A Group Finally Wins ‘The X Factor’…In The U.K. A Group Finally Wins ‘The X Factor’…In The U.K. Lyndsey Parker Tweet Share As poor Paula Abdul would tell you with a sigh, groups usually don't fare well on "The X Factor." Paula's InTENsity, Stereo Hoggz, and Lakoda Rayne all got voted off the show in quick succession, and until very recently, the only group to ever win any international series of "The X Factor" was Vocal Tempo, from Season 2 of Spanish version of the show. But now a girl group called Little Mix, despite having a name that sort of sounds like a flavor of Kitten Chow, has broken the groups' curse by becoming the first group to win on "The X Factor U.K.," with 48.3 percent of the vote . Not even hugely popular past "X Factor U.K." boy-band contestants like JLS, One Direction, or Jedward managed to win the entire competition, so this is a big deal across the pond.

The Spice Girls' Melanie C is even predicting that Little Mix--aka Jade Thirwall, Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, and Leigh Anne Pinnock--could become the next Spice Girls . Little Mix's coronation single is, oddly, a remake of folksy Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice's "Cannonball" (sort of following in the indie tradition of last year's winner, Matt Cardle, whose first single was a cover of a song by the Britrock band Biffy Clyro). This seems like a bizarre choice of debut single for any "next Spice Girls," but hey, I'm happy to see the talented Mr. Rice get some royalties. As for Little Mix's future, we'll see how far their girl power takes them, but for now, congratulations to them for making "X Factor" history. Related links: X Factor winner 2011: Little Mix make history as first group to win | Daily Mail Online comments Little Mix last night made X Factor history as they became the first group ever to win the ITV talent show.

Jesy Nelson, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall beat fellow finalist Marcus Collins at the final hurdle to take home the crown after a series of stunning performances on the final show. Screaming with delight as they were told they had won the show, the girls burst into tears before speaking to host Dermot O'Leary. They've done it! Little Mix beat Marcus Collins to take home the X Factor crown Hitting the jackpot: Little Mix will be even more stunned when they realise they're set to make £8 million after winning the X Factor Stunned: The girls, and their mentor Tulisa Contostavlos, struggled to contain their emotions as the result was announced The quartet struggled to control their emotions as they were crowned the winners, with Leigh-Anne telling Dermot: 'Oh my gosh, wow!' RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share Jesy added: 'This is never going to sink in.

We can never thank the public enough for voting for us.' Tulisa, who burst into tears when the news was announced, added later: 'I think I wanted them to win more than they did.' Nerves: The girls and their fellow finalist Marcus Collins awaited the news of the result Overcome: Jade and Tulisa started screaming when the results were announced Congratulations: The girls hugged runner-up Marcus as his mentor Gary applauded them Simon Cowell, who has been absent from this year's panel, was also quick to congratulate the girls, writing on his Twitter page: 'Congratulations to @LIttleMixOffic . And Paula as you can see, groups can win this show! I was really hoping a group would win this year. @OfficialTulisa has done a great job. These girls could be stars.' Little Mix have now released their cover of Damien Rice's Cannonball as their winner's single, and are hoping to clinch the coveted Christmas number one spot with the track. Winner's single: Little Mix's Cannonball is out now Irish singer Rice reached number 32 on the UK Singles Chart back in 2003 with Cannonball, the second single from his debut album O.

Rice then re-released the track in 2004, hitting number 19 in the UK and 21 in Ireland. However, many fans took to Twitter before the results were announced to speculate that the decision had already been made, after the Marks and Spencer Christmas advert featured Little Mix at the end instead of Amelia Lily, who had featured at the end before. One fan tweeted: 'Well its obvious little mix were gonna win , they were the ones at the end of the marks and spencer advert.' While another added: 'How can Marks and Spencer's know that little mix have won before we do?' The show began with the two finalists trying to overcome their nerves about who would be named the winner, with Marcus saying: 'A couple more performances now and one of us is going to be crowned the winner. It's amazing.' Little Mix added: 'We really want to do well, we really want to win!' The last time a girl group had such success on a reality show was when Girls Aloud were created on Popstars: The Rivals back in 2002. Teary: Little Mix pose up with Tulisa after they were announced as the winners Fix factor?

Fans took to Twitter to speculate that the decision had been made before the results were announced after the Marks and Spencer advert featured Little Mix on the end Host Dermot O'Leary looked dapper in his black tuxedo as he made his way to the stage to introduce the evening's show, although he decided to leave the dance moves after last night's opening medley. Dermot then introduced the X Factor judges, Kelly Rowland, Louis Walsh, Tulisa Contostavlos and Gary Barlow. Making a grand entrance on an elevated platform, Gary and Louis had to help Tulsa off the platform as her fitted fishtail dress made it incredibly difficult for her to walk. Judgement day: The judges make their way to the stage for the final time Finalists: Little Mix and Marcus Collins fought it out for the X Factor crown Poll Kelly, meanwhile, looked stunning in a pretty gold dress with a short from and long train back. Marcus and Little Mix then kicked off the finalists' performance of Rihanna and Calvin Harris' We Found Love, before they were joined on stage by some other familiar faces.

They then mashed-up We Found Love with Sweat, Shuffling, Jennifer Lopez' On The Floor as The Risk, Nu Vibe, Two Shoes, Misha B, Janet Devlin, Sophie Habibis and Goldie Cheung strutted their stuff. Blondes have more fun: Amelia Lily and Kitty Brucknell seemed to be enjoying the performance Familiar faces: Craig Colton, 2 Shoes and Sophie Habibis returned for another performance Johnny Robinson and Sami Brookes then kicked off Moves Like Jagger, joined by Craig Colton, before Kitty Brucknell stood o the judges table as she belted out Lady Gaga's The Edge Of Glory, joined by Amelia Lily, who narrowly missed out on a place in the final show. Noticeably absent, however, was Frankie Cocozza, who dropped out of the show following allegations of drug taking. The solo performances were kicked off by Marcus, who decided to sing his favourite track of the series, Higher and Higher.

Powerful in pink: Marcus donned his favourite pink shirt and jacket to once again perform Higher and Higher So proud: Marcus' mentor Gary said he couldn't be more proud of the Liverpudlian Explaining his decision, Marcus said: 'Performing higher and higher was a real moment for me on the show, it was one of my favourite performances on the whole series. 'It's such an important song to me, it gives me such a boost every time I hear it.' Marcus added: 'I always knew I wanted to be a singer, even when I was younger. It would mean so much to me if I could win The X Factor - I don't want my dreams dashed at the last minute.' Scenic: Marcus was accompanied by a full gospel choir for his performance Standing ovation: Gary was quick to stand up and applaud Marcus after his song After his performance, Louis said: 'Marcus, you are a born little pop star. soulful, likeable, amazing - you've got it all.' Tulisa said: 'That is your best song of the series and I predict a very bright future for you, well done.' A clearly excitable Kelly added: 'First of all, you lifted this crowd this evening higher and higher.

And I hope you have enjoyed every minute of the time you were here and I hope you know how bright and big your future is. I'm so in love with you and I'm so happy you got this far.' Giving it their all: Little Mix chose to perform Don't Let Go again Songbirds: Jesy and Jade couldn't control their excitement as they belted out the track for fans And mentor Gary said: 'Once again well done and congrats on another amazing performance. In the history of The X Factor I can't remember a finalist or a winner who takes hold of the stage like you do and shines even amongst 40 people.' Next up was Little Mix, who sang Don't Let Go. Talking about why they had chosen to sing that song, Leigh-Anne said: 'When we performed that for the first time, we felt like we came together as a group.' Unbelievable: The girls looked overwhelmed by the comments from the X Factor judges after the performance Mixed emotions: Tulisa couldn't stop smiling after their rendition of the track, while Kelly was reduced to tears Jesy added: 'It was so fun but it still felt powerful at the same time.

We are so excited to be given the chance to sing this song again.' And Leigh-Anne said: 'To do it in front of thousands of people at Wembley, the adrenaline is going to make us sing it even better.' Wearing sexy monochrome outfits, the girls burst out of the stage on springboards before going straight into the powerful track. Following their performance, Louis said: 'I'm going to predict Tulisa that this time next year, this is going to be the biggest girl group in the UK by a mile. Girls, amazing, but you need the votes!' Feeling festive? Marcus Collins started the Christmas songs with a rendition of Wham!'s Last Christmas Delighted: Marcus said he thoroughly enjoyed the performance An emotional Kelly said: 'I'm sorry I'm crying but I'm just so happy for y'all because I remember where you started. I love you guys, congratulations.' Gary added: 'I'm so happy tonight that you came back with that song, great performance, well done.' And Tulisa said: 'Girls, amazing. I want to thank everyone at home who picked up the phone and kpet you in each week.

You picked up the phone because you wanted them to win so those votes meant nothing unless you pick up the phone right now. Vote for Little Mix!' Next up, Marcus and Little Mix took to the stage once more to perform their choice of festive classics. Marcus was first with a cover of Wham!'s Last Christmas, encouraging the audience to sing along as he worked the stage in his checked three-piece suit. Breaking it down: Little Mix kept it simple with their performance of Silent Night Personalised: Little Mix wore jumpers printed with their names for the festive track Afterwards, Louis said: 'Every week you bring something new and you are always happy, you're always smiling and you're always grateful - you're work ethic is amazing.' Tulisa said: 'This has been such a long journey for the contestants, for the judges. I think we've been so caught up in it that we forgot It's Christmas! But you reminded us.' The Little Mix-ican: One fan with a specially created Little Mix pizza Kelly added: 'What a great early Christmas gift, ho ho ho. Marcus, I just love you and I'm so happy for you once again.

Congratulations.' And Gary said: 'I'm going to do something I haven't done all series and I'm going to ask the whole nation to vote for you tonight. I can't tell you what a pleasure it has been to work with you, it has made the series for me.' Next up was Little Mix, performing Silent Night, showcasing their amazing vocal talents with the stunning track. Following their performance, Louis said: 'Girls, after that performance, we know we've got something special. We have four lead singers ina girl band and that hasn't happened for a long time before. It's almost like you were meant to be together - it just works. Little Mix, big future!' And Kelly said: 'You girls sounded so great on that record. Merry fricking Christmas. And I love your sweaters!' Gary said: 'Simple, beautiful, emotional and very Christmassy.' And Tulisa said: 'Girls, i have pretty much said all I can say but I just want to say again how proud of you I am from the bottom of my heart.

