Most of X Factor’s winning singles are emotionally driven and, more often than not, they end up in the UK’s number one spot come Christmas Day.
In fact, ten of the 11 series has seen the winner hold the honour of seeing their debut single at the top spot.
It is hard to tell, though, what will happen to the artists themselves. Success can often be found in acts that didn’t even win the show. Look at JLS, Cher Lloyd, Olly Murs and, of course, One Direction.
Winners have seen varying careers over the years (who remembers Steve Brookstein!?) but there have been a lot of success stories over the last 12 years of X Factor.
Going to audition on the ITV show takes a lot of courage and, for a lot of people, it can be a last chance, but does the show provide them with the success they seek? Here are the five most successful winners of X Factor…
5 - Matt Cardle
The 33-year-old won the seventh series of X Factor and his debut single, “When We Collide”, was released in 2010. By December the track was number one on the UK and Irish Singles – it went on to become the second biggest single of the year. “Run for Your Life” was the follow-up single released by Cardle which charted at number 6 on the UK Singles Chart. Matt released his first album, Letters, in 2011, which debuted at number two on the UK and Irish Albums Charts. After the album, Cardle then parted ways with Syco Music and Columbia Records, and signed with So What Recordings in early 2012. His second album, The Fire, charted at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart, the last of his releases to reach the top ten. He went on to release another album in 2013 and is expected to drop another later this year.
4 - Shayne Ward
Now he’s on Coronation Street but in 2005, Shayne Ward won the second series of X Factor. His debut single, “That’s My Goal”, was released in 2005 and sold over 300,000 copies on its first day, making it the third fastest-selling single of all time in the UK. He’s actually the only winner that has gone on to release an original song as his winner’s single; all of the others have released covers. Ward signed with Syco and released his debut album in 2006, it debuted at number one on the UK and Ireland Album Charts. The eponymous album went 4x Platinum in Ireland and Platinum in the UK. His second album, Breathless, spawned the most success; it went 5x Platinum in Ireland and featured the top ten hits “If That’s OK with you” and “No U Hang Up”. After a three-year break from music, Ward released his third album, named obsession. It underperformed and he was dropped from Syco. Currently a free agent, Shayne has released a new album, through crowd funding, called Closer.
3 - Alexandra Burke
The 28-year-old won the fifth series of X Factor and her debut single was a cover of “Hallelujah”, which sold over 100,00 copies in one day. The song also became the top-selling single of 2008 in the UK. By January 2009, the single had sold over 1 million copies in the UK alone, a first for a British female artist. Her debut album, Overcome, charted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and spawned four number-one singles on the UK and Irish Singles Charts: “Hallelujah”, “Bad Boys” (featuring Flo Rida), “All Night Long” and “Start Without You” – the singles released from the album earned her three BRIT Award nominations. Burke made a comeback in 2012, with the release of “Elephant”, which peaked at number three in the UK. In 2014, Burke replaced Beverley Knight in the role of Rachel Marron in the musical “The Bodyguard”. It was later announced that she would star again as Marron in the UK and Ireland nationwide tour of the musical.
2 - Little Mix
Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jesy Nelson formed Little Mix in 2011, during the eighth series of X Factor and they are currently the only group act to win the competition. Their winning single was a cover of Damien Rice’s “Cannonball”. Their debut album, DNA, was released in 2012 and peaked inside the top ten of ten different charts, including the UK and the US, breaking records set by the Pussycat Dolls and the Spice Girls. The album spawned the UK number one single “Wings”. The second release from the group, Salute, released in 2013, made it two for two as it debuted inside the top 10 in both the UK and the US. Hit singles “Move” and “Salute” were released in the album. In 2015, Little Mix released their third album; Get Weird became their best selling album in the UK. Lead single “Black Magic” became their third number one single in the UK and was nominated for two BRIT Awards in 2016. All of their albums, to date, achieved Platinum status and so have ten of their singles in the UK.
1 - Leona Lewis
Leona won the third series of the X Factor, her winning single was a cover of Kelly Clarkson’s “A Moment Like This”. It peaked at number one in the UK and broke a world record for having 50,000 digital downloads in just half an hour. In 2007, Lewis signed a contract in the US with J Records. Her debut album was released not long after. Spirit went 10x Platinum in the UK and the lead single “Bleeding Love” spent seven weeks in the number one spot. She became the first British female solo artist to top the US Billboard 200 album chart in over two decades in 2008 – the album has now sold more than eight million copies worldwide and “Bleedling Love” peaked at number one in over 30 countries. Leona released her second UK number one album in 2009 and recorded the theme song for the blockbuster movie Avatar. In 2011, Lewis became the latest in a long line of successful singers that have collaborated with Avicii, with the release of “Collide”. Her third album, Glassheart, was released in 2012 and had clearly taken inspiration from the popularity of “Collide”, as it has an EDM feel to it. The album peaked at number three in the UK Albums Chart but failed to be certified Platinum. She released another album in 2013, Christmas, with the lead single “One More Sleep” peaking at number three in the UK and, with this, Leona became the first female British solo artist to achieve eight top five singles. In 2016, Lewis made her Broadway debut as Grizabella in the revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats.