With rumours The X Factor could be making a return, we’ve taken a look back at the most iconic Manchester contestants since the singing competition began in 2004.
The X Factor, which was created by Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment, had many presenters and celebrity judges over the years. Dermot O’Learly, Kate Thornton, Olly Murs and Caroline Flack have all fronted the show, while Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh, Cheryl, Nicole Scherzinger, Gary Barlow and Danii Minogue have all taken a seat at the judging panel.
The show hasn’t aired since 2018, but during its 15 years, The X Factor produced some exceptional singers and groups who went on to have global success. This includes a handful from Manchester and the surrounding area.
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Some of the below singers went on to become worldwide stars, while others enjoyed a few years in the spotlight before things quieted down. In our eyes, they’re all iconic for showing Manchester does indeed have talent.
Harry Styles
It’s only right we start off with arguably the biggest Northern star to come out of The X Factor. From Holmes Chapel just south of Manchester, Harry auditioned on the show in 2010 as a solo artist aged 16, but was eliminated during bootcamp.
Not wanting Harry’s talent to go to waste, Simon Cowell decided to create a new group with Harry in it - One Direction was born. Years of success followed, as Harry and his bandmates Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik took the world by storm.
In 2016, One Direction (minus Zayn who left in 2015) announced an "indefinite hiatus", allowing Harry to focus on his solo career. Fast-forward to 2022 and Harry is not only enjoying a very successful solo music career (his third album 'Harry’s House' was released earlier this year), he’s also impressed with his acting.
After appearing in 'Dunkirk' in 2017 and 'Eternals' in 2021, Harry's acting career is really starting to take off. He has leading roles in 'My Policeman' and 'Don't Worry Darling' which are both released later this year.
Rowetta
Manchester’s Rowetta originally sang with the Happy Mondays in the 1990s before ending up on the first series of The X Factor in 2004. Her audition was truly iconic, as not only did she stand up to Simon when he didn’t seem too impressed with her version of 'Lady Marmalade', she just wouldn’t stop talking.
Rowetta eventually broke into a rendition of 'Circle of Life' before singing part of 'And I’m Telling You…' from Dream Girls. Louis called her "mad" to which Rowetta replied "thank you". Despite Louis saying "no", both Simon and Sharon gave Rowetta a "yes", much to her delight.
Rowetta made it to the quarter-final and was the last woman in the competition. After The X Factor, Rowetta continued her singing career and made her musical theatre debut at the Palace Theatre in Manchester in 'The Best of Broadway' alongside Suranne Jones.
In 2012, Rowetta reunited with the Happy Mondays and released a new album. In 2015, they celebrated the 25th anniversary of the album 'Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches' by going on tour.
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Shayne Ward
The winner of the second series of The X Factor in 2005 was Manchester’s Shayne Ward, whose winner’s single 'That’s My Goal' remains an absolute belter. Shayne went on to have numerous hits until he was dropped by Simon Cowell’s Syco label in 2011.
After a few years' hiatus, Shayne released his 'Closer' album in 2015 as an independent artist. That wasn’t all he got up to in that year, though, as it was the start of his acting career.
Shayne, who’s now a father of two, headed to the Coronation Street cobbles where he played Aidan Conner until 2018. He left the soap to become a film star, landing his first movie role in the 2019 horror 'Stairs'.
Laura White
Wigan’s Laura White appeared on the fifth series of The X Factor in 2008. She was feeling poorly on the day of her audition, so the fact she impressively belted out 'Somebody Else’s Guy' makes her audition iconic. Although she surprisingly only finished in eighth place after losing in the sing-off against Ruth Lorenzo, she’s gone on to have quite the success.
Not only has Laura had three albums ('What My Mother Taught Me', 'No.95' and 'The Painted Door'), she’s worked behind the scenes as a writer for a variety of stars, including Leona Lewis and Eliza Doolittle. She also wrote 'New York Raining' for Charles Hamilton and Rita Ora which was nominated for a Grammy in 2015, and has featured on songs with Galantis and Example.
Misha B
After impressing everyone with her powerful rendition of Aretha Franklin’s Respect during her first audition in 2011, singer and rapper Misha B made it all the way to the final of the eighth series of The X Factor. There was controversy during her time on the show, with "bullying" claims made against her by a couple of the judges, but Misha's fellow contestants spoke up for her.
Since finishing fourth, Misha has gone on to release numerous singles and two mixtapes - 'Why Hello World' and 'Knock Knock'. In 2012, Misha supported Nicki Minaj on the UK leg of her 'Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour' and was also nominated for Best Newcomer at the MOBO Awards that year. Music aside, Misha’s a joint patron of the UK’s annual National Diversity Awards.
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