You have done so well and who says that a girl group can't win the X Factor - I believe you can do it.' Farewell performance: Westlife performed for the last time on television as a band Dermot then asked the judges what their personal highlights of the series were. Louis said: 'Working with these three judges has been amazing. But Johnny and Kitty every week brought something new so I have to say my highlight was Johny and Kitty.' Tulisa said: 'My highlight was every single week, the results show seeing Little Mix get through.' And Kelly said: 'Being a mentor to such incredible talent is amazing.' Gary concluded: 'I wanted to put a musical stamp on this show and then a Chinese lady called Goldie Cheung put her leg around my neck and I thought, what am I doing here?' Is this the winners' single? Marcus performs Damien Rice's Cannonball Emotional: Marcus gets a hug from presenter Dermot O'Leary after the performance The first guest performance came from Westlife, who were performing for the final time on television as the group after announcing earlier this year that they would be splitting following a farewell tour. Then it was time for both acts to perform Cannonball, the winner's single.

Marcus was up first, with Louis saying afterwards: 'Another powerful vocal performance. If I was looking for the perfect pop star I would get you. All you need now is votes.' Support: Robbie Williams and Marcus's mum Tracy sent video messages of support to the Liverpudlian ahead of the results announcement Tulisa said: 'You really do have everything - the voice, the star quality, the personality and one of the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen.' Kelly said: 'That was such a beautiful, emotional performance tonight and I can tell how bad you want this and I want this for you.' And Gary said: 'Congratulations, what a performance that was. I would never have picked that song for you but you sing it so beautifully.' Getting some support in video messages from his family, Robbie Williams said: 'Marcus, you are amazing and you are going to be an awesome artist.' Stripping it back: Little Mix kept it simple with their more acoustic approach to Cannonball Emotional: Tulisa was reduced to tears by Little Mix's final performance His mother Tracy was also seen saying: 'I just wanted to say how very proud of you I am. Who would have believed you would be standing here in the final.

You're my little boy and I do hope that that little boy goes on to become a really big star because you deserve it.' Then it was the turn of Little Mix to perform Cannonball, going for a more acoustic approach with the track. With all the girls struggling to control their emotions, Louis said: 'Well girls, we're all getting emotional is because four little pop princesses have been born. We need some girl power, you deserve the votes.' Stunned: The girls watch as they get messages of support from family and friends Famous faces: This Morning's Holly Willoughby said she was backing Little Mix to win Kelly said: 'Ladies, congratulations.

Thinking about how far you have come, look at how dynamic you are collectively.' Gary said: 'Well done, you twisted this song and made into a Little Mix song which is hard to do.' And Tulisa said: 'Jade, you are the most adorable person I have ever known, Jesy, you are inspiring, Leigh-Anne, you remind me of myself years ago and Perrie, you were born a star.' Tears all around: The girls struggled to control their emotions after seeing the messages The girls were then shown messages of support from their family and friends, as well as celebrity fans including Holly Willoughby and Jessie J. The next guest performance came from Coldplay, who performed their single Charlie Brown, before going into Paradise. Frontman Chris Martin wore a casual blue T-shirt as the group belted out their songs to a psychedelic backdrop, much to the delight of the fans.

Asked if they were fans of the show, Martin said: 'We love the show, we're so happy to be on it, it's great.' Psychedelic: Coldplay performed to a backdrop of bright colours as they belted out their songs Sweaty: Martin said his advice to contestants was not to get as sweaty as he did X Factor: girl group Little Mix win - Telegraph X Factor: girl group Little Mix win Little Mix are the first group to win the X Factor talent contest. 11:32PM GMT 11 Dec 2011 Mentored by Tulisa Contostavlos, the band scooped the crown in front a 10,000-strong audience at Wembley Arena in north London with millions more watching the ITV show live on television. The band, made up of Jade Thirlwall, 18, Perrie Edwards, also 18, Jesy Nelson, 20, and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 19, beat Liverpudlian Marcus Collins to the title. The girls and their mentor looked stunned when host Dermot O'Leary announced the result with Leigh-Anne only managing to say, "Oh my god, wow".

Jade added: "We are just so so grateful and thankful to everyone who voted and to everyone backstage." Asked when the news would sink in, Jesy said: "Oh my God, this is never going to sink in. We cannot thank the public enough." Related Articles 12 Dec 2011 Runner-up Collins said the band "really deserve" the title, adding that they are "amazing." The girls, who had never met before being put together as a band, are representing different parts of the UK within the group with Jesy from Essex, Leigh-Anne from London and Jade and Perrie from South Shields, Tyne and Wear. They have walked away from the talent show with a recording contract and will now release their winner's single, a rendition of Damien Rice's Cannonball, in a bid to top the charts with a Christmas number one. The two finalists reunited with other acts from the series, including Janet Devlin, Misha B and Craig Colton to kick off tonight's show. For their first solo performance the two acts sang their favourite song of the series and Collins, a 23-year-old hairdresser from Crosby, kicked off with Jackie Wilson's Higher and Higher.

Collins, wearing a fuschia pink shirt and jacket, was accompanied by a gospel choir. He said: "This is such an important song to me, it really gives me a boost everytime I listen to it. It made me realise, clear as day, that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life." Following the performance judge Louis Walsh said: "You are a born little pop star. Soulful, amazing, likeable, you've got it all, man." Tulisa added: "That definitely was your best song of the series and it is even better now than the first time you performed it. You look like a star standing up there tonight and I predict a very bright future for you." Kelly Rowland said she hoped he know how "bright and big" his future was and she was "so happy" he had made it to the final. His mentor Gary Barlow added: "Once again well done and congratulations on another amazing performance.

