X-Factor Winners: Where Are They Now?
Ella Downing | 28th August 2015
All images via artists official Facebook pages
This Saturday the twelfth series of X-Factor kicks off. I’m not sure what it is about the X-Factor that makes us both love and hate it at the same time but nevertheless we decided to take a trip down memory lane and look back at the past winners.
Series 1 2004: Steve Brookstein
The first and biggest X-Factor cliché , Brookstein reached No1 with his first and only single before being dropped 8 months later after a supposed fall out with Cowell. Since he has basically moaned about X Factor and sung on cruise ships…
Series 2 2005: Shayne Ward
Shayne Ward’s winning single ‘That’s My Goal’ became the fourth fastest selling UK single ever and his first album reached number one. His second album reached number 2 but he was then dropped in 2010 by Cowell’s label. After a few quiet years, Ward has just signed a yearlong contract with Coronation Street so erm, he’s doing okay…
Series 3 2006: Leona Lewis
The poster girl for X-Factor success, Lewis’ winning single ‘A Moment Like This’ broke a world record by generating 50,000 downloads in 30 minutes. Lewis has sold 20 million records worldwide, received seven Brit Award and three Grammy Award nominees.
Series 4 2007: Leon Jackson
After the success of Leona it was only right that next series’ winner was a complete flop. Leon’s winning single reached number one and stayed at the top spot for three weeks. But he was dropped by Sony two years later and has pretty much disappeared since.
Series 5 2008: Alexandra Burke
Sort of a Primark Leona Lewis, Burke’s 'Hallelujah' cover reached number one despite a campaign to get Jeff Buckley’s original to the top spot. Her album also reached number one and she released a few hit singles but hasn’t done much since. As far as X-Factor winners go, Burke was a relative success.
Series 6 2009: Joe McElderry
Beating Olly Murs to the top spot was pretty much all Joe achieved. He didn’t get to Christmas number one as he was beaten to it by Rage Against the Machine who we can all remember a lot more clearly, after Olly of course...
Series 7 2010: Matt Cardle
Matt’s winning single spent 3 weeks at number one and he has released material since that hasn’t amounted to much. Think of him as a recycled version of Leon Jackson but with more hats and less jazz.
Series 8 2011: Little Mix
Thrown together Little Mix became the first group to win the X – Factor and probably the most successful winner. Their debut album, DNA, charted at number 2 in the UK and number 4 on the US Billboard 200 earning them the highest debut U.S. chart position by a British girl group, breaking the record previously held by the Spice Girls. As of December 2014, Little Mix have sold over 5 million singles and 2.5 million albums worldwide.
Series 9 2012: James Arthur
Somewhat surprisingly, Arthur’s winning single ‘Impossible’ was the fastest selling X-Factor winners single ever. His album reached the number two spot but he has since been dropped by SyCo due to all kinds of trouble including a homophobic rant. Way to show some gratitude…
Series 10 2013: Sam Bailey
Her winner's single 'Skyscraper' became the first X Factor Christmas number one in three years. She released her album the following March which became the fastest selling album of the year so far. Since then we’ve not heard much from Bailey and In February 2015, it was announced that she had left SyCo music.
Series 11 2014: Ben Haenow
Ben who? I hear you cry. Haenow scored a number one with his cover of One Republic's 'Something I Need' and is currently recording his album in LA. No doubt he’ll release a single soon now the twelfth series of X-Factor is kicking off.
