Leon Jackson
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| Leon Jackson | |
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 Leon at the premiere of the golden compass in 2007. Photo: David Johnson
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Leon Jackson |
| Born | Unknown |
| Origin | Whitburn, West Lothian, Scotland |
| Genre(s) | Pop, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Reality TV Show Winner, singer |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Label(s) | Sony BMG, Syco |
Leon Jackson (born 30 December 1988[citation needed]) is a Scottish singer who won the fourth series of the popular British television talent show The X Factor in 2007. His debut single, a cover of "When You Believe" was digitally released on 16 December 2007 and was available in shops from 19 December 2007.
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[edit] History
[edit] Early life
Leon Jackson was born in Whitburn, West Lothian, Scotland and lived there with his mother Wendy all his life.[1] He formerly worked as a retail sales assistant.[2] Jackson only started singing in 2007 when his friends entered him into a karaoke competition, which he won.[3][2] Apart from his hobby of karate, in which he was a black belt, Jackson said that singing was the only thing that made him happy. He was a huge fan of contemporary jazz, his hero being Michael Bublé.[3] Before he made it through to the finals of The X Factor, Jackson had been planning to start an architectural technology course at Napier University.[3]
[edit] The X Factor
In 2007, Leon Jackson auditioned for the fourth series of The X Factor in Glasgow. He made it through to the final stages and was announced the winner on 15 December 2007, winning a £1 million recording contract with Syco Music/Sony BMG.[4] He was mentored by Dannii Minogue.[4] In the final, he performed a duet with Kylie Minogue of "Better the Devil You Know".[4] Jackson was an outsider to win the competition, and his victory was described as "the biggest shock in the history of reality TV betting."[5] ITV have confirmed that Jackson won on the night of the final by around 10% of the popular vote.[6] A number of viewers complained to watchdog Ofcom that they were unable to get through to vote for Jackson's rival Rhydian Roberts, but an Ofcom investigation found that Roberts had not been unfairly disadvantaged.[7][8]
In December 2007,Leon Jackson performed with Michael Bublé at Wembley Arena, singing Bublé's "Home". Jackson said this was the highlight of his life as Bublé is his idol.[9]
On 11 February 2008, Jackson began the X Factor Live tour in the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland with other acts from the 2007 show. He continued the tour in other venues around the UK until 21 March where the tour finished at London's Wembley Arena, thus concluding The X Factor 2007.
[edit] Post X Factor
Simon Cowell has said a debut album will not be rushed out, following the success of previous X Factor winner Leona Lewis's debut album Spirit, which was released 11 months after Lewis won series 3 of the show.[10]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | IE | UWC | ||
| 2007 | "When You Believe" | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| Preceded by Leona Lewis |
Winner of The X Factor 2007,Series 4 |
Succeeded by TBA |
[edit] References
- ^ "X-Factor Leon has singing in his genes", The Scotsman, 2007-10-15. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
- ^ a b "Karaoke Changed X Factor Leon's Life", Sunday Mail, 2007-11-25. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
- ^ a b c "Student life goes pop for X Factor favourite", The Scotsman, 2007-10-19. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
- ^ a b c "Leon Jackson wins X Factor final", Daily Telegraph, 2007-12-15. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
- ^ "Leon Jackson takes X Factor crown", BBC News, 2007-12-16. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
- ^ "Walsh defends The X Factor result", The Guardian, 2007-12-18. Retrieved on 2007-12-18.
- ^ "Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin, Issue number 108, 8 May 2008".
- ^ "Digital Spy: Leon's 'X Factor' win was genuine".
- ^ "Dream for Leon as he sings with hero", Edinburgh Evening News, 2007-12-06. Retrieved on 2007-12-17.
- ^ "Cowell: Leon's album won't be rushed", Digital Spy, 2007-12-17. Retrieved on 2007-12-18.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Official MySpace
- Leon's first website
- Unofficial Fansite
- The First and Best Leon Fansite
- Leon Jackson at STV
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