Oliver Stanley Murs (born 14 May 1984)[1] is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence after participating on the sixth series of the television talent show The X Factor in 2009, where he finished as runner-up. Following the show, Murs was signed to RCA Records and Sony Music in the United Kingdom, and Columbia Records in the United States.
In 2014, Murs released the single "Wrapped Up" featuring Gym Class Heroes' Travie McCoy, which peaked atop the UK Singles Chart. This was the first single to be released from his fourth studio album, Never Been Better (2014), which entered the UK Albums Chart at number one. It was followed by a second single, "Up", featuring American singer Demi Lovato. Following the release of his fifth studio album, 24 Hrs (2016), and its lead single "You Don't Know Love", Murs released his sixth studio album, You Know I Know (2018). After parting ways with RCA Records, Murs signed with EMI Records to release his seventh studio album, Marry Me (2022).
In 2011, Murs returned to The X Factor to co-present its spin-off show The Xtra Factor, alongside Caroline Flack. In 2015, he reunited with Flack to replace Dermot O'Leary as co-presenters of The X Factor for series 12. From 2018 to 2023, Murs was a coach on the television talent show The Voice UK.
Early life
Murs was born on 14 May 1984 in Witham, Essex, the son of Vicky-Lynn and Pete Murs.[2][3] He has a twin brother, Ben, and a sister, Fay. He is partially of Latvian descent and his great-grandparents were circus performers Eduards Alberts Mūrs and Veronika Jankovska.[4] He attended Howbridge Junior School in Witham and Notley High School in Braintree, Essex,[5] where he was a striker in the school's football team.
Murs played semi-professionally for Isthmian Division One North side Witham Town between 2006 and 2008. He excelled for the club's reserve team during the 2006–07 season, scoring 12 goals in 13 appearances and winning the Ridgeons Reserve Teams Cup.[6] He made three first team appearances in the following season, scoring once,[7] but was forced to give up his football career following an injury.[8]
Prior to The X Factor, Murs worked at Kitchens Direct as a telemarketer and then as a recruitment consultant at Prime Appointments in Witham, and performed as part of a covers band called the Small Town Blaggers with a friend, Jon Goodey.[9] He also appeared on the game show Deal or No Deal in 2007, where he won £10.[10] Murs returned for a celebrity version of the show in 2012, which made him the only person to appear on the programme as a contestant twice.[11] In 2008, he travelled to Australia, backpacking alone along the Gold Coast for three months.[12] It was upon his return that he decided, having tried it out unsuccessfully twice in the past (when he failed to make it past the stage where he had to audition in front of the producers), to re-audition for The X Factor.
Music career
2009–2011: The X Factor and debut album
In 2009, Murs auditioned for the sixth series of The X Factor, performing Stevie Wonder's "Superstition". Judge Simon Cowell said it was "the easiest yes I've ever given". At bootcamp Murs sang Elton John's song “Your Song”. On the first live show, he sang "She's the One" and on the second, "A Fool in Love", a performance which Cowell described as being "in a different league." For week three he took on "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered". Louis Walsh commented that he was the "dark horse of the competition," and Cowell said he was "coming into his own each week." He frequently employed dance moves in his performance including his trademark "Olly wiggle."[13] In week 4 he sang "Come Together" and again received positive comments, with Walsh predicting, "I think you're in the final three," and Cowell saying he was "progressing better than just about everybody."[14] In week 5 he performed "Twist and Shout" and in week 6 "Don't Stop Me Now", after which he was labelled by Minogue as, "absolutely the best performer we have on the show by far."[15]
In week 7, after a performance of "Fastlove", he was in the bottom two with John & Edward. Cowell and Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue voted to send Murs through to the quarter-final while Walsh voted to send John & Edward through to the quarter-final. Voting statistics revealed that John & Edward received more votes than Murs, meaning that if Minogue (who had the casting vote) sent the result to deadlock, John & Edward would have advanced to the quarter-final and Murs would have been eliminated. To participate in the semi-finals, Murs had to miss his brother's wedding. The ceremony took place just 16 miles (26km) from the show's studio, but Cowell was against allowing him off for a few hours on the day of the semi-final.[16] He sang "Can You Feel It" and "We Can Work It Out" in the semi-final and ended up as one of the three finalists, breaking down on hearing the result.[17]
In the final on 12 December, he repeated his audition song, "Superstition", following which Cowell said putting him in the final 12 was "the best risk I have ever taken in my life". Murs then sang with Robbie Williams on a duet of "Angels", in which Williams fluffed his lines as he walked on stage to join Murs and came in at the wrong time, singing the second line of the song, but was helped by Murs to find the right spot.[18] There was then a repeat performance of his week 2 song "Fool in Love". Murs qualified for the final two and first sang a repeat performance of "Twist and Shout", following which Walsh commented, "You're a born, born showman and no matter what happens tonight you're going to have a great career in music."
In his final performance on the show he performed the winner's song, "The Climb". He was told by Cole, "You absolutely tore it from your soul. I've never heard you sing like that. I thought it was a beautiful version of the song."[19] He lost the final to Joe McElderry the next day and finished as the runner-up.[20] On 15 December, two days after the final, it was reported that Cowell was going to offer Murs a record deal in early 2010.[citation needed] Following his defeat, Murs was reportedly texted by duet partner Robbie Williams and invited to visit him in his Los Angeles mansion and participate in the forthcoming Soccer Aid, organised by Williams.[21] Murs performed on The X Factor tour, alongside McElderry, John & Edward, Stacey Solomon, Lucie Jones and several other finalists. It was later revealed on The Xtra Factor that Murs was predicted by all the judges and presenters (except Minogue who had said Nicole Jackson, and Cole who had said Miss Frank as a second choice) as the favourite to win the series at the Bootcamp stage.[22][23] Footage of Murs appearing on Deal or No Deal was later featured in an edition of the BBC's Almost Famous on 2 January 2010.[24]
Rumours began that Murs would record a debut album almost immediately after the final, where he finished in second place to Joe McElderry. After the rumours broke out, Murs announced he signed a joint record deal between Epic Records and Syco Music in February 2010.[25] It was announced that Murs began working with John Shanks and Eg White.[26] It was later confirmed that Roy Stride, Trevor Horn, Wayne Hector and Matty Benbrook would have involvement on the album which he collaborated with to make the "best possible songs".[27] More writers and producers were confirmed to be working with Murs in the studio, including: Phil Thornalley, Martin Brammer, Samuel Preston, Mark Taylor,[28]Chris Difford[28] and Professor Green were due to appear on the album; however, the duet fell through before recording was completed.
Murs confirmed the first single from the album to be titled "Please Don't Let Me Go", which was released on 27 August 2010 following the circulation of the accompanying music video.[29] The song was written by Murs himself and with other songwriters, Claude Kelly and Steve Robson; the single was also produced by Future Cut.[26] The song is about a minor relationship Murs was in where he ended up feeling something for the other person. Murs commented: "Sadly she kept giving me the impression that she didn't like me as much, and ultimately it didn't work out, so that's where the idea of me singing 'Please Don't Let Me Go' came from."[30] The song was described as "a lovely summery reggae-tinged pop tune that bobs along in a thoroughly hummable and not un-Will Young-like fashion" and said that the music video "is just as quintessentially pleasant".[31] During the release, Murs was told not to get his hopes up for a number-one due to Katy Perry releasing "Teenage Dream" the same day. On 5 September 2010, the single entered the UK Singles Charts at number 1 beating Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream". The song was released with the B-side track, entitled "This One's for the Girls" also entered the UK Singles Charts, debuting at number 69, was written for all of his female fans.
Murs performing material from Olly Murs in 2012
His debut album was released in November 2010;[32] which was a self-titled album, Olly Murs. The album's tracking list was revealed on 15 October 2010.[33] The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number two, with the biggest week-one album sales for a debut album in 2010, with over 108,000 albums sold.[34] The album also charted on the Irish Albums Chart where it found itself peaking at number eleven. The second single was "Thinking of Me",[35] written by Murs, Steve Robson and Hector, and co-produced by Future Cut and Steve Robson.[36] It was released on 19 November 2010,[35] prior to the album's release.[28] The single was added to BBC Radio 1's C Playlist on 3 November 2010. Murs performed the single for the first time on The X Factor. Upon the release the single charted at number four on the UK Singles Charts and thirteen on the Irish Singles Charts. On 13 November Murs turned the Christmas lights on in Paisley and he also turned on the Christmas lights near his hometown in Chelmsford, Essex. Renfrewshire Council was criticised in the media for the £15,000 fee that Murs was paid to turn on the lights, after announcing that they were axing 500 jobs. Murs however donated his fee for his appearance at this event.[37]
Two further singles were released from the first album into 2011 – the James Morrison penned "Heart on My Sleeve", which charted at No. 20 in March 2011, and "Busy" which charted at No. 45 in June 2011. Murs completed a theatre tour for his first album in spring 2011, commencing on 26 April in Rhyl at the Pavilion Theatre and playing four sold out nights at London's Hammersmith Apollo in late May. He also toured as the support act of JLS on their summer stadium tour.
2011: In Case You Didn't Know
It was rumoured in June 2011, that Murs had started working on his second studio album, which he later confirmed. Murs claimed that he would "take the album from a different approach", and claimed he would like to record a rap track, stating, "I'm secretly not a bad rapper, I really like to do a bit of beat boxing, Eminem is always a favourite, or maybe Vanilla Ice, "Ice Ice Baby" is a classic."[38] Murs revealed that he will attempt to build himself a more of a "soulful" sound through writing the second album, and also expressed interest in recording with English entertainer Robbie Williams after the two met on The X Factor Live Final.[39]
Murs confirmed in July 2011, that the lead single from the album would be called "Heart Skips a Beat", and it would feature up-and-coming Brithop Rap duo Rizzle Kicks.[40] He described it as a "parallel" to the remainder of the album, calling it a "summer party song".[39] The song premiered on The Chris Moyles Show on 7 July 2011 and has since been well received by fans.[41] The video for the track was later released via Murs' official YouTube channel. Murs said that the song is one of his favourite tracks from the new album, stating, "I'm loving the tune at the moment. It's going down really, really well."[40] "Heart Skips a Beat" later peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart, marking his second number one. It later went on to peak at number one in Germany and Switzerland, also reaching top ten in numerous countries in Europe.
In September 2011, Murs announced via Twitter that his second album would be entitled In Case You Didn't Know, taken from a song of the same name which appears on the album.[42] On 14 October 2011, Murs released the audio of "Dance with Me Tonight", the album's second single, via his YouTube Channel. The track was released on 21 November 2011, again peaking at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. The album, In Case You Didn't Know was released a week later on 28 November 2011. The album peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart, two on the Irish Charts, and in the top ten in Germany, Switzerland and Poland. Murs confirmed via his Twitter account in February 2012 that the album's third single would be "Oh My Goodness", and that it would be released on 2 April. It peaked at No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart. The single was his second release in Europe after "Heart Skips a Beat", released on 10 August, and has so far peaked in the top 40 in Germany and Austria.
In April 2012, it was revealed that Murs was in the process of writing his third studio album, which was released on 26 November 2012. Murs has once again written with Steve Robson and Claude Kelly. Ed Drewett (best known for his work for The Wanted) and Andrew Frampton and Steve Kipner (producers of both albums for The Script) are other names that have been confirmed for the third album, and in a June 2012 interview with the website Examiner he confirmed the name of a new song, "One of These Days", which he described as a 'follow-on' song from "I Need You Now" on his previous album.[43]
On 17 September, Murs announced the first single from his third album, "Troublemaker", a collaboration with Claude Kelly and Steve Robson which features American rapper Flo Rida and was released on 18 November. It also served as Murs's second U.S. single. The same day, he also announced the name of the third album, Right Place Right Time.[44] The cover artwork and track listing for the album was unveiled on 1 October. Murs will be embarking on a second arena tour of the UK and Ireland in February/March 2013 to support the album, as well as performing his first live European dates in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark in April 2013. On 14 January 2013, Murs confirmed that the second single from the album would be "Army of Two", which was released on 10 March 2013. The album's third single, "Dear Darlin'", was released on 3 June 2013. On 25 August 2013, the album's title track "Right Place Right Time" was released as the fourth single.
