DJ Seán John

Unless you’ve been living under a rock all weekend, you’ll know that Friday saw the release of The X Factor 2011 promo. With only weeks to go before it hits our screens, I wondered, what are last years contestants up to these days? How many of finalists are still recording and selling music? And how many have just gone back to their day job already?

It didn’t take Cher Lloyd long to get snatched up by Syco Music once The X Factor ended and less than a year later she sits high on the Irish charts at #2 with her debut single ‘Swagger Jagger’. Lloyd’s accompanying debut album is expected in November 2011 & collaborations with Busta Rhymes & Mike Posner have already been confirmed, there’s also the eagerly awaited, RedOne produced track entitled ‘Over The Moon’. Cher has been working with songwriter Autumn Rowe on her upcoming album, Rowe having worked alongside Alexandra Burke, Leona Lewis & Estelle, she also penned the first three singles from Alexis Jordan, ‘Happiness’, ‘Good Girl’ & ‘Hush,Hush’.

Treyc Cohen returned to the show last year after previously making it to the judges’ houses in 2009. This time she made it that one step further to reach the live shows, albeit only just, picked as Cheryl Cole’s wildcard. reyc’s time in the competition came to a controversial end in Week 5, when she found herself in the bottom two alongside another of Cheryl’s contestants, Katie Wassiel. Cheryl refused to decide between the pair, leaving the other three judges to decide – who sent Treyc home. At the end of the series however it was revealed Treyc had actually received more votes than Katie. Treyc has since moved into music theatre and is currently playing the lead role of Dorothy in a West Yorkshire Playhouse production of The Wiz; an urbanized retelling of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Mary Byrne was another contestant who found herself controversially kicked off, after a “surprise” bottom two appearance in the penultimate week alongside Cher Lloyd. Mary however didn’t seem to be all affected by the experience, being quickly picked up by Simon Cowell’s record label Syco. The Tesco checkout girl worked hard since January on her debut album ‘Mine & Yours’, even missing parts of the live tour to finish the record. It all paid off though, the LP shot straight to number one in Ireland and also made the Top 10 in the UK, ahead of even Britney Spears’ latest release.

Controversial Katie Waissel finally got the chop in Week 8 of the competition, having spent more times in the bottom two than out of it. Having performed in The X Factor live tour and done a few local gigs like the other finalists, Katie went on to release a single called ‘The Ugly Truth’ but it shockingly failed to make any kind of dent in the charts.

Since the end of the series, Wagner – and his bongos – have toured the UK as part of the The X Factor Live Concert and taken part in a number of festivals. The bearded British-Brazilian was a special guest at Derbyshire’s Bearded Theory Festival in May of this year. He most recently appeared on Irish screens on TV3 in ‘Celebrity Head Chef’.

Since leaving the show Belle Amie has changed around a bit – with Geneva Lane leaving in January of this year. Rebecca, Esther and Sophia however have continued as a three piece and signed with Dodient records. The group premiered their debut single and video ‘Girls Up’ last month, with the track set for release later this year the trio are setting their sights on the charts!

Aiden Grimshaw has been taking part in the show’s tour and done a number of gigs but his future as a popstar looks uncertain. It was reported in January after the show that Simon Cowell had offered Aiden a deal with his Syco record label, however nothing more about the supposed signing was ever reported.

It’s not only the finalists making a name for themselves either! X Factor rejects, The Reason 4, released their own debut single ‘Take It All’ only today.

One Direction made it all the way to the final and finished in third place. Following the competition, the group signed a £2 million record contract with Syco Music and were sent to the US in-between The X Factor live tour dates to work on their debut album, due out in the autumn. Their debut single ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ is due for release on September 11th & will be played for the first time ever this Wednesday on BBC Radio 1. Bundled together with the B-side, Na Na Na, the tracks are already ranked No 2 on the iTunes album chart based on pre-orders alone, ahead of Adele but behind Now That’s What I Call Music Vol 79. Random fact moment – the boys have confirmed they are the new ambassadors for Pokémon!

X Factor runner up Rebecca Ferguson hit the headlines after the show for her relationship with Zayn Malik of One Direction, who is six years younger than her at just 18. Rebecca insisted she was “genuinely in love” with the youngster, but they split last month. Away from her love life, and Rebecca was signed by Epic Records, who have turned previous X Factor runners up Olly Murs and JLS into bigger success than the show’s winners, so I have high hopes for the debut record, due in November. In the meantime, Rebecca has been making money by taking part in an ever-so-slightly cheesy advert for Walkers crisps.

Matt Cardle was eventually named winner of The X Factor 2010 having topped the public vote for most of the show. The 28-year-old was signed to Syco Music as part of his prize and given a £1 million investment into his debut album – due out later this year. In the few interviews he has done since the show, Matt has revealed he’s writing a lot of the content for the album which be very “personal”. Sources meanwhile suggest the record will have more of a “rockier” edge to it. “He’ll have freedom to embrace his rock side and Simon is encouraging that. Matt will be at the forefront of the creative process,” an insider said. Matt’s debut single, a Biffy Clyro’s “Many of Horror” retitled as “When We Collide”, shot straight to Number 1 last Christmas.

So that brings us up to here and now and series 8. What can we expect from this years contestants? What about this years judges? I for one can not wait to see what they have in store for us and you can bet that I’ll be glued to my screens like previous years…

‘Lay It On Me’ from the ‘Here I am’ album by Kelly Rowland was released on radio in America this past week. The lyrics talk about Rowland telling her man what she wants sexually and reeks in sex appeal. Although the single has garnished much praise over in the states, I’m beginning to question the songs ability to conquer both sides of the Atlantic. Perfect for a lazy Sunday morning doing the house work or a rose-mantic night in with the significant other, but apart from that????

It’s actually the (potentially) third single from the album that I’m most looking forward to! According to Billboard, the RedOne-produced “Down for Whatever” will serve as the album’s next single. Let’s hope this song hits our side of shores pretty dam soon & with Rowland due to hit our X-Factor screens this Autumn, I’ve no doubt it’ll be a major success here.

The above average album from Kelly, although quite brilliant in places, with the likes of ‘Commander’ & ‘Down For Whatever’, it lacks in other areas, ‘Work It Man’ – shit, simple as! Lil Playy adds nothing to the song or the album. ‘Here I Am’ is a love it or hate it album, but if you hate this single then you may as well get off my dancefloor!

FYI: ‘Here I Am’ debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 selling 76,399 copies in its first week. It’s Rowland’s lowest first-week sales to date.