Michelle McManus
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Michelle McManus |
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Michelle McManus (born 8 May 1980, Glasgow) is a Scottish singer, actress and television personality, who won the second series of Pop Idol in 2003.
Pop Idol
In early 2003, McManus auditioned for the second season of Pop Idol, along with thousands of other aspiring singers from around the UK. Of the four judges, Pete Waterman in particular was critical as to whether she could make a career in the music industry, mainly due to her size. However, she was the favourite of Simon Cowell, and after being put through to the semi-final stages, the public voted McManus into the top twelve, though she entered the finals as the bookmaker's rank-outsider. Throughout the finals, McManus was in the bottom 3 only once, and on 20 December 2003, she was declared the winner of Pop Idol.
Pop Idol performances
| Week | Theme | Song Choice | Original Artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 12 | Your Pop Idol | "All By Myself" | Eric Carmen | Safe |
| Top 10 | Birthyear Songs | "On The Radio" | Donna Summer | Safe |
| Top 8 | Elton John Songs | "Your Song" | Elton John | Bottom 3 |
| Top 7 | Disco | "If I Can't Have You" | Yvonne Elliman | Safe |
| Top 6 | The Beatles | "Hey Jude" | The Beatles | Safe |
| Top 5 | Big Band | "Feeling Good" | Nina Simone | Safe |
| Top 4 | Christmas Songs | "Merry Christmas Everyone" | Shakin' Stevens | Safe |
| "Oh Holy Night" | N/A | |||
| Top 3 | Judges' Choice | "Say A Little Prayer" | Aretha Franklin | Safe |
| "Without You" | Harry Nilsson | |||
| Final | Contestant's Choice | "On The Radio" | Donna Summer | Winner |
| B Side | "The Meaning Of Love" | N/A | ||
| Winner's Single | "All This Time" | Michelle McManus |
Post-Idol career
Following her win on the second season of Pop Idol, McManus was immediately signed to the Sony BMG record label, and going under the single name Michelle, her debut single "All This Time" was released in January 2004. The song went straight to number one on the UK Singles Chart, and stayed there for three weeks.[1] Her debut album, The Meaning of Love was released on February 16 2004 and peaked at number three.[2] The title track of the album was released as the second single, however it stalled at number sixteen in the charts.[3] In July 2005 it was announced that McManus had parted company with her management company 19 Entertainment a mere 19 months after winning Pop Idol.
Loose Women
She then went on to sign with Sanctuary Entertainment. During a 2007 appearance on ITV's Loose Women, McManus stated that she believes that she was dropped due to her weight, as her record company could not build any merchandise around her image.
The Vagina Monologues
After taking time away from the music industry in order to perform in theatre productions such as The Vagina Monologues, McManus decided to set up her own record label in order to release new material, named McManii Records. She made two appearances on the television show Loose Women, on the first she stated that she was taking her time with her second album as she wanted to make it something to be proud of, and on her second appearance she talked of her departure from Sony BMG, stating that it was a mutual agreement. She also announced that her second album would be titled Dancing To A Different Beat, and that it would be released in early 2008[4]. The first single from the new album, titled "Just For You" was released as a digital download on 5 November 2007. [5]
Other projects
On 22 June 2005, McManus appeared on a 60-minute television special of You Are What You Eat with the author and TV personality Gillian McKeith. A follow-up was broadcast on 13 December 2005, which caught up on how she was doing since the last programme. As of October 2006, McManus had lost 10 stone, but is planning on losing more to get to her target of 10 stone and a size 12. McManus has said that she may have surgery to remove excess skin from around her arms, legs and stomach.
McManus also released a book in December 2005, You Are What You Eat: Michelle's Diary which documented her journey from winning Pop Idol to appearing on You Are What You Eat, to recording her second album. More recently, McManus has presented on the Scottish radio station Clyde 1, as well as announcing the Scottish votes during Making Your Mind Up 2006 programme. In November 2006, McManus was a reporter on Children in Need live from Scotland. In December 2006 she released a fitness DVD. In December 2007, McManus was seen in a run of the Musical Discotivity at the Arts Theatre in London's West End.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Information | UK | Sales and Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Meaning Of Love
|
3 | UK sales: 300,000
BPI: Platinum |
| 2008 | Dancing To A Different Beat | UK sales: TBA
BPI: Platinum |
Singles
| Year | Song | UK | Ireland | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "All This Time" | 1 | 2 | The Meaning Of Love |
| 2004 | "The Meaning Of Love" | 16 | 29 | |
| 2007 | "Just For You" | — | — | Dancing To A Different Beat |