Murs was the opening act for English boy band One Direction on the North American leg of their Up All Night Tour, which began on 29 May in Toronto.[45] "Heart Skips a Beat" was released as Murs' first U.S. single through Columbia Records on 29 May 2012, replacing Rizzle Kicks with American rappers Chiddy Bang for its release. As of September 2012, it has peaked at No. 96 on the Billboard Hot 100. Murs was set to release 'In Case You Didn't Know' as his debut U.S. album on 25 September 2012, also through Columbia, however it was reported on 2 September that the release had been 'postponed until further notice'. On 17 September, Columbia then confirmed a new release date of 3 December and that they would now be releasing Murs' third UK album, Right Place Right Time as his debut U.S. release instead. The track listing for this will include "Heart Skips a Beat", "Dance with Me Tonight" and "Oh My Goodness" alongside "Troublemaker" and six other tracks from the new UK album. The release was further delayed. While visiting Chicago, IL for a performance of 25 January, Murs spoke with WBBM-FM B96 and confirmed that the final U.S. release date is 16 April 2013 and he will be featured as February 2013's VH1 "You Oughta Know" artist.[46]
Murs provided support for English entertainer Robbie Williams on his Take the Crown Stadium Tour and also performed a duet with him on Kids.[47] In July 2013, Murs served as the headline act at Alton Towers Live. In September, was announced that a new French version of "Dear Darlin", with participation of the famous singer Alizée, would be released in the second day of the month, with also the support of a concert in Paris to attack the France market.
On 11 September, Murs announced on his Facebook page that he was going to release a re-packaged edition of Right Place Right Time, which would be released in November 2013. Also on the same day Murs announced that he will feature on English entertainer Robbie Williams's upcoming album Swings Both Ways, singing "I Wan'na Be Like You", a song which he had sung on his first attempt to audition for The X Factor. Murs also featured on the UK version of rapper Classified's song "Inner Ninja", released on 10 November 2013. Murs unveiled "Hand on Heart" as the lead single from the re-release of Right Place Right Time and was released on 24 November with the re-release following a week later.
2014–2017: Never Been Better and 24 Hrs
In July 2013, Murs revealed that he had been back in the studio writing and recording new material for his fourth album. In February 2014, it was revealed that work had begun on his fourth studio album. He worked with Demi Lovato, Wayne Hector, Claude Kelly and Steve Robson.[48] On 28 September, Murs announced that the title of the album will be called Never Been Better and also announced the track list alongside it. The album was released on 24 November and debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. The album's first single "Wrapped Up" was released on 16 November 2014 and debuted at number three on the UK Singles Chart. The album's second single "Up" featuring American actress Demi Lovato reached number four in the UK singles chart.
On 10 February 2015, Murs confirmed on his Twitter account that the third single to be released from the album would be "Seasons". On 12 December 2014, Murs released a Christmas EP titled Unwrapped exclusivity on Google Play. In February 2015, it was announced that a waxwork figure of Murs would be put into Madame Tussauds Waxworks in Blackpool, which was unveiled on 30 March 2015. During a concert at The O2 Arena on 4 May 2015 and later on his Twitter account, Murs confirmed that the fourth single to be released from the album would be "Beautiful to Me". On 2 October 2015, Murs announced on his Twitter account that he would release a special edition of Never Been Better (which like the special edition of Right Place Right Time will feature extra tracks and a tour DVD) on 20 November 2015 and the first single released was Kiss Me which reached number 11 in the UK singles chart.
