Fleur East

Last updated

Fleur Lillibeth Yolande East
Eurovision Song Contest 2023 - Eurovision Village - Fleur East - 52901784457.jpg
East performing in 2023
Background information
Also known asFleur
Born (1987-10-29) 29 October 1987 (age 36)
Origin Walthamstow, London, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
  • rapper
  • radio presenter
  • television presenter
Years active2005–present
Labels
Formerly of Addictiv Ladies
Spouse(s)Marcel Badiane-Robin (m. 2019)

Fleur East (born 29 October 1987) is an English singer-songwriter, rapper and presenter. East competed on the second series of The X Factor in 2005 as part of the girl group Addictiv Ladies but was unsuccessful. In 2012, she signed with Strictly Rhythm and released songs with dance musicians including Drumsound & Bassline Smith and released One in a Million" (2013), which peaked at number fifty three on the UK Singles Chart. As a solo act she returned to The X Factor for its eleventh series, and finished in second place.

Contents

East became The X Factor's first contestant to reach number one on the UK iTunes Store chart during the competition with her cover of "Uptown Funk". [1] After the release of her debut solo single single "Sax", the song reached number three in the UK and received a platinum music certification. Her debut studio album Love, Sax and Flashbacks (2015), debuted at number fourteen on the UK Albums Chart and was certified silver by Bpi. In 2020, she released her second studio album, Fearless .

Outside of music, East has ventured into presenting as a television and radio host and competed in I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, Strictly Come Dancing (2022), as well as presenting on Hits Radio and Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two .

Early life

Fleur East was born on 29 October 1987 to an English father and a Ghanaian mother. She was raised in Walthamstow, London. She has family living in Yorkshire [2] and she has a younger sister named Keshia, a make-up professional. [3] She attended Holy Family Technology College in Walthamstow and Queen Mary University of London, where she studied journalism and contemporary history. [4] [5] [6]

Career

2005–2013: The X Factor, Addictiv Ladies and independent releases

East in 2011 Fleur performing live with DJ Fresh at the Arches, Glasgow (6400038449).jpg
East in 2011

East was in the girl group Addictiv Ladies, who were on series 2 of The X Factor in 2005, mentored by Simon Cowell, but were eliminated in week 1 after ending up in the bottom two with Chico Slimani. [7] She was introduced to drum-and-bass producer DJ Fresh through her manager in 2011, and Fresh subsequently hired her as a vocalist for a BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge session of his. [8] In 2012, she featured on Fresh's song "Turn It Up" from his album Nextlevelism and toured extensively with him in 2012, including performances at T4 on the Beach, V Festival and the iTunes Festival. [8] [9] [10]

East signed to the record label Strictly Rhythm in January 2012 and released two singles as the lead artist (credited as Fleur): "Broken Mirror" with Cutline and "Turn the Lights On" (produced by Culture Shock). [8] [9] She also featured on "The One" by Horx and P3000. [11] In 2013, she featured on Drumsound & Bassline Smith's "One in a Million", which entered the UK Singles Chart at number 53, and headlined the Miss Face of Africa EU ceremony in London. [12] In December 2013, she self-released her debut EP She for free download. [13] One of the EP tracks, "Super Rich Royals", is a mashup cover of "Super Rich Kids" by Frank Ocean and "Royals" by Lorde.

East worked as a waitress at the London nightclub Aura Mayfair to help support her music career, and was also a fitness model with the agency W Athletic, but struggled with her finances. [14] [15] [16] She later said that by early 2014, she was "definitely depressed" and considered ending her music career, until her friends and relatives encouraged her to re-audition for The X Factor. [17]

2014: Return to The X Factor

In June 2014, East auditioned for the eleventh series of The X Factor . She sang John Legend's "Ordinary People" in her room audition, where she received three "yes" votes and progressed through to the arena auditions. She sang Chris Brown's "Fine China" at the arena and progressed to the boot camp stage with four "yes" votes. East made it past the six chair challenge and through to the judges' houses stage in the "Over 26s" category, mentored by Cowell once again, to whom she performed "Bang Bang" by Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj. Cowell chose East for the live shows, alongside Jay James and eventual winner Ben Haenow.

