James Arthur
With the X Factor final just around the corner, acts Christopher Maloney, James Arthur and Jahméne Douglas are all battling it out for the top spot. We’ve decided to take a look back throughout the years to see how previous winners got on back when they won, and how they’re getting on now.
Year 1 – Steve Brookstein
He may have taken the number one spot with his debut single and album all the way back in 2004/05, but after a few altercations with head honcho Simon Cowell, Steve Brookstein was released from his Syco Music contract, claiming the reason for his dismissal was that he “wouldn’t play the game.” Steve then went on to work independently, which didn’t work out all that well, but refuses to give up hope and continues to chase his dreams of being a successful musician.
Year 2 – Shayne Ward
Doing a little better in the second run of the show, winner Shayne went on to release a total of three albums, two under the veil of Syco Music, which all peaked in the top 20 of the UK album charts. This year, Shayne appeared in musical Rock of Ages, and returned to the studio in September to work on new material for a future release, hoping to become relevant once again in the music scene.
Year 3 – Leona Lewis
The most successful winner to come from the show is none other than the simply breath-taking Leona Lewis. Managing to break records with her debut single whilst outselling the rest of the UK top 40 combined, Leona seemed ready to take on the world, and that she did. Reaching number one with Spirit in ten countries, including the UK, the USA and Australia, she looked unstoppable, and continues to impress to the current day.
Year 4 – Leon Jackson
The less said about the cast of The X Factor during Leon Jackson’s year, the better. With just one album that managed to go gold and reach number 4 on the charts, Leon seemed set for a moderately successful career, but never really seemed to get going. 2010 saw him voted number two on a poll of the biggest reality television flops (losing out only to, low and behold, Steve Brookstein), but he still hopes to release a new album in the near future which he’s been reportedly working on since 2009.
Year 5 – Alexandra Burke
One of the most stunning moments in X Factor history has to be the duet of Dreamgirls’ song ‘Listen’, performed by Alexandra Burke and Beyoncé. Seeing the look of pure adoration on Alexandra’s face as her idol took to the stage with her was television magic. She took the number one spot with her debut album Overcome, but the X Factor curse seemed to take a hold once more as the years went by. Her second album, Heartbreak on Hold was released this year, and Alexandra has said she is working on new material to be released in 2013 both in the UK and the USA, hoping to make a massive comeback.
Year 6 – Joe McElderry
Joe McElderry became the first X Factor winner not to claim the Christmas number one single after an online campaign was set-up by protesters who instead wanted Rage Against The Machine’s ‘Killing in the Name’ to pip him to the post, and that it did. His career delved into the works of musicals and semi-successful music releases. It seemed classical music was more his thing after he won ITV’s Popstar to Operastar in 2011, subsequently releasing his album ‘Classic’ which reached number two on the UK album charts. Two more studio albums followed, both doing well, which made Joe the first X Factor act to claim four top 20 albums.
Year 7 – Matt Cardle
Matt Cardle’s boy-next-door charm and interesting acoustic style that has been rarely seen on The X Factor helped him take the 2010 crown, which then saw him lead a two year career with the Syco Music record label. Parting ways earlier this year, Matt joined So What Recordings to release album The Fire, giving Matt his second top ten album as it peaked at number eight on the charts.
Year 8 – Little Mix
Latest winners and the first group to win the UK series of the show Little Mix recently released their debut album just last month, which has gone on to reach number three on the UK album charts. They look set to march on with a career that could theoretically match that of Girls Aloud or even The Spice Girls, but the battle of girl power versus The X Factor curse is still yet to take place. Here’s to hoping girl power prevails.
Year 9 - Christopher Maloney, James Arthur or Jahméne Douglas?
So where does that leave us now? The British voting public has three very different options.
Christopher Maloney, former cruise ship singer and extremely average vocalist is a sure cert to flop before his career really takes off, and his debut album is likely to end up in bargain bins up and down the country within a few months (would you buy it?) His chances of winning the competition however seem to increase by the second, but we can’t help but feel he’d have fitted in better in the first series of the show. Does he really have The X Factor?
James Arthur, the passionate young guy who rarely shows emotion when he’s not singing has been in the bottom two, so will have to fight extra hard to become the first ever X Factor contender to come back from a bottom two scenario and win the competition. A worthy winner he would be, but is his target audience the type to pick up the phone and secure him the contract?
Jahméne Douglas has been through a lot. From an abusive home where he and his family lived in fear of his father, Jahméne found he could truly express himself through the art of song. His soulful trills and heart-wrenching high notes make him the first X Factor act in a while that could potentially go global. Best of luck to the young, sure-to-be star.
Whoever goes on to win the show this Sunday night, the final is guaranteed to be a close one, with nobody being certain of who will follow in Little Mix’s footsteps. We just hope it will be one of the contestants who can go on to have a successful career that will span decades – not just a few months.
FemaleFirst Daniel Falconer
Tagged in The X Factor