Rough Copy | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Croydon, London, England |
| Genres | R&B, soul |
| Years active | 2008–2016 |
| Labels | Epic (2014), EMC Records (2015–), DeeVu Records (2016) |
| Members | Kazeem Ajobe Joey Thomas Sterling Ramsey |
| Website | www |
Rough Copy were a British boy band from Croydon, London. The group consists of Kazeem Ajobo, Sterling Ramsey and Joseph James Thomas. They were the ninth contestant eliminated on the tenth series of The X Factor in 2013. They originally auditioned for the ninth series in 2012 and got to the "judges' houses" stage, but were forced to back out as Nigerian-born Ajobo was unable to obtain a visa in time, which would have made it almost impossible for him to re-enter the UK. [1] [2]
In 2014, Rough Copy signed a record deal with Epic Records. They released their debut single "Street Love" on 29 June 2014, but were later dropped after the single failed to chart. The group later signed with EMC Records. Now signed to DeeVu Records the band's new single is due for release on 5 October 2016. The band failed to have a single make the UK music charts and consequently broke up in 2016.
Rough Copy were formed in 2008 and were originally called SOS (Sons of Soul), whose original members were Kazeem "Kaz" Ajobe, Joey Thomas, Rickstar Rickell Brown and Sterling Ramsey. After Brown left the group Ajobe, Thomas and Ramsey stayed together as a three-piece and renamed themselves to Rough Copy. Ajobe admitted that it was his girlfriend who convinced him to put the band together. He told Heat Magazine , "We've been together for eight years and I really want to marry her, but I need the money first. I owe my life to my girlfriend. She's the one that encouraged me to start the band – she suggested it." [3] Rough Copy describe their style as "sweet but street". [4] In October 2012, they released a mixtape called Sweet But Street. [5]
In 2012, Rough Copy auditioned for the ninth series of The X Factor . They sang "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon and a standing ovation from the audience and all four judges. After getting four "yeses", they progressed through to "bootcamp", where they were chosen for "judges' houses" with Louis Walsh as their mentor. However, before flying out to Las Vegas, Rough Copy were forced to leave the show as Ajobe, who was born in Nigeria, would have difficulty getting back into the UK. He had applied for a visa which would allow him to travel to Las Vegas and then return to the UK, but it would not be processed in time. [1] [2] As a result, they were replaced at judges' houses by Triple J (renamed Union J) and Times Red. [6]
Rough Copy re-auditioned for the following series and sang "Do It Like a Dude" in their room audition and "Little Things" in the arena. After getting to bootcamp, it became apparent that Ajobe, yet again, was unable to obtain a visa in time for judges' houses, so Ramsey and James decided to continue on without him. [7] They performed "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" at bootcamp [7] and "Boyfriend" and "I Can't Make You Love Me" at judges' houses. [8] After putting them through, their mentor Gary Barlow said he would do whatever he could to get Ajobe back into the band, and they reunited as a trio for the live shows.
Following the eliminations of Miss Dynamix in week 3 and Kingsland Road in week 4, Rough Copy were the last group left in the competition. In week 7, they were in the bottom two with Hannah Barrett, but were sent through to the quarter-final when only Nicole Scherzinger, Barrett's mentor, voted to send them home. However voting statistics confirmed that Barrett received more votes than Rough Copy meaning if Osbourne or Walsh voted to send Barrett through to the quarter-final or if the result went to deadlock, Barrett would've advanced to the quarter-final and Rough Copy would've been eliminated.[ citation needed ] In the semi-final, Rough Copy were in the final showdown with Luke Friend and were eliminated after the result went to deadlock.[ citation needed ] Although James and Ramsey also took part in the X Factor 2014 live tour, Ajobe was kicked off following a 'backstage incident' with fellow contestant Sam Callahan. [9]
On 21 April 2014, Rough Copy announced that they had signed a record deal with Sony Music subsidiary Epic Records. [4] They also announced that their debut single "Street Love", a reworking of Anita Baker's 1986 hit single "Sweet Love", would be released on 29 June 2014.
The group was subsequently dropped from their record label when their debut single "Street Love" failed to make the top 100. [10] Later signing with EMC Records, they released their second single "Same Formula" on 17 May 2015, but this also failed to chart.
The band broke up in late 2016.