In the semi-final of the live shows, East performed "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, a rendition The Guardian 's Stuart Heritage described as "truly astonishing [...] Fleur barged in and left the competition in ruins. It was two minutes and 53 seconds of all-out attack; possibly the biggest moment that any [Simon] Cowell show has produced since we first met Susan Boyle, only this was even more surprising because we already knew Fleur, and this far she'd merely been adequate." [18] Popjustice declared it "the most exciting moment of the entire series [...] Whichever act wins The X Factor this coming weekend, Fleur's now established herself as the one who deserves and will undoubtedly get The Full Ella (FKA The Full Leona) when it comes to career rollout." [19] East's version went to number one on the UK iTunes Store, [20] which led the original song to be released five weeks earlier than planned; it subsequently reached number one on the UK Singles Chart. [21] In the final, the show's final, East was announced as the runner-up in the competition, losing to fellow category act, Ben Haenow with 34.3% of the votes to Haenow's 57.2%. [22]

2015–2017: Love, Sax and Flashbacks

In January 2015, East announced that she had signed to Cowell's record label Syco Music. [23] She recorded her debut studio album with musicians including Wayne Hector, the Invisible Men, Jack Splash, and TMS. [24] She announced in July 2015 that she had been working on her first fashion collection with women's fashion brand Lipsy London. [25] "Sax", the lead single from her debut album, was released in November 2015 and reached number three in the UK. [26] [27] Her debut album, titled Love, Sax and Flashbacks , was released on 4 December. [28] On 22 January, East released the single "More and More". She performed the single at the National Television Awards . In 2016, East signed with Columbia Records to launch her international music career. [29]

In October 2017, it was revealed that East and Syco had parted ways after three years via mutual agreement. [30] [31]

2018–2020: I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and return to music

On 12 November 2018, East was announced as participating in that year's series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! . [32] East finished in fourth place on 8 December 2018. Later that month, East announced via Instagram that she would be releasing her first single in four years, "Favourite Thing". The single was released on 4 January 2019 in addition to the music video release on YouTube. East also performed the song live for the first time on television on This Morning .[ citation needed ]

In June 2019, Bauer Media announced that East would take over hosting the breakfast show on national radio station, Hits Radio alongside co-hosts James Barr and Greg Burns. The first show aired on 12 July 2019. On 7 September 2019, East started hosting the Saturday Morning show 9am-12noon across the Hits Radio Network.[ citation needed ]

On 18 November 2019, East released her new single, "Size". [ citation needed ] The single was featured in the Debenhams Christmas ad campaign.[ citation needed ] East released her new single "Lucky" on 31 January 2020 along with its official music video. The video was shot over a period of six months and includes footage from East's travels around the world.[ citation needed ]

East's second album Fearless was released on 20 March 2020. East appeared on the sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth of Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway where she would go to an area of the UK and give tickets to people for a 'Takeaway Getaway' holiday from TUI. She released the official NHS charity single "Not Alone" on 9 April 2020 with 100% of the profits going towards the COVID-19 NHS appeal. The single premiered on The One Show alongside its official music video.[ citation needed ]

2022–present: Strictly Come Dancing and It Takes Two

Throughout the summer of 2022, East performed at Butlin's. [33] Later that year, she was announced as a contestant on the twentieth series of Strictly Come Dancing where she was partnered with Vito Coppola. Despite surviving 4 dance offs, the most any contestant has survived alongside Jamelia, Jamie Laing, and fellow series 20 contestant Molly Rainford, she achieved the first perfect 40 in Blackpool for her Couple’s Choice, and finished as a series runners-up. In June 2023, East was announced to be replacing Rylan as the co-host of the spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two and co-hosts alongside Janette Manrara. [34]

Saturday Night Takeaway (2020–2023)

In 2020, East joined the 16th series. She presented the competition and part of the Place on the Plane giveaway, In 2023, East replaced North as Gift on the Shift as North present a new segment on the show. East was replaced by Amfo

Musical style

East describes her music as "urban-inspired with a few twists" [9] and lists Michael Jackson, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Sade, Emeli Sandé, Jessie Ware, and Florence Welch among her inspirations. [10] [35] East's early solo work was heavily influenced by drum and bass artists including Netsky and Matrix & Futurebound. [35]

Personal life

East has been in a relationship with French celebrity fashion designer Marcel Badiane-Robin since 2010. The two first met in a bar in 2009 where Marcel was working as a waiter, but East was not single at the time. A year later they reconnected and started dating. They got married in Morocco in 2019. [36] [37]

In October 2023 East appeared as a celebrity sitter on Portrait Artist of the Year.