In early 2016, Murs began work on his fifth studio album which will be released later in the year. On 1 July 2016, Murs revealed on his Twitter account that the album's first single "You Don't Know Love" would be released on 8 July.[49] On 9 July 2016, Murs served as a support act for British five piece vocal group Take That at their British Summer Time concert at Hyde Park in London. On 2 September 2016, Murs announced on his Twitter account that his fifth album would be called 24 Hrs and would be released on 11 November. On the same day, Murs announced that he would be going on tour in March and April 2017.[50] On 22 June 2017, Murs released his collaboration with Louisa Johnson called "Unpredictable", the video already has more than five million views on YouTube.[51]
2018–present: You Know I Know and Marry Me
On 9 January 2018, Murs revealed on his Instagram story to be working on his sixth album. In October 2018, Murs announced that his sixth album would be a double album called You Know I Know with one disc featuring new tracks and the second disc continuing singles from Murs' previous albums.[52] The first single from the album was "Moves" and featured guest vocals from Snoop Dogg and an appearance from Rowan Atkinson as the waiter in the bar as himself.[53] The album is compiled of both new and old songs, detailing the title of what his fandom know and what he knows. The creation of this album brought new music to his audience and reprised versions of popular songs from his previous albums.
In February 2022, Murs split with label RCA Records.[54]
On 7 October 2022, Murs released the single "Die of a Broken Heart",[55][56] which debuted at number 19 on the UK Official Downloads Singles Chart Top 100 a week later.[57] Murs also announced the Marry Me Tour for 2023.[58] Singles "Die of a Broken Heart" and "I Hate You When You're Drunk"[59] were released, before the parent album, Marry Me, was released on 2 December 2022[60][61] and charted at number one on release[62]
On 28 October 2011, Murs was the first artist to be confirmed to play at Capital FM's Jinglebell Ball 2011.[66] In November 2011, Murs won the award for "Best Male Artist" at the BT Digital Music Awards and the award for "Best Album" for Olly Murs at the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards. On 5 and 6 December 2011, Murs supported Gary Barlow at Barlow's Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, where they performed together on the Take That hit "Shine".[67]
In March 2012, Murs performed at the 'Big Gig' event in Birmingham. On 24 March, In aid of Sport Relief, Murs performed alongside Rizzle Kicks, Vida and JLS at a special charity concert, held at The O2 Arena in London. On 16 April, Murs won the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for "Favourite British Male Artist". On 19 April, a three-part documentary trailing Murs throughout his UK Arena Tour, entitled Olly: Life on Murs, premiered on ITV2. It drew over half a million viewers. In July 2012, Murs performed at T in the Park. In August 2012, Murs performed at V Festival where he did his own set and also joined Madness for a performance of "It Must Be Love" and "One Step Beyond".
Murs' keen interest in football, and support of Manchester United means that he has also frequently appeared on sport based TV shows and radio stations such as Talksport, either during promotion of his music or as a talking head giving his opinion on matches.[68] In April 2016, Murs began to play for Coggeshall Town.[69]
He also released a special DVD, entitled "Olly Murs: 7 Deadly Sins of Football", through 2Entertain on 28 November 2011. In this DVD he introduced archive clips of Premier League matches well noted for displaying "when players get too greedy, when they get angry, [and] when they get lazy", as well as offering opinions from Ray Parlour, Alvin Martin, Jason Cundy, Ray Houghton and Micky Quinn from talkSPORT.[70]
In January 2013, as part of celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of The FA, Murs was appointed as an FA150 Ambassador, along with other leading figures from the world of football such as Alan Shearer, Gary Lineker and Sir Bobby Charlton.[71]
Murs has also been involved in modelling/fashion work, including some modelling for the autumn/winter 2012 range of Robbie Williams' clothing label Farrell.[72]
Murs released an illustrated autobiography, Happy Days, published by Coronet (an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton) on 11 October 2012. Photography for the book was shot by Dean Freeman, who has also worked on books for JLS, Michael Bublé and David Beckham, and Murs also recorded an audio version of the book that was made available to download. In January 2013 it was confirmed that Murs would guest star in a season 5 episode of the American drama series 90210 where he would perform "Troublemaker" and "Right Place Right Time". The episode aired on 22 April 2013. On 6 October 2013, Murs returned to The X Factor as a guest mentor to help judge Gary Barlow pick his finalist for the finals of the competition.[citation needed]
On 10 November 2014, Murs confirmed on his Twitter account that he would join the line up for Band Aid 30. Murs confirmed on 12 March 2015 that he would be releasing a second book titled On The Road.
