Joe McElderry

Joe McElderry, the young singer from the North East of England, was catapulted into the public eye in 2009 when his rich voice and infectious personality helped him win the X Factor TV series. Performing with local band the Dolly Mixtures, he originally auditioned for X Factor in 2007, returning two years later after studying Performing Arts at Newcastle College, winning the Pride of South Tyneside's Young Performer of the Year and playing Danny Zuko in a local production of Grease. During the show he performed songs by Luther Vandross, George Michael, Elton John, Queen, John Lennon and Robbie Williams, eventually beating Olly Murs in the final. However, his debut single, a cover of the Miley Cyrus hit The Climb, failed to achieve the Christmas Number 1 spot customarily reserved for the X Factor winner after an anti-Simon Cowell internet campaign propelled Rage Against The Machine to the top position. McElderry sang on Everybody Hurts, the charity single raising money for the Haiti earthquake appeal and in October, 2010 he released his first album Wide Awake, which reached Number 3 in the UK album charts.