Westlife are an Irish pop group formed in Dublin in 1998. The group consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving in March 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 after 14 years and later reunited in 2018.
Maria Lawson is an English singer. She recorded several singles with Ti.Pi.Cal. Lawson was the fifth contestant eliminated in the second UK series of television talent show The X Factor in 2005. She released her debut self-titled album in 2006. Her self-help/autobiography entitled Life Starts Now was released in November 2008. Lawson appeared in the female lead role in the West End production of Thriller – Live from 14 April 2009 to March 2010. She released her second studio album, Emotional Rollercoaster in 2014. Lawson lives in London with her husband Lawrence and their two children.
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer, songwriter, actress, model, and activist. Born and raised in Islington, Inner London, she later attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieved national recognition when she won the third series of the television talent show The X Factor in 2006, winning a £1 million recording contract with Syco Music. Her winner's single, a cover of Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This", peaked at number one for four weeks on the UK Singles Chart and broke a world record by reaching 50,000 digital downloads within 30 minutes. In February 2007, Lewis signed a five-album contract in the United States with Clive Davis's record label, J Records.
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.
Diana Vickers is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She was semi-finalist on The X Factor in 2008. Vickers signed a record deal with RCA Records and, after touring with her fellow finalists from The X Factor, played the title role in a West End revival of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.
Tula Paulinea "Tulisa" Contostavlos is an English singer, songwriter, rapper, television personality, and actress. As a part of the R&B/hip hop group N-Dubz with her cousin Dappy and friend Fazer, they gained two platinum-certified albums, two gold-certified albums, five MOBO awards, a Brit Award nomination, thirteen top 40 singles, six silver-certified singles, and three Urban Music Awards.
"I Just Call You Mine" is a song written by Jess Cates, Ty Lacy and Dennis Matkosky, and recorded by David Phelps for his 2008 album The Voice. However, it was covered notably by American country music artist Martina McBride. It was released in May 2009 as the second single from her album, Shine. The song was also recorded by Mary Byrne in 2011 for her debut album where it reached number 12.
Overcome is the debut studio album by British singer Alexandra Burke, released 19 October 2009 on Syco Music. The release of the album came a year after Burke won the British talent show, The X Factor, with the recording process taking place between 2008 and 2009. Critics praised the album for showcasing Burke's vocal charm and characterisation, comparing her vocal to American singers Anastacia and Whitney Houston and its contemporary finish; using a variety of acclaimed producers including RedOne and Ne-Yo.
Where We Are is the ninth studio album by Irish boy band Westlife. It was released on 27 November 2009 in Ireland and on 30 November 2009 in the UK through S Records, RCA Records and Sony Music. Where We Are is the group's first album following a hiatus in 2008. This album was preceded by the lead single "What About Now" and it was released on 23 October 2009 as a digital download a day later as a CD single.
Matthew Sheridan Cardle is an English pop singer and actor. He was born in Southampton and grew up in Halstead, Essex. Cardle has been involved in music since his early teens and has been a member of two different bands; Darwyn and Seven Summers. Cardle rose to fame after winning the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010, and received a £1 million recording contract with Syco Music and later signed a deal with Columbia Records.
Cher Lloyd is an English singer. She participated on the seventh series of the television talent show The X Factor in 2010 and finished in fourth place. Following the show, Lloyd was signed to Syco Music in the United Kingdom and Epic Records in the United States. She released her debut studio album, Sticks and Stones, in 2011, which had two releases: its standard edition and a US version. The album peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart, while the latter version debuted at number nine in the US Billboard 200. It included the successful singles "Swagger Jagger", which entered at number one on the UK Singles Chart, "With Ur Love", and "Want U Back".
Gravity is the tenth studio album release by the Irish boy band Westlife and it was released on 22 November 2010 in the United Kingdom. John Shanks produced each song, barring the bonus track on the Japanese edition. The album was preceded by the lead single, "Safe", which was released on 14 November 2010.
Mary Byrne is a top 10 selling Irish singer and TV presenter based in Ireland and the UK. Mary rose to fame in 2010 after becoming a finalist on the seventh series of The X Factor. After finishing fifth on the show, she signed a record deal with Sony Music Ireland. Byrne and her fellow The X Factor finalists gained a number-one single on the UK Singles Chart and the Irish Singles Chart with a cover of David Bowie's "'Heroes'" in aid of Help for Heroes.
Stronger is the fifth studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released on October 21, 2011, by RCA Records. The thirteen-song track-list features Clarkson collaborating with various new producers as well as with Howard Benson, whom she collaborated with on her previous album, All I Ever Wanted (2009). Wanting to stray away sonically from her previous albums, Clarkson's main objective was to record her vocal performances as it is heard in her live sets, and used as little auto-tune processing as possible. The album also marked the first release by Clarkson that did not cause a conflict with RCA; her previous records, most notably My December (2007), were released amidst conflict and controversy.
Someone to Watch Over Me is the third album by Scottish singer Susan Boyle, released on 7 November 2011 in the United Kingdom and 1 November 2011 in the United States. The album has been described as a "diverse mix of music" which includes songs inspired by the stories of Boyle's fans who write letters to her.
Amelia Lily Oliver is an English singer and television personality. In 2011, she became a finalist on the eighth series of The X Factor, where she finished in third place. In 2017, she finished as runner-up on the twentieth series of Celebrity Big Brother. In 2020, she began appearing in the MTV reality series Geordie Shore.
Heaven is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Rebecca Ferguson. The album was released on 5 December 2011 under the recordings of Syco Music and RCA Records. Recording sessions include: London, Los Angeles and Sweden. Eg White, who has worked with Adele and Duffy, serves as a major collaborator. Additional producers and songwriters include Steve Booker, Fraser T Smith, Xenomania, Paul Barry and Mark Taylor. Ferguson later revealed that she would be co-writing the whole of her album in order for her to "connect" with the songs. The main genre from the album features genres like soul, pop, blues and R&B. The lyrical content of the album mainly explores the subjects of betrayal, friendship and love found, lost and unrequited. The album's music was compared to Macy Gray, Aretha Franklin, Adele, Joss Stone and Duffy. Ferguson also wished to record with Franklin on the album. The album's title Heaven came around as Ferguson said she was in "heaven" while recording the album.
...with Love is the second studio album from Irish singer Mary Byrne. The album was released on 25 November 2011 in Ireland, and 5 March 2012 in the UK. The album was produced by Phil Coulter. The album peaked to number 10 on the Irish Albums Chart.
Janet Maureen Aoife Devlin is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter who competed in the eighth series of The X Factor in 2011, where she finished in fifth place. Her debut album Hide & Seek was released in 2013. After a string of EPs and singles, her second studio album Confessional was released in 2020.
Gabriella Michelle 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". She went on a four-year hiatus in 2015, and released her second studio album, Everything I Didn't Say, in 2022.