ITV confirmed on 11 October 2017 that Murs had become a coach on the seventh series of The Voice UK.[73] He returned for five more series of the show, before his exit in 2024.
Philanthropy
In February 2011, it was announced that Murs would participate in the BT Charity Trek, with other celebrities, as part of the 2011 Comic ReliefRed Nose Day campaign. The celebrities spent five days in the Kaisut desert in north Kenya, covering 100 kilometres (62 miles) in temperatures up to 40°C.[74] On 2 April 2011, Murs appeared in a celebrity version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and won £10,000 for charity.[75][76] On 22 April, he appeared on a celebrity edition of Deal or No Deal, where he won 50p for his chosen charity, Brainwave, a local charity based in Murs' home town of which he had become a patron, for children with brain conditions such as cerebral palsy or developmental delay.[77]
On 27 May 2012, Murs played for England in a charity match for Soccer Aid at Old Trafford, but was taken off in the first half due to a hamstring injury. England ended up winning the match in a 3–1 victory against the rest of the world. This was the second time Murs had played for the England Team at Soccer Aid. He played back in 2010, a third time in 2014 and made a fourth appearance in 2016. He is also a patron for the Nordoff-Robbins music therapy charity,[78] and more recently he has become a patron for the Rays of Sunshine Children's Charity, who grant wishes to seriously or terminally ill children aged 3–18 in the United Kingdom.[79]
In June 2021, Murs organised the "Climb for Caroline", a sponsored climb of mountain peaks in the Lake District. The walk intended to raise money for the mental health support charity Samaritans, and named after Caroline Flack, who had died the previous February.[80]
Presenting
On 4 April 2011, Murs stood in for Comedy Dave Vitty on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio 1 for one week while Vitty was rehearsing for Dancing on Ice.[81] In 2011, Murs appeared on CBBC's children's hidden camera show Remote Control Star.[82] At the end of May 2011, Murs presented a Celebrity Club Classics show on Heart FM. He went on to present a Celebrity Special over the Christmas Period in 2011[83] and again in 2012. On 31 May 2011, it was confirmed that Murs would be co-presenting the eighth series of The Xtra Factor alongside Caroline Flack.[84] On 10 November 2011, Murs turned on the Christmas Lights at Cribbs Causeway in South Gloucestershire, where 7,000 fans attended. Murs concluded his appearance with a performance of "Dance with Me Tonight", the first time he had performed the song live. On 2 December, Murs appeared on The Late Late Toy Show with Ryan Tubridy, a popular television show in Ireland.[85][86]
On 1 February 2012, Murs began his 22-date arena tour, starting with an audience of 20,000 in Cardiff. Due to his international release and touring with One Direction over the summer, he was not present for the Xtra Factor audition, boot camp and judges' houses stages of this year's series, but did however record some special segments with selected auditionees that were broadcast in these episodes. He returned to the show full-time with Flack on the first live show of the series on 6 October 2012. In April 2013, it was confirmed that Murs had quit his role as co-presenter of The Xtra Factor to concentrate on his music career. He was replaced by Matt Richardson.[citation needed]
On 12 December 2014, Murs performed and presented his ITV special A Night In With Olly Murs. The show featured him performing some of his songs as well as photobomb with Nicole Scherzinger, prank Caroline Flack, appear in a special episode of EastEnders and lip sync with John Bishop. Next, on 25 December 2014, Murs reunited with Flack to co-present a Christmas Day radio show on British radio station Magic. They later did another radio show for Magic on New Year's Eve.
