| Alexandra Burke | |
|---|---|
| Contestant Profile | |
| Birth Date | 25 August 1988 |
| Age | 36 |
| Hometown | Islington, London, England |
| Occupation | Singer |
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| Category | 16-24s |
| Mentor | Louis Walsh |
| Placement | Judges' Houses |
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| Category | Girls |
| Mentor | Cheryl Cole |
| Placement | Winner (1/12) |
| Gallery | |
Alexandra Imelda Ceclia Ewen Burke (born 25 August 1988) is an English R&B/pop singer. She auditioned for Series 5 of The X Factor UK and made it all the way to the final as part of the Girls category mentored by Cheryl Cole.
Due to the eliminations of Laura White and Diana Vickers, Burke was the only act left in her category. She was crowned the winner defeating JLS from the Groups category mentored by Louis Walsh.
She previously auditioned during Series 2 but was eliminated by mentor Louis Walsh during Judges' Houses.
Performances[]
| Episode | Theme | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Free choice | "Saving All My Love for You" | Advanced |
| Bootcamp 1 | "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" | Advanced | |
| Bootcamp 2 | "Hero" | Advanced | |
| Judges' houses | Free choice | "Listen" | Advanced |
| Week 1 | UK or US number-one singles | "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" | Safe |
| Week 2 | Songs by Michael Jackson | "I'll Be There" | Safe |
| Week 3 | Big band | "Candyman" | Safe |
| Week 4 | Disco | "On the Radio" | Safe |
| Week 5 | Songs by Mariah Carey | "Without You" | Safe |
| Week 6 | British classics | "You Are So Beautiful" | Safe |
| Week 7 | Songs by Take That | "Relight My Fire" | Safe |
| Week 8 | Songs by Britney Spears | "Toxic" | Safe |
| American classics | "Listen" | ||
| Week 9: Semi-final | Mentor's choice | "Don't Stop the Music" | Safe |
| Contestant's choice | "Un-Break My Heart" | ||
| Week 10: Final | Christmas songs | "Silent Night" | Winner |
| Celebrity duets | "Listen" (with Beyoncé) | ||
| Song of the series | "You Are So Beautiful" | ||
| Winner's single | "Hallelujah" |
Post-The X Factor[]
Following her win, her winner's single was released and went on to become the Christmas #1, eventually selling over 1.2 million copies, making her the first-ever British female artist to have a million-selling single in the UK. It remained the most-successful winner's single until it was overtaken by James Arthur's winner's single in 2017. Her debut album Overcome also hit the top spot and spawned a further five singles, including two more UK #1 singles "Bad Boys", featuring American rapper Flo Rida, and "Start Without You".
In June 2012, she released her second studio album Heartbreak On Hold, which veered more towards dance-pop and house music. However, it only scraped into the UK Top 20 at #18 and in June 2013 citing dissatisfaction with Syco Music over differing views for her third album she announced her departure.
She decided to move into musical theater and between 2014 and 2017 appeared in the West End productions of The Bodyguard and Sister Act (with Whoopi Goldberg playing the Mother Superior in the latter for a time).
In August 2017 it was announced that she would appear as a contestant on the fifteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing. She was partnered with Gorka Márquez but was announced as one o the runner-ups. Following this she signed a deal with Decca Records to release her third studio album The Truth. Like its predecessor it failed to make an impact on the UK Charts, peaking at #16. An accompanying UK and Ireland tour, her first in seven years, was scrapped and she soon announced her return to musical theater, playing Roxie Hart in Chicago. In January 2018, it was reported that she had parted ways with Decca Records.
Discography[]
Trivia[]
- She was born on the same day as Series 3 runner-up Ray Quinn.
- She is the daughter of Melissa Bell, who was one of the lead singers of British band Soul II Soul from 1993 to 1996.
| UK Series 5 Finalists | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandra Burke • Austin Drage • Bad Lashes • Daniel Evans • Diana Vickers • Eoghan Quigg • Girlband • JLS • Laura White • Rachel Hylton • Ruth Lorenzo • Scott Bruton | |||
| The X Factor UK Winners | |||
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