On 2nd January 2024 Fleur announced she was expecting her first baby with her husband.

Discography

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Cowell</span> English reality television judge, television producer and music executive (born 1959)

Simon Phillip Cowell is an English television personality, entrepreneur, and record executive. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows Pop Idol (2001–2003), The X Factor UK and Britain's Got Talent (2007–present), and the American television talent competition shows American Idol (2002–2010), The X Factor US (2011–2013) and America's Got Talent (2016–present). Cowell founded the British entertainment company Syco in 2005, as well as its now-defunct predecessor, Syco Music in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinitta</span> British-American singer

Sinitta Malone, known mononymously as Sinitta, is a British-American singer. She initially found commercial success in the mid-1980s with the single "So Macho" and had several other hits during the decade. In the 2000s, she became known for television appearances, including Loose Women, The Xtra Factor and This Morning. She took part in the ITV show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syco Entertainment</span> British entertainment company

Syco Entertainment is a British media entertainment company, headquartered in London, founded and owned by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell. The company focuses on TV production. The company was formed in 2005 through Sony Music Entertainment entering a joint venture by purchasing Cowell's shares of his record label S Records and television company Syco Television. In 2009, Sony and Cowell entered a joint venture agreement that covered the joint ownership of Syco's television formats, which include the Got Talent and The X Factor franchises. Until 2020, the company operated television and music projects with Sony Music labels around the world and television production company Fremantle. It employs a staff of more than 50 in offices in London and Los Angeles, and manages a string of television and music brands through partnerships with the label Sony Music and the television production company.

<i>The X Factor</i> (British TV series) British reality television music competition

The X Factor is a British reality television music competition, created by Simon Cowell. Premiering on 4 September 2004, it was produced by Fremantle's Talkback Thames, and Cowell's production company Syco Entertainment for ITV, as well as simulcast on Virgin Media One in Ireland. The programme ran for around 445 episodes across fifteen series, each one primarily broadcast late in the year, until its final episode in December 2018. The majority of episodes were presented by Dermot O'Leary, with some exceptions: the first three series were hosted by Kate Thornton; while Caroline Flack and Olly Murs hosted the show for the twelfth series.

Syco Music, originally and formerly S Records, was a division of Syco Entertainment founded by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell, at the time in employment at Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG), that was active from 2002 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Burke</span> British singer, songwriter, actress (born 1988)

Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She won the fifth series of the talent television show The X Factor in 2008. Following the show, she was signed to Syco Music and released the winner's single "Hallelujah", which became the European record holder for the most singles sold over a period of 24 hours, selling 105,000 in one day, and became the top-selling single of 2008 in the UK and the UK's Christmas 2008 number one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melanie Amaro</span> American singer

Melanie Ann Amaro is an American singer who won the first season of The X Factor USA in 2011, securing a $5 million recording contract with Syco Music and Epic Records. Amaro was also the youngest contestant to win the competition during the show's run (2011-2013).

"Something I Need" is a song recorded by American pop rock band OneRepublic. It was released on August 25, 2013, through Mosley Music and Interscope Records as the third single from their third studio album, Native (2013). The song was written and produced by Ryan Tedder and Benny Blanco. It peaked at number six in Australia, where it has been certified 3× Platinum, and number four in New Zealand, where it has been certified Gold.

Tamera , also known as Tamera Foster and TAMERA, is an English Afrobeat and R&B singer and songwriter who competed in the tenth series of The X Factor in 2013. Achieving a fifth place, quarter-final finish, she was subsequently signed to a Syco Music record deal.

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The eleventh series began airing on ITV on 30 August 2014 and finished on 14 December 2014. Dermot O'Leary presented his eighth series of the main show on ITV and Sarah-Jane Crawford presented spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2, replacing Caroline Flack and Matt Richardson. Louis Walsh was the only judge from series 10 to return and was joined by former judges Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Simon Cowell, and new judge Mel B, who replaced Sharon Osbourne, Gary Barlow and Nicole Scherzinger. Former judge Tulisa returned as a guest judge for the final on 13 December due to Mel B being ill. The series also saw the lower age limit decreased from 16 to 14, as it was in series 4 and 5. This was Walsh's final series as a judge before returning in series 13. It was O'Leary's final series as presenter on the main show, as he announced on 27 March 2015 that he was leaving to pursue other projects, before returning in series 13. On 11 May, Crawford also confirmed via Twitter that she would leave her position as The Xtra Factor presenter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ella Henderson</span> English singer and songwriter (born 1996)