It was confirmed on 16 April 2015 that Murs and Flack would take over from Dermot O'Leary as the presenters of twelfth series of The X Factor. However, on 22 February 2016, Flack and Murs confirmed that they would not be returning to the thirteenth series of The X Factor and were permanently replaced by Dermot O'Leary.[87][88]
On 18 December 2015, Murs and Flack served as presenters for ITV's Christmas telethon Text Santa.
Murs served as both a guest and guest panelist on Loose Women on 26 July 2016 in place of Katie Price who had fallen ill.[89]
In April 2021, it was announced that Murs will present an ITV talent show series titled Starstruck.[91]
Acting
In 2019, Murs made his acting debut as the voice of Spike the Doberman in a two-part special of the Disney Channel series 101 Dalmatian Street titled "A Summer to Remember".[92]
Murs lived with his twin brother Ben and parents Vicky and Pete Murs until 2012, when he moved into a five-bedroom house of his own in Toot Hill, Essex. He is an avid supporter of Manchester United and also a supporter and chairman of local side Coggeshall Town.[21]
Olly stated on The Jonathan Ross Show in March 2015 that Ben was estranged from his parents and that the incident stemmed from Murs not being able to attend Ben's wedding because of X Factor commitments.[94]
In 2015, Murs first opened up about ongoing mental health issues, admitting that he turned to alcohol to cope with depression caused by the pressure of a new career during his time on the X Factor tour.[95] In 2016, he experienced anxiety and panic attacks after facing stark criticism about his short-lived career as a presenter for The Xtra Factor. Appearing for a "routine performance" on the Graham Norton Show to promote his new music, Murs was struck with sudden, overwhelming panic, stating his "heart was pounding" and he "couldn't breathe".[96] He continued to experience panic attacks when he was confirmed as a coach for The Voice UK, which led to him seeking therapy to cope with his anxiety.[96] He went on to write the song "Talking to Yourself" about his anxiety and encourages other men to speak up about their mental health.[97]
On 24 November 2017, Murs was caught up in the Oxford Circus panic while shopping in Selfridges, Oxford Street. He was criticised by the police and the media for tweeting false claims about gunshots in Selfridges, and for alleging in April 2018 that the police had covered up a terrorist attack in the shop.[98][99]
On 4 June 2022, Murs announced that he was engaged to his girlfriend Amelia Tank.[100] They married on 15 July 2023.[101] On 6 December 2023, the couple announced that they were expecting their first child.[102] On 17 April 2024, the couple announced that their daughter Madison had been born.[103]
In January 2024 Murs was the subject of the BBC television show Who Do You Think You Are? which, with the help of genealogists and historians, explored the lives of his Latvian ancestors.[104]
Gary Barlow is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the pop group Take That.
The Xtra Factor is a companion show to the British television music competition The X Factor. It was broadcast on ITV2 and on TV3 in the Republic of Ireland, on Saturday and Sunday nights after the main ITV show from 4 September 2004 to 11 December 2016. It featured behind-the-scenes footage of The X Factor and shows the emotional responses of the contestants after the judges comment on their performances.
The X Factor is a British reality television music competition, and part of the global X Factor franchise created by Simon Cowell. Premiering on 4 September 2004, it was produced by Fremantle's British entertainment company, 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.
JLS are an English boy band consisting of members Aston Merrygold, Oritsé Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill; Williams formed the band. They initially signed with Tracklacers production company New Track City and were the runners-up of the fifth series of the ITV reality talent show The X Factor in 2008, coming in second to Alexandra Burke. After their appearance on The X Factor, JLS signed to Epic Records. Their first two singles "Beat Again" and "Everybody in Love" were both number one on the UK Singles Chart.
"Heart on My Sleeve" is a pop song written by James Morrison and John Shanks. It was first released by American Idol season 7 contestant Michael Johns from his post-Idol album, Hold Back My Heart. The single was released on iTunes, on 14 April 2009. The song was later recorded by Olly Murs and released on 6 March 2011 as his third single from his debut album Olly Murs.