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK R&B | ||
| 2014 | "Street Love" | 29 |
| 2015 | "Same Formula" | |
| 2016 | "UK" | |
 |
| Title | Production | Year |
|---|---|---|
| “Street Love” | - | 2014 |
| “3 Words” | - | 2015 |
| “Same Formula” (Lyric Video) | That SP Studios | 2015 |
| “Same Formula” | - | 2015 |
| “Our Love” | - | 2015 |
| Title | Production | Year | YouTube views |
|---|---|---|---|
| “One Direction - Little Things” (Cover) | Producer: John Shownmi | 2015 | 186K |
| “Justin Bieber - Boyfriend” (Cover) | 108K | ||
| “Rihanna - Diamonds” (Cover) | 162K | ||
Joey James (born Joseph James Thomas; 1987) was the oldest member of the group. He previously worked as a Michael Jackson lookalike and held several paper rounds in his local area. [1]
Sterling "Boob" Ramsey (born 1988) previously worked as a crane operator for some of the largest ports in the UK. [1]
Kazeem "Baz" Ajobo (born 1989 in Nigeria) was the youngest member of the group. He previously worked as a dog and cat therapist, specialising in depression. [1]
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The fourth series was broadcast on ITV from 18 August 2007 and was won by Leon Jackson on 15 December 2007, with Rhydian Roberts finishing as the runner-up and Dannii Minogue emerging as the winning mentor. Dermot O'Leary presented for the first time, replacing Kate Thornton, who had been presenting the show since series 1 in 2004. Fearne Cotton replaced Ben Shephard as presenter on the spin-off show The Xtra Factor. The original judging panel consisted of Simon Cowell, Minogue, Sharon Osbourne and Brian Friedman. Friedman left the panel halfway through the first audition episode and was replaced by former judge Louis Walsh.
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 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.
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The fifth series was broadcast on ITV from 16 August 2008 until 13 December 2008. Dermot O'Leary returned to present the main show on ITV, while Fearne Cotton was replaced by Holly Willoughby as presenter of spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2. Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, and Dannii Minogue returned to the judging panel. Sharon Osbourne left after four series and was replaced by Cheryl Cole. The series was won by Alexandra Burke, with Cole emerging as the winning mentor. Auditions in front of producers were held in April and May, with callbacks in front of the judges in June. The number of applicants for series 5 reached an all-time high with a reported 182,000 people auditioning. A number of well-established music acts from around the world, such as Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Girls Aloud, Take That, Il Divo, and series 3 winner Leona Lewis, performed during the live stages of the show.
"Street Love" is the debut single by British boy band Rough Copy. It was released through Epic Records on 29 June 2014. The song, produced by hAZEL and Da Beatfreakz, is a reworking of Anita Baker's 1986 hit single "Sweet Love". Whilst new verses were written by Crush Boys, the chorus from the original remains mostly the same. The initial idea to use a rework of Anita Baker's "Sweet Love" chorus on this track is where Singer-songwriter Tejai Moore came into play.
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The seventh series started on ITV on 21 August 2010 and ended on 12 December 2010. The series saw the creation of boyband One Direction, five boys who entered the competition as individuals. The winner of the competition was Matt Cardle. Cardle was mentored throughout the show by Dannii Minogue. After the victory, he released his debut single "When We Collide". A total of 15,448,019 votes were cast throughout the series. It was presented by Dermot O'Leary, with spin-off show The Xtra Factor presented by Konnie Huq on ITV2, who took over from Holly Willoughby.
Marcus Collins is an English singer who was a finalist on the eighth series of The X Factor in 2011. He was mentored by Take That frontman Gary Barlow, who continued to work with him on his debut album.
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The ninth series began airing on ITV on 18 August 2012 and ended on 9 December 2012. Dermot O'Leary returned as presenter of the main show on ITV, whilst Caroline Flack and Olly Murs returned to co-present The Xtra Factor on ITV2. Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow and Tulisa returned as judges. Nicole Scherzinger was confirmed as the fourth permanent judge after Geri Halliwell, Leona Lewis, Rita Ora, Mel B, Anastacia and Scherzinger herself stood in as guest judges for the vacant position left by Kelly Rowland. After the show of 8 December, two of Scherzinger's acts, James Arthur and Jahméne Douglas, became the top two, meaning that Scherzinger was guaranteed to win. Arthur was announced as the winner on 9 December, and released a cover of Shontelle's "Impossible" as his winner's song. As of 2016, it is the most successful winner's single in the show's history.