Gabriella Michelle "Ella" Henderson is an English singer and songwriter. She competed in the ninth series of The X Factor UK in 2012, being the eighth contestant eliminated despite being a strong favourite to win. She signed with Syco Music shortly after, and released her debut studio album, Chapter One (2014), which reached number one in the UK. The album spawned the chart-topping single "Ghost", as well as the top 20 singles "Glow" and "Yours". Henderson went on a four-year hiatus in 2015. Her second studio album, Everything I Didn't Say, was released in 2022.

<i>The X Factor</i> (British series 12) British TV competition

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The twelfth series began airing on ITV on 29 August 2015 and ended on 13 December 2015. The judges were Simon Cowell, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, who returned for their respective ninth and fifth series as judges, series 9 guest judge and former The Voice UK coach Rita Ora, and BBC Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw, with Grimshaw and Ora replacing Louis Walsh, the only judge who had been on the show from its inception in 2004, and Mel B. It was presented by Caroline Flack and Olly Murs, who had both previously co-presented spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2 and replaced Dermot O'Leary, who left after eight series. Rochelle Humes and Melvin Odoom presented The Xtra Factor, replacing Sarah-Jane Crawford. Louisa Johnson was announced as the winner on 13 December 2015, making Ora the winning mentor.

<i>Chapter One</i> (Ella Henderson album) 2014 studio album by Ella Henderson

Chapter One is the debut studio album by English singer an songwriter Ella Henderson. It was released on 10 October 2014 by Syco Music. Chapter One reached number one in the UK in its first week of release. The album was preceded by the internationally successful single, "Ghost", as well as UK singles "Glow", "Yours" and "Mirror Man". In January 2015, the album was certified Platinum in the UK, shipping in excess of 300,000 copies.

Andrea Faustini is an Italian singer. He is best known for his role as a contestant on the eleventh series of The X Factor in 2014. In 2015, Faustini released his debut studio album, Kelly, which peaked at number 14 on the UK Albums Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Haenow</span> British singer

Benjamin Bernard Haenow is a British singer-songwriter. In 2014, he was crowned as the winner of the eleventh series of The X Factor UK after beating Fleur East. Following his win, his debut single, a cover of OneRepublic's "Something I Need", was released in December 2014. It debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the 2014 Christmas number one. Haenow released his self-titled debut studio album in November 2015, preceded by the single "Second Hand Heart", a duet with Kelly Clarkson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Hand Heart (Ben Haenow song)</span> 2015 single by Ben Haenow

"Second Hand Heart" is a song by English singer Ben Haenow, from his self-titled debut studio album, Ben Haenow (2015). Featuring American singer Kelly Clarkson, it is an upbeat pop song produced by Afterhrs, Jason Halbert, and Pete Hammerton, written by Artist vs. Poet members Joe Kirkland and Jason Dean with Afterhrs members Ian Franzino and Andrew Haas, with additional writing by Neil Ormandy. "Second Hand Heart" was issued as the album's lead and only single on 16 October 2015, by Syco Music and RCA Records.

<i>Ben Haenow</i> (album) 2015 studio album by Ben Haenow

Ben Haenow is the self-titled debut studio album by English singer Ben Haenow, released on 13 November 2015, through Syco Music and RCA Records. After winning the eleventh series of The X Factor in 2014, Haenow travelled to Los Angeles to immediately begin development of the album by collaborating with established musicians such as Kelly Clarkson, Julian Bunetta, Iain James, Kodaline, Anne Preven, Red Triangle, Steve Robson, J.R. Rotem, and Amy Wadge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sax (song)</span> 2015 single by Fleur East

"Sax" is the debut single by English singer, rapper and songwriter Fleur East, from her debut album Love, Sax and Flashbacks (2015). It was released as the lead single from the album on 6 November 2015 by Syco Records.

<i>Love, Sax and Flashbacks</i> 2015 studio album by Fleur East

Love, Sax and Flashbacks is the debut studio album by English singer, songwriter and rapper Fleur East. It was released on 4 December 2015, through Syco.