You can sing, you can move and actually in the history of the X Factor I can't remember a finalist or a winner that takes hold of a stage like you do and shines even amongst 40 people." Collins said he was "so grateful and so lucky" to be in the talent show's final. Little Mix chose Don't Let Go by En Vogue as their favourite song, which reduced Rowland to tears. She said: "I'm sorry crying but I'm just so happy for you all because I remember where you started. The public needs to vote for Little Mix. Love you guys." Walsh predicted that by this time next year the girls would be the biggest girl band in the UK "by a mile". He added: "You've the vote, you've got the chemistry, you've got the work ethic, you've got Tulisa and the public are going to love you." Barlow said : "I'm so happy you came back tonight with that song. This is definitely your direction. Great performance tonight, well done. Their mentor passionately pleaded with the public to pick up the phone and vote for the group to help them lift the title.

Following the performance Jesy said: "Never ever in a billion years did we think this would be happening, we are so lucky to be here, we are so thankful to be here." The next theme was Christmas songs and Collins performed Last Christmas by Wham!, with Little Mix choosing the classic Silent Night. Both acts then made a final bid to win the public's vote with their rendition of the winner's single. Before he performed Collins said: "Standing outside and doing my first audition I never dreamt I would get this far. "I can't believe the things that I have achieved in such a short space of time. It really has just turned my life around. I really want to make sure I go on to win this. I've worked so hard, I don't want to let anyone down." Walsh said: "Every week you've never let us down. If I was looking for the perfect popstar and put everything into a computer I would get Marcus Collins. You've got everything and you've done everything you can possibly do." Tulisa said: "Marcus, you really do have everything, the voice, you have the star quality, you have the personality and most of all you have one of the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen.

That performance was as beautiful as your smile." Rowland added: "That was such a beautiful, emotional performance tonight and I can tell how bad you want this and I want it for you so I want everyone to vote." An emotional Barlow looked to be welling up following his act's performance. He said: "Wow, what a performance that was. So strange, I would never have picked that song for you and you sing it so beautifully. I really hope that's not the last time we hear that song, that should be the winner's song tonight." In a video which looked back over Little Mix's X Factor journey Jesy said she had found her "three best friends and being with these girls has changed my life". Perrie said: "This competition means everything. It's been the best experience of my life. Now that we've got this far we know that we can do it." Following their performance Walsh said: "I'm getting emotional, Tulisa is getting emotional, you are getting emotional. The reason we are getting emotional is because four little pop princesses have been born.

This is the next big girl band that can win the X Factor." Rowland told the girls how "dynamic" they looked together and Barlow added that they managed to put a Little Mix twist on the song. Tulisa said: "Jade, you are the most adorable person I've ever known. Jesy, you are the most inspiring I've met, Leigh-Anne, you remind me of myself years ago, and Perrie, you were just born a star. I love all of you." Following their final performance the acts were shown a montage of clips from their supporters, including their families and a few famous faces. Singer Robbie Williams got behind Collins, while Jessie J and TV presenter Holly Willoughby were supporting Little Mix. Little Mix are second favourites to take the Christmas number one slot in the charts following their X Factor win, Ladbrokes said. The girl band are trailing behind the Military Wives, who are 1/2 favourites, in the race to top the festive charts. Little Mix have been favourites to win the ITV show since November and Ladbrokes expects to pay out more than £200,000 in winning bets.

David Williams, from Ladbrokes, said: "Little Mix fans kept the faith and favourite backers have stuffed their pockets with some Christmas cash. "Little Mix will serve it up to the Military Wives in the battle for the Christmas number one race. We still reckon Gareth and the Wives are in pole position for now, however." The girls are just beginning their career together as a group but Perrie is already odds-on to be the first member of Little Mix to record a UK top 40 solo album. Mr Williams added: "Perrie is the brightest star in the group and we're convinced she's got a massive future". Little Mix are the first group to win X Factor - News - East Anglian Daily Times Little Mix are the first group to win X Factor 21:35 11 December 2011 X Factor winners Little Mix; Perrie Edwards (left), Leigh-Anne Pinnock (second left), Jesy Nelson (second right)and Jade Thirlwall (right) pose with their mentor Tulisa Contostavlos (centre) PA Archant UK: Little Mix last night became the first group to win The X Factor after beating Marcus Collins in the final at Wembley.

Email this article to a friend To send a link to this page you must be logged in. The four-piece won the public vote after performing several tacks over the two-legged final, including the winner’s song, a version of Damien Rice’s Cannonball. Nearly 10,000 people at Wembley Arena and millions more across the UK watched the final. Email this article to a friend To send a link to this page you must be logged in. 1 comment Yesterday, 22:54 Emily Townsend Paramedics, police and three fire engines are currently at the scene of a crash in Trimley St Mary. Yesterday, 22:36 Emily Townsend Paramedics treated one person who became trapped inside their car after two cars crashed on the A140 in Stoke Ash this evening. Yesterday, 19:31 Andrew Hirst With the sun setting on the sleepy village of Crowfield this afternoon, you would hardly have known it was 18 hours in to an armed police stand-off. Yesterday, 19:00 Colin Adwent A senior detective has warned residents to be vigilant after burglaries in Suffolk increased by 40% in December.