Jacob "Jake" Quickenden is an English singer, ex-footballer and reality television personality. He was a contestant on the ninth and eleventh series of The X Factor in 2012 and 2014, before being runner-up in series 14 of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in December 2014.
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The tenth series began airing on ITV on 31 August, and finished on 15 December 2013. Dermot O'Leary returned to present the main show on ITV and Caroline Flack was back to present spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2, along with comedian Matt Richardson, who replaced Olly Murs. Flack also presented backstage segments during the live shows. Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow and Nicole Scherzinger returned as judges for their respective tenth, third and second series, with Sharon Osbourne returning to replace Tulisa after five series away. This was Barlow's final series as a judge. Osbourne and Scherzinger also departed the series, but reprised their roles as judges with Walsh again in series 13 and series 14.
Union J are an English pop group, consisting of members JJ Hamblett, Jaymi Hensley, George Shelley and Josh Cuthbert. Shelley left the group in 2016 and was replaced by Casey Johnson, who left several months later, Cuthbert left the group in 2018 leaving the band as duo until they disbanded in 2019. The band formed in 2011, originally as a trio known as Triple J, consisting of Cuthbert, Hamblett and Hensley. They auditioned for the ninth series of the British television music competition The X Factor where they met Shelley who joined the band at the judges' request. They were the tenth contestant eliminated and were subsequently signed to Sony Music subsidiary RCA Records. Their debut single "Carry You" was released in June 2013. Their self-titled debut studio album followed in October 2013 and peaked at number 6 on the UK Albums Chart.
George Paul Shelley is an English singer, actor and presenter, and an ex-member of the boy band Union J.
Moorhouse was a New Zealand boy band consisting of members Jason Aileone, Brock Ashby, Rory McKenna, Marley Sola Wilcox-Nanai and Rameka Uitime-Paraki. They formed in Christchurch in 2012 and are best known for their appearance in the first New Zealand series of The X Factor where they and were the tenth contestant eliminated. Competing in the Groups category, they were mentored by Melanie Blatt. Their debut single "Mama Said" was released in August 2013, peaking at number eight in the New Zealand charts. In February 2015 the band announced it had split up.
Kingsland Road were an English rock and roll-style and urban-inspired funk and disco boy band formed in 2012. The band is made up of Matt Cahill, Joe "Connor" Conaboy, JJ Thompson and Josh Zaré. Originally a five-piece that included Jay Scott, they were the fourth contestant eliminated on the tenth series of The X Factor in 2013.
Samantha Florence Bailey is an English pop singer who won the tenth series of The X Factor in 2013. Following her win, her debut single, a cover of Demi Lovato's "Skyscraper" was released on 15 December 2013, achieving the Christmas number one on 22 December 2013. She was the first X Factor winner in three years to gain the Christmas number one spot.
X Factor is a Polish television music competition to find new singing talent. The fourth series began airing on TVN on 1 March 2014 and ended on 31 May 2014. Kuba Wojewódzki, Tatiana Okupnik and Czesław Mozil returned as judges. Ewa Farna joined the judging panel as the fourth judge. Patricia Kazadi presents the show.
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.
Maximillian Albert "Max" George is an English singer, best known as the lead singer of the boy band The Wanted.
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.
Stereo Kicks were an English-Irish boy band who were formed and were the twelfth contestant eliminated on the eleventh series of The X Factor in 2014. Stereo Kicks consisted of; James Graham, Jake Sims, Chris Leonard, Charlie Jones, Casey Johnson, Barclay Beales, Reece Bibby, and Tom Mann. Their debut single "Love Me So" was released on 21 June 2015 and charted at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart. Just a month later, however, having been together under a year, they announced they were disbanding due to their failure to land a record deal.
Luke Friend is an English singer and former student from Teignmouth in Devon. He started his career in 2013 after winning TeenStar and appearing as a contestant and later a finalist on tenth series of The X Factor and later was the last contestant eliminated on the show. After his career appearing on The X Factor, he signed with RCA Records in October 2014 and released his debut single "Hole in My Heart" in March 2015. On 8 April 2016, he signed to BMG. Since 28 September 2022, he has appeared as Adam in Mamma Mia! The Party at The O2 (London).
| Authority control databases: Artists |
|---|