English singer-songwriter Fleur East has released two studio albums, one extended play and eight studio singles. Fleur signed a record deal with Syco in 2014 and released her debut album Love, Sax and Flashbacks in 2015. It charted at 14 in the UK Albums Chart and has been certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry. The album spawned two singles, European chart hit "Sax", which was certified Platinum in the UK and charted at number 3, and "More and More".

References

  1. "X Factor: Fleur East tops iTunes chart with 'Uptown Funk'". The Independent. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  2. Buxton, Olivia (9 November 2014). "X Factor hopeful Fleur East tells how racist bullies made her life hell". Daily Mirror . Trinity Mirror . Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  3. Zoie O'Brien. "X Factor's Fleur East performs to crowds as community unites behind Walthamstow finalist". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  4. Guardian Series (9 December 2005). "Students show they have the X-factor". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  5. "Family Matters. Newsletter of the Holy Family Catholic School" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 January 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  6. "Five things you need to know about Fleur East". itv.com. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  7. "BBC – 1Xtra TX – Addictiv Ladies: X Factor?". BBC. 15 October 2005. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 "An Interview With... Fleur". Soundhall. 30 September 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 "Fleur (Singer, Songwriter & Artist) Interview – Strictly Rhythm Recs @ The Social Nov 2012". Music Gateway. 29 November 2012.
  10. 1 2 "The Box Plus Network". Boxplus.com. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  11. Hunter. "Fleur – Interview". Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  12. "Fleur East". Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  13. "Fleur – She (EP)". iluvlive. 3 December 2013. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  14. "OMG 2014 X Factor finalist Fleur East knows ALL Rita Ora's party secrets!". nowmagazine.
  15. Anton. "Model/ Sport Profile – W Athletic". Archived from the original on 12 January 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  16. Janine Yaqoob (14 December 2014). "X Factor Final 2014: Fleur East was so broke she nearly gave up music". mirror.
  17. Ashleigh Rainbird (9 December 2014). "X Factor's Fleur East: My fight with depression inspired me to be a winner". mirror.
  18. Stuart Heritage (8 December 2014). "Fleur's Uptown Funk performance was the moment X Factor became relevant again". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  19. "2014 AZ: E and F are for East, Fleur – Popjustice". Popjustice. 8 December 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  20. "X Factor: Fleur East tops iTunes chart with 'Uptown Funk'". The Independent. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  21. "Mark Ronson's Uptown Funk breaks all-time streaming record!". Official Charts .
  22. "Ben Haenow wins The X Factor 2014: as it happened – Telegraph". Telegraph.co.uk. 15 December 2014.
  23. "X Factor's Fleur East signs record deal with Simon Cowell's label Syco". Digital Spy. 12 January 2015.
  24. "Fleur East working on "uptempo" album with Wayne Hector". Digital Spy. 26 February 2015.
  25. "X Factor runner-up Fleur East working on Lipsy fashion line". voice-online.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  26. "Fleur East reveals 'Sax' will be the first track released from her debut album". Digital Spy. 4 October 2015.
  27. "FLEUR EAST - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  28. "iTunes – Music – Love, Sax and Flashbacks by Fleur East". iTunes Store (GB). 4 December 2015.
  29. Corner, Lewis (20 May 2016). "Fleur East signs major US record deal and lines up HUGE television appearances". Digital Spy . United Kingdom: Hearst Corporation . Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  30. "Fleur East dropped by Simon Cowell's Syco label three years after The X Factor". 18 October 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  31. "I'm a Celebrity star Fleur East leaves Simon Cowell's record label Syco". 20 November 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  32. "I'm A Celebrity: John Barrowman, Harry Redknapp and Fleur East in line-up". BBC News. United Kingdom: BBC. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  33. "How Butlin's has shaken off its Hi-de-Hi image". Somerset County Gazette . 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  34. "Fleur East is heading in the direction of the Strictly dance floor!". BBC. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  35. 1 2 "International Women's Day Special: Get To Know... Fleur – Drum & Bass Arena :: Blog". Drum & Bass Arena :: Blog. 8 March 2013.
  36. "The Chris and Rosie Ramsey Show - Series 1: Episode 6". Bbc.co.uk.
  37. "Fleur East's wedding anniversary gift to husband Marcel Badiane-Robin is so romantic". Hellomagazine.com. 15 June 2020.