Newman, Dawn's boyfriend, was the only member who was previously unknown to most of the group. The Unconventionals had had only one performance of note, a charity performance at the night club Too 2 Much.
Since leaving the X Factor they have toured alongside the MacDonald Brothers, supporting Westlife at Wembley Arena and The Point, Dublin. They also opened for Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
and Beverley Knight
Beverley Knight
Beverley Knight MBE is a British soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer who released her debut album in 1995. Heavily influenced by soul greats such as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, Knight has released six studio albums to date...
in London.
The Unconventionals officially announced the release of their debut single "Abstract YoYo" for 14 September 2009, as a digital-only release. A video for the single has also been produced http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbwmbRHk5H0 . An physical release album entitled "Flower To The People" was released in July 2010 and features Little Britain's Matt Lucas as a guest rapper. A number of Sir Bernard Chumley's 'associates' are also reported to make an appearance on the record which received extensive airplay and acclaim on BBC Radio 2. There were four further single releases "Push The Button", "Top Of The World", "Strawberry Sunshine" & "Long Distance Christmas". They also recorded the song "Stop Telling Me Lies" written for them by Tom Watkins (Bros, East 17) and Nicky Graham (Bros), and the theme tune to the reality series Working 9 to 5. Along the way, original members of the group Drew, Tom and Andrew were joined by three new girls, West End musical performers Kelly-Ann Gower, Melissa Jacques and Laura Lee.
Original band members from the X Factor series have all achieved individual success - Nicola Dawn has toured the world as lead singer/narrator in Cirque Du Soleil, Lucy Newton went on to perform on the West End stage in such musicals as Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
(Glinda u/s) and Priscilla Queen of the Desert. and Liz Ewing garnered great acclaim as Shirley also in Priscilla Queen Of The Desert at London's Palace Theatre. Drew Jaymson has continued writing and performing with major names, in addition to his musical theatre activities. Tom Newman toured the UK in the controversial play Future Me, and Andrew Newey has toured internationally as part of another 3 boy 3 girl vocal group The WestEnders.
See also
- List of The X Factor (UK) finalists
- List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 1)
- List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 2)
- 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)