Olly Murs
Olly Murs |
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Oliver "Olly" Stanley Murs[1] (born 14 May 1984)[2] is an English singer-songwriter. He is best known for achieving second place on the sixth series of The X Factor. He is signed to Syco Music and Epic Records owned by Sony Music Entertainment.[3] In August 2010, Murs released his debut solo single "Please Don't Let Me Go", which went straight to #1 in the UK singles charts.
Early and personal life
Murs was born to Vicky-Lynn Pollard and Peter Murs, who is of Latvian descent. He has two siblings, sister Fay and twin brother Ben. He attended Notley High School[4] where he was a star striker in the school's football team. He also played semi-professionally for Witham Town.[5] He is a supporter of Manchester United[6] and Celtic.[7] He worked as an energy advisor in a call centre and previously appeared on the TV show Deal or No Deal.[citation needed] Murs also played in Soccer Aid for charity early in 2010.[citation needed]
Music career
2009: The X Factor'
Murs auditioned for The X Factor in 2009, performing "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder where judge Simon Cowell said it was "the easiest 'yes' I have ever given". Murs made it through to the live finals where he was mentored by Cowell, and he frequently employed dance moves in his performance including his trademark "Olly wiggle."[8] After a performance of "Fastlove" in week seven, he received the fewest votes from the public and was in the bottom two with John & Edward. Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue decided to send John & Edward home, but Walsh voted against Murs, saving the act he mentored. Murs reached the final on 12 December 2009, singing "Superstition" again, and duetted with Robbie Williams on his hit "Angels". Murs came second to Joe McElderry.[9]
Performances
Murs performed the following songs during the contest:
| Week | Song choice | Original artist | Theme | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | "Superstition" | Stevie Wonder | Free choice | To bootcamp |
| Bootcamp | "Your Song" | Elton John | Free choice | To judges' houses (final 24) |
| Judges' House | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | Elton John | Free choice | Final 12 |
| "Hang on in There Baby" | Johnny Bristol | Free choice | ||
| Week 1 | "She's the One" | Robbie Williams | Musical heroes | Safe |
| Week 2 | "A Fool in Love" | Tina Turner | Divas | Safe |
| Week 3 | "Bewitched" | Steve Lawrence | Big band | Safe |
| Week 4 | "Come Together" | The Beatles | Rock | Safe |
| Week 5 | "Twist and Shout" | The Isley Brothers | Songs from films | Safe |
| Week 6 | "Don't Stop Me Now" | Queen | Queen songs | Safe |
| Week 7 | "Fastlove" | George Michael | Wham!/George Michael songs | Bottom two |
| Week 8 | "Love Ain't Here Anymore" | Take That | Take That songs | Safe |
| "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" | Elton John | Elton John songs | ||
| Week 9 (semi-final) | "Can You Feel It" | The Jacksons | Michael Jackson songs | Safe |
| "We Can Work It Out" | The Beatles | Mentor's choice | ||
| Week 10 (final) | "Superstition" | Stevie Wonder | Audition song | Safe |
| "Angels" (performed with Robbie Williams) | Robbie Williams | Celebrity duet | ||
| "A Fool in Love" | Tina Turner | Favourite performance | ||
| "Twist and Shout" | The Isley Brothers | Contestant's favourite | Runner-up | |
| "The Climb" | Miley Cyrus | Winner's song |
2010–present: debut album
On 15 December 2009, two days after The X Factor final, it was reported that Cowell wanted to offer Murs a record deal in early 2010.[10] Following his defeat, Murs was reportedly texted by duet partner Robbie Williams and invited to visit him in his Los Angeles mansion and participate in the upcoming Soccer Aid, organised by Williams.[6] Murs performed on The X Factor Live tour, alongside several other finalists. He also began gigging around the country.[11]
Murs was signed to a joint deal between Epic Records and Syco Music in February 2010.[12] His debut album will be released in November 2010,[13] with the single, "Please Don't Let Me Go", out on 29 August 2010,[14] written by Murs, Claude Kelly and Steve Robson and produced by Future Cut.[15] A second single will be released prior to the album.[13] Murs also worked with John Shanks, Eg White,[15] Roy Stride from Scouting for Girls, Trevor Horn, Wayne Hector, Matty Benbrook from Skinny,[16] Phil Thornalley, Martin Brammer, Samuel Preston and Mark Taylor[13] on the album.
Please Don't Let Me Go reached number one in the UK singles chart on 5th September 2010.
Discography
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | IRE | EU | |||||||||||
| 2010 | "Please Don't Let Me Go" | 1 | 5 | 8 [17] | TBA | ||||||||
| Other Charted Singles | |||||||||||||
| 2010 | "This One's For The Girls" | 69 | – | – | Please Don't Let Me Go - Single | ||||||||
| As Featured Artist | |||||||||||||
| 2009 | "You Are Not Alone" (as part of The X Factor finalists)[18] | 1 | 1 | 10 | non-album single | ||||||||
References
- ^ Olly's diary – Week 10 – Part 1 ITV – X Factor, 9 December 2009
- ^ Olly Murs does Talk Talk (AOL) Facebook
- ^ Celebrifi: Olly Murs Signs Two Record Deals
- ^ McGrath, Kate (17 October 2009). "X Factor's Olly: 'I won't win, but I'm enjoying every second'". Evening Star. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
- ^ "Olly always had the X Factor at school..." Daily Gazette. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
- ^ a b BFF ALERT: Robbie Williams Bombards Olly Murs With Texts… Mr Paparazzi, 17 December 2009
- ^ New Bhoy Jos is already a Celtic View fan Celtic FC, 12 January 2010
- ^ Olly Murs – All finalists ITV – The X Factor
- ^ "Joe McElderry wins X Factor crown". BBC News. 13 December 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
- ^ Cowell in disc deal with Olly The Sun, 15 December 2009
- ^ Olly Murs mania as the hordes turn out to see X Factor runner-up Mail Online, 29 December 2009
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/music/newsid_10050000/newsid_10058400/10058417.stm
- ^ a b c Levine, Nick (19 August 2010). "Exclusive: Olly Murs discusses debut album". Digital Spy. Retrieved 20 August 2010.
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgfwS5rP7u4
- ^ a b "Olly Murs excited over single release". STV. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
- ^ "Olly Murs - Please Don't Let Me Go". glasswerk.co.uk. 26 July 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help) - ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/european-hot-100
- ^ X-Factor Finalists 2009 - You Are Not Alone