Joseph McElderry is an English singer and songwriter. He won the sixth series of The X Factor in 2009. His first single "The Climb" reached number one on both the UK Singles Chart and the Irish Singles Charts. He was also the winner of the second series of Popstar to Operastar in 2011 and the first series of The Jump in 2014. In 2015, McElderry played the lead role of Joseph in the touring production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. In 2022, McElderry performed his Freedom Tour, a tribute to George Michael.
"Please Don't Let Me Go" is a song by British singer Olly Murs. Written by Murs, Claude Kelly and Steve Robson, the song served as the lead single from the X Factor runner-up's eponymous debut album and it was his debut single. The song was released as a digital download in the United Kingdom on 29 August 2010, where it debuted at number-one on the singles chart; also peaking at number five in Ireland. The song was nominated at the 2011 BRIT Awards for Best British Single, but lost out to Tinie Tempah for his song "Pass Out".
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.
Olly Murs is the debut studio album by the English singer-songwriter Olly Murs. It was released on 23 November 2010 in the United Kingdom.
"Thinking of Me" is a song by British singer Olly Murs, taken from his debut studio album, Olly Murs. It is written by Murs, Wayne Hector and Steve Robson, and was released as Murs's second single on 19 November 2010. Murs performed it live on The X Factor on 21 November 2010. It became his second UK top 5 hit after the chart topping success of his debut, "Please Don't Let Me Go".
"Heart Skips a Beat" is a song by English singer-songwriter Olly Murs, taken from his second studio album, In Case You Didn't Know. The song features vocals from English hip hop duo Rizzle Kicks, and was released as the album's lead single on 19 August 2011. It was written by Alex Smith, Preston, Kish Mauve and Rizzle Kicks. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number one with first-week sales of over 109,000 copies, becoming his second number-one single. It also served as the closing song at Murs' 2012 arena tour.
In Case You Didn't Know is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Olly Murs, released on 25 November 2011, through Epic Records. The album's release was preceded by the number-one singles "Heart Skips a Beat" on 19 August 2011, and "Dance with Me Tonight", on 20 November 2011. The album's track listing was confirmed by Digital Spy on 7 October 2011. The album debuted at number 1 on the UK Albums Chart, marking Murs' first chart topper.
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.
"Dance with Me Tonight" is a single by English singer-songwriter Olly Murs, taken from his second studio album, In Case You Didn't Know. It was released as the album's second single on 18 November 2011 and was written by Murs, Claude Kelly and Steve Robson.
James Andrew Arthur is an English singer and songwriter. He rose to fame after winning the ninth series of The X Factor in 2012. His debut single, a cover of Shontelle's "Impossible", was released by Syco Music after the final, and debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart. Since then, it has gone on to sell over 2.5 million copies worldwide, making it the most successful winner's single in the show's history.
Right Place Right Time is the third studio album by English recording artist Olly Murs. It was first released on 23 November 2012, by Epic Records. The album received mostly mixed and positive reviews from critics, most of whom called it catchy but predictable and said that the songs were nothing memorable. The album was also criticised for sounding too similar to Murs's previous album, In Case You Didn't Know (2011).
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.
24 Hrs is the fifth studio album by English recording artist Olly Murs, released through RCA Records on 11 November 2016. The album features the Platinum-certified UK top 20 hit "You Don't Know Love" and UK top-forty singles "Grow Up" and Unpredictable. Commercially, the album debuted atop the UK Albums Chart giving Murs his fourth UK number-one album.
You Know I Know is the sixth studio album by English singer-songwriter Olly Murs, released on November 9, 2018 through RCA and Sony. It is a double album, consisting of new songs and a selection of greatest hits. The album was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in mid-December 2018. Murs toured in May and June 2019 in support of the album. This was Murs's final album under RCA Records.
Marry Me is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter Olly Murs, released on 2 December 2022 by EMI Records. Following the release of his sixth album, You Know I Know, Murs had no interest in making any new music, until he met his wife, Amelia Tank. Murs returned to writing during late 2020 until early 2022.
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