Gallery: Days Gone By - The Ipswich pubs we’ve known, loved and lost Yesterday, 18:54 Dozens of public houses have closed in Ipswich in recent years. The pace of losses has now slowed and many community pubs are run by volunteers. This week David Kindred looks back at the two in particular - The Old Bell, which stood at the junction of Stoke Street, Vernon Street and Bell Lane, and Blooming Fuchsia in Foxhall Road. 'X Factor U.K.'s' Little Mix Become First Ever Female Group To Win Series | Hollywood Reporter 'X Factor U.K.'s' Little Mix Become First Ever Female Group To Win Series 3:21 AM PST 12/12/2011 by Mimi Turner COMMENTS Getty Images The all-girl group, who have earned a recording contract with Simon Cowell, are being groomed to follow in the footsteps of The Spice Girls. LONDON – X Factor creation Little Mix became the first girl group to win X Factor U.K. Sunday night and are being tipped as a potential successor to the likes of Girls Aloud, Destiny's Child and The Spice Girls. The group, who formed during the U.K.

show's audition process, are now being tipped for the Christmas number one for their new single “Cannonball.” They have also won a recording contract with Simon Cowell, reportedly worth millions of dollars, which will see them launched in the U.S. and U.K. PHOTOS: Behind the Scenes With Simon Cowell's Right-Hand Woman The quartet aged between 18 and 20, made up of Jade Thirwall, Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson and Leigh Anne Pinnock, were mentored by Tulisa Contostavlos. They beat Marcus Collins in the finale showdown filmed at Wembley Arena in North London, which included a guest performance from Coldplay. "You are going to be the biggest girl band next year by far," X Factor judge Louis Walsh told the band after they were announced as winners of the 2011 competition. "You've got the vocals, you've got the chemistry - the public are going to love you." On the U.S. version of X Factor, season 1's sole girl group Lakoda Rayne didn't fare nearly as well. The Paula Abdul-mentored foursome were eliminated in week 5.

Top 10 X Factor 'winners': Leona Lewis and Little Mix to One Direction and Cher Lloyd | Metro News Daniella Graham for Metro.co.uk Friday 7 Dec 2012 11:00 pm Little Mix became the first group to win The X Factor (Picture: Ian West/PA) 10. Stacey Solomon Stacey wowed the judges on the 2009 series of The X Factor, but ultimately finished third behind Joe McElderry and Olly Murs. Initially Stacey looked to have sunk without a trace, but the following year Stacey took part in and ultimately won ITV reality series I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! A string of television presenting roles quick followed, including dating show Love Machine. Her debut album, delayed due to the birth of her second child, is slated for release early next year. 9. Little Mix Little Mix were formed during the boot camp stages of last year’s show, with Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, Jesy Nelson and Perrie Edwards put together by the judges.

With most girl groups traditionally crashing out early few expected the group to do well, but Little Mix proved the doubters wrong when they became the first group ever to win The X Factor. Debut single Cannonball and follow-up Wings both topped the charts, while their first album was warmly received by fans and critics alike. 8. Alexandra Burke Alexandra Burke was mentored by Cheryl Cole during the 2008 series, triumphing after a memorable duet with Beyoncé during the show’s final. Her debut album went platinum in the UK, although her second album only just made the top 20. Burke became the first contestant to return to the show as a judge when she stood in for Kelly Rowland last year. Leona Lewis is probably the most successful X Factor winner (Picture: AP) 7. Joe McElderry Joe McElderry won the 2009 series, but soon garnered the dubious honour of becoming the first X Factor winner to fail to take the Christmas number one spot. But while McElderry has often been dismissed as one of the show’s flops, he has successfully reinvented himself as a classical artist after winning Popstar to Operastar.

He became the first X Factor winner to release a fourth album this year with Here’s What I Believe, his first album to feature self-penned tracks. 6. Rebecca Ferguson Rebecca Ferguson was runner-up to Matt Cardle in 2010, but the Liverpudlian soon overshadowed her former rival. While debut album Heaven hasn’t been as successful as other X Factor efforts in terms of pure commercial success, the LP received widespread critical acclaim upon its release last year. For many, Rebecca is the most credible artist to have been discovered on The X Factor. 5. Cher Lloyd Cher Lloyd divided her time on the show, finding herself in two sing-offs on her way to the final. After finishing fourth Cher topped the charts with debut single Swagger Jagger, while album Sticks + Stones broke the top 5. Cher has since gone on to crack the notorious difficult US market under the guidance of producer L.A Reid, with Sticks + Stones hitting the top 10 across the pond. Olly Murs found success despite finishing as runner-up (Picture: PA) 4.

Leona Lewis Leona Lewis is widely acknowledged as the most successful X Factor winner ever, having triumphed during the third series of the show in 2006. Her first original single Bleeding Love reached number one in over 30 countries around the world, while debut album Spirit sold 7million copies globally. Follow-up album Echo didn’t quite match the phenomenal success of her first album, but still topped the UK charts and shifted 2,600,000 copies around the world. Her third album, Glassheart, was released in October this year. 3. JLS JLS became the first act to prove you don’t have to win The X Factor to find success, after finishing as runners-up in 2008. Their debut single Beat Again topped the charts the following year, while their self-titled album went platinum four times. The group are still going strong, with fourth album Evolution charting at number there in November. One Direction have become a global success despite finishing third (Picture: PA) 2. Olly Murs Olly Murs is yet another runner-up who has in many ways eclipsed the winning act.

His self-titled debut album narrowly missed out on the number spot in the UK but still managed to go double platinum, while his two subsequent efforts have both topped the charts. In addition to his successful pop career, Olly also co-hosts X Factor spin-off show Xtra Factor alongside Caroline Flack. 1. One Direction Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson were all rejected from the show as solo artists, but together they have gone on to achieve phenomenal success. Despite finishing third One Direction have since gone on to be a hit around the globe, with Up All Night becoming the first time a debut album by a British group had topped the US Billboard top 200. They eclipsed this achievement by becoming the first British band to have their first two albums debut at the top of the American chart, leading many to declare the boys are ‘bigger than The Beatles’.

More "Girls Make History with X Factor Win; First Group to Take Talent Contest Crown" - The Journal (Newcastle, England), December 12, 2011 | Online Research Library: Questia Article excerpt Byline: David Lucas SOUTH Shields has two more X Factor winners this morning after teenagers Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall and their band Little Mix took the crown last night. The band won the ITV contest and clinched a recording contract after becoming the first-ever group to take the title. Mentored by Tulisa Contostavlos, the band scooped the crown in front a 10,000-strong audience at Wembley Arena in north London with millions more watching the show live on television. Perrie and Jade, both 18, are from South Shields, also the home town of 2009 winner Joe McElderry. Bandmates Jesy Nelson, 20, and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 19, are from Essex and London respectively. The four had never met before the band was created at the audition stage of the contest. An overwhelmed Perrie said simply: "Oh my God, this is insane" after the result was announced.

Jesy said: "This is never going to sink in, seriously. I cannot thank the public enough for phoning in." Gracious runner-up Marcus Collins, from Liverpool, said: "These girls really deserve it, they're amazing. Thank you everyone who has voted." Little Mix will now release a cover of Damien Rice's Cannonball, originally a hit in 2003. It was immediately installed among the favourites to be the Christmas number one. On Saturday night, Middlesbrough's Amelia Lily was knocked out in the first stage of the final. The 17-year-old comeback kid got the lowest number of votes from the public following two performances. Little Mix and their mentor Tulisa Contostavlos screamed and leapt in the air before hugging each other as their names were called as the first act to go through to last night's show by host Dermot O'Leary. After learning she was going home, Amelia, from Nunthorpe in Middlesbrough, vowed that this "wasn't the last of Amelia Lily". She said: "Can I just say thank you to everyone who voted me back into the competition.

My ambition was to get to the final and I did it." In another first for the talent show, the finalists all teamed up with their mentors on stage to perform in front of the audience at Wembley Arena. … Subscribe to Questia and enjoy: Full access to this article and over 10 million more from academic journals, magazines, and newspapers Over 83,000 books Access to powerful writing and research tools Article details Newspapers Encyclopedia Subscribe to Questia and enjoy: Full access to this article and over 10 million more from academic journals, magazines, and newspapers Over 83,000 books Access to powerful writing and research tools Article details X Factor winners and losers: Where are they now? - ITV News 16 December 2013 at 1:05pm X Factor winners and losers: Where are they now? After Sam Bailey became the 10th winner of the X Factor, we look at how previous winners of the competition have fared in the industry.

Despite claiming the coveted title of X Factor winner, not all of the ten named made it big, but some of those who missed out on the top spot have seen real success since their appearances on the reality show, so who were the real winners in the X Factor? Series 1 - 2004 Steve Brookstein was the first winner of the competition in 2004. Credit: PA Wire Steve Brookstein was the first winner of the competition in 2004 and his debut single went straight to number one in the charts. However Brookstein was dropped by his record label just eight months later and now performs aboard P&O cruise ships and in pubs. Series 2 - 2005 Leona Lewis. Credit: PA Wire Leona Lewis has sold over 20 million records worldwide and has been nominated for seven Brit Awards and three time Grammys. Her first two albums reached number one in the UK charts, with her third reaching number 3. She is still signed to Simon Cowell's Syco label and has just released her fourth album Christmas, With Love which is at number 13 in the UK charts. Series 4 - 2007 Leon Jackson.

Credit: PA Wire Scottish-born Jackson beat Welsh singer Rhydian to the title in 2007 but was swiftly dropped by the record company after just one album. Series 5 - 2008 Alexandra Burke. Credit: PA Wire Alexandra Burke first auditioned for the second series of The X Factor in 2005 (which was eventually won by Shayne Ward). She made it through to the final seven in Louis Walsh's 16–24 category, but Louis did not choose her for his final four as he felt that she was too young for the competition. Over the following three years Alexandra worked on her singing before returning to the X Factor. Her version of Leonard Cohen's Halleujah was the Christmas number one of 2008. She is now working on her third album and is still signed to Syco. The real winners JLS After making it to the final in 2008 JLS lost out to Alexandra Burke, but were signed to Epic Records. As well as winning BRIT Awards for Best British Breakthrough and British Single in 2010 they have won a total of five MOBO Awards.

In April it was announced that the band were to split after their fifth album and tour X Factor contestant Joe McElderry. Credit: PA Wire In a similar journey to Alexandra Burke before him Joe McElderry took two runs to make it on the X Factor. He made it to Boot Camp in 2007, but felt he was too young opted to walk away. He returned in 2009 and was mentored by Cheryl Cole and made it to the final beating Olly Murs to the title. His duet with Carrie Underwood was nominated for a Golden Globe after it featured on the film The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader. He parted ways with Syco in 2011. He continues to write and release music and toured the UK in the summer and is planning a 50 date UK tour in 2014. The real winners Olly Murs Olly made it to the final but lost the title to Joe McElderry in 2009, however he signed a joint deal with Syco and Epic Records. He has released three albums, the first reached number two, while his latest two both got the top spot.

Olly Murs performing on stage during the 2013 Capital FM Jingle Bell Ball at the O2 Arena. Credit: Doug Peters/Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment Stacey Solomon Just behind Olly Murs in third place Stacey Solomon has also managed to carve out a showbiz career. Stacey was crowned queen of the jungle the year after her X Factor appearance and has been a presenter and talk show guest since her rise to fame. Stacey is currently appearing in panto in London and is due to release her debut album next year. Stacey Solomon. Matt Cardle won the series in 2010. Credit: PA Wire Matt Cardle beat off competition from Rebecca Ferguson and One Direction. While Cardle's career has stalled, One Direction have gone on to achieve global success with selling millions of records. The real winners Rebecca Ferguson Rebecca Ferguson signed a record deal after coming second, her debut album Heaven went platinum in the UK, Ireland and the US. Rebecca has just released her latest album Freedom. Rebecca Ferguson.

Credit: Ian West/PA Wire Cher Lloyd Cher Lloyd came fourth in 2010, having already auditioned for the X Factor singing ballads, when she returned she had an edgier look and sound. Since the X Factor Cher has been concentrating her career in the US and is working on her second album. Cher Lloyd performing live at day 2 of the iHeart Radio Music Festival in Las Vegas Credit: Tammie Arroyo/AFF/EMPICS Entertainment Credit: PA Wire Little Mix became the first ever band to win the show Their winner's single Cannonball became the fastest selling single of 2011. In June 2013 the band's album, DNA, became the highest debut ever for a British female group's first album, entering at Number 4 and eclipsing a sixteen-year-old record previously held by the Spice Girls Spice album. In 2014 they embark on their biggest UK tour, with dates including London's O2 Arena. The real winners One Direction One of the biggest success stories of the X Factor are boy band One Direction .

Despite finishing third in 2010 they were signed to Syco and have broken records for sales and have a huge and loyal following on social media and have even had their own movie. Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Harry Styles perfom in New York. Credit: Dennis Van Tine/Geisler-Fotopres/DPA/Press Association Images Series 9 - 2012 James Arthur. Credit: PA Wire Last month James Arthur was diagnosed with "acute exhaustion" and cancelled all engagements while he recovers - just days after being embroiled in a homophobia row. The singer ended up apologising for his language after he used the word "queer" in rap which drew criticism from figures such as Matt Lucas. He was also involved in a row with fellow X Factor contestant Lucy Spraggan after she posted text messages online which he had sent to her. His self-titled first album was released on 1st November. The real winner Rylan Clark Despite placing fifth place Rylan has become a successful television personality, appearing on Celebrity Big Brother, Celebrity Juice and This Morning. Rylan with his trademark smile.

Credit: Sophie Duval/EMPICS Entertainment Sam Bailey became the 10th winner of the competition. Credit: X Factor Prison officer Sam Bailey triumphed over teenager Nicholas McDonald to be named the 2013 X Factor winner. Bailey, a 36-year-old mother of two, has won a recording contract and will support American pop superstar Beyonce on the UK leg of her Mrs Carter world tour in February. The clear favourite before the announcement, Bailey said in front of 10,000 fans at tonight's live final at Wembley Arena that she did not know what to say after being told she had received over a million votes. After the next few incredible days are over, I will be going home and booking a holiday to France. I promised my daughter I would. She was really worried about me entering this competition - how she wouldn’t see me much and it has been hard being away from the kids. They’ve been so good and patient over the whole process, I want to treat them. – Sam Bailey Applications for 2014 have already opened.

Last updated Mon 16 Dec 2013 Little Mix cook up a storm: In the two years since they became the first group to win The X Factor, Little Mix have taken the charts by storm ¿ both here and now Stateside | Daily Mail Online As the girls prepare to launch their second album, Benji Wilson finds out what’s next on the menu Pick of the Mix, from left: Jade, Perrie, Jesy and Leigh-Anne Little Mix, the peppiest, perkiest girl band in pop, are absolutely exhausted. It’s 7am and they are already in make-up, getting glammed up for their YOU photo shoot. Jade Thirlwall, a self-confessed not-a-morning person, is as asleep as you can be while someone is tugging at your hair. Jesy Nelson and Perrie Edwards occasionally mumble at one another. Leigh-Anne Pinnock is largely comatose until a hefty bee bumbles into the room and, presumably starstruck in the presence of Little Mix, crashes down in a stunned daze on to her lap.

‘Oh my God, I hate them,’ she yells, leaping up and hotfooting it round the studio like a cartoon character. The bee is removed. Order is restored. Everyone slumps down in their chairs again. Little Mix have every reason to be a little tired. In the past six months they’ve been to the US, touring a debut album, DNA, that went straight to number four in the Billboard charts. They’ve also recorded a new album in the space of two weeks. And there’s been the small matter of Perrie appearing at the premiere of the One Direction movie in August with an engagement ring on her finger, courtesy of her boyfriend, 1D’s Zayn Malik. To use a favourite Little Mixism, it’s been ‘mental’. And it’s about to get mentaller. Next they hit Japan, because their album has taken off there, too. Which is why they have also crammed in a few Japanese lessons. 'You just learn to ignore the bad things. People are slating you to make themselves feel better' ‘We just thought it would be nice if we could speak a little bit of Japanese – like a compliment to the fans, really,’ says Jade.

‘But I don’t think it’s going to go down too well. I’m a bit slow with different languages.’ ‘Ohayo gozaimasu!’ says Perrie. ‘It means, “Hi, how are you?” Or I think it does.’ Every major pop star wants you to believe that they’re just an ordinary Joe or Josephine, but sit these four girls from South Shields (Perrie and Jade). Romford (Jesy) and High Wycombe (Leigh-Anne) on a sofa together and what you get is something akin to a natter on the bus home from work.

Yes, they’re happy to talk about the stars they met on their recent US tour (Jessica Alba, Johnny Depp) but they really come to life when they’re talking about their favourite soaps (they proudly tell me about how the band have been mentioned on both EastEnders and Emmerdale) or their favourite comfort food (bangers and mash, beans on toast, omelette and beans for Perrie, Jade and Jesy; pan-fried sea bass for Leigh-Anne, which gets a laugh from the others.) But then it wasn’t that long ago – two years, to be precise – that Little Mix were just four ordinary girls, who were put together by the judges on The X Factor’s eighth series and went on to become the first group to win it. ‘I used to work in Pizza Hut,’ says Leigh-Anne. She applied to the show after her A-levels and calls her experience ever since ‘some sort of weird, amazing daydream’. I say that it didn’t look like a very nice dream when they were all slumped in their make-up chairs, half asleep.

LEIGH-ANNE WEARS TOP, Topshop; Skirt, Finders Keepers; BANGLE, Cartier; BRACELETS, Queensbee, from Wolf & Badger JESY WEARS DRESS, Maje; NECKLACE, Alexander McQueen, from Feathers Fashion, and SHOES, Topshop PERRIE WEARS DRESS, MSGM, from Harvey Nichols; TOP, 3.1 Phillip Lim, from Harrods; EARRINGS and EAR CUFFS, Thomas Sabo JADE WEARS JUMPER, JW Anderson, from Feathers Fashion; SHIRT, 3.1 Phillip Lim, from Harrods. PLAYSUIT, Topshop ‘I’m not saying it’s easy,’ says Leigh-Anne. ‘It’s really hard, like all the early starts and loads of different things that come with that. But at the same time, I’m having the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. I’m with my three best friends, like my three sisters. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.’ Best friends? Sisters? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

As a professional cynic I’m looking for the cracks in the smiles, any sense that Little Mix don’t actually mix that well. It’s not like their path to fame has been a doddle – they may have won The X Factor but they’ve been overshadowed by One Direction who came third the previous year. Plus ‘X Factor winner’ is not necessarily the greatest long-term-career calling card. And they’ve already had their ups and downs in the press, with Jesy’s much-publicised battles with her weight and rumours of Zayn’s infidelity. But as they snuggle together with cups of tea and smiles, they genuinely do seem to be close. Jesy is the prankster, with a stream of impressions and voices, Leigh-Anne has a steely focus, Perrie is a little wild and wacky – she loves 80s hair rock while the others prefer Motown and R&B – and Jade is the spokesperson and mother hen. ‘We are all different but we’re very, very similar as well,’ says Jesy. ‘Like we’ve all got the same banter, we all find the same things funny and we’re all just a bit fruit-loopy.

But we have different styles, different taste in boys.’ The girls became the first group to win The X Factor in 2011 Little Mix on the Big Top Stage at the Isle of Wight Festival 2013 ‘Perrie is the bubbly one,’ says Jade. ‘Except in the morning.’ ‘Jesy’s the clown. She’s the funniest person I’ve ever met in my life,’ says Perrie. ‘Jade is the responsible one,’ says Jesy. ‘She’s a brainbox as well,’ adds Leigh-Anne. Perrie loves having her photo taken; Jesy, not so much. ‘You’re a singer. It shouldn’t be about what you look like, but that’s what comes with it, isn’t it? I feel a bit silly. The photographers say, “Be sexy and be this or that” and I’m like, “Er, what do I do?” I get a bit awkward.’ In person Jesy is actually the least awkward and most forthcoming of the bunch, but they’re all at ease together and it’s easy to forget how young they are – Perrie and Jade just 20 and Jesy and Leigh-Anne both 22.

All the girls talk about missing their mums and all of them cite buying their parents new houses as being part of ‘the dream’. ‘That’s the hardest thing, to be honest,’ says Jade, in her sharp Geordie accent. ‘Not seeing friends and family…it’s so, so hard. I had one of my best friends stay over with me for a week the other day and I was the happiest I’ve ever been because I’ve missed her so much. It’s hard being away but then at the same time, without you lot I don’t know what I’d do!’ That comment leads to mutual hugs and mouthed ‘love-you’s. It might seem a little sickly but there’s a serious point there – all bands fall out eventually. They’re groups of young people who suddenly have to spend all hours of the day together with people who, in the case of Little Mix, they didn’t choose as friends, let alone full-time companions. Jade, Perrie, Jesy and Leigh-Anne ‘We do have our little bickers every now and again,’ says Jesy, smiling. ‘But I think we’re actually abnormal because we really don’t argue. We have too much fun to be arguing.

I argue more with my actual mates than I do with this lot.’ What bickering there is tends to be about ‘stupid little things. Who’s going into the studio first, who’s doing styling first, even who’s going to get in the back of the taxi!’ says Perrie. The point is they all recognise that, without each other, they have nothing. ‘If we didn’t have each other,’ says Leigh-Anne, ‘none of this would have happened. So you can’t ever really forget that.’ Little Mix believe that there was some element of destiny, a greater force even than Simon Cowell, that brought them together. ‘Listen to this, right,’ says Leigh-Anne. ‘Jade’s mum is called Norma and that was my grandma’s name. Jesy’s brother is called Johnny, which is my dad’s name and Perrie’s brother’s name. Perrie’s mum is called Debbie which is my mum’s name.’ ‘Everything links!’ says Jade. ‘And Perrie and I lived in the same town, five minutes away from each other, knew all the same people but we just never met.’ ‘And my first kiss was with a boy called Connor Robinson,’ says Perrie.

‘So was mine!’ says Jade. ‘But a different Connor Robinson.’ This goes on right through their auditions for X Factor – Jesy shared a room with Leigh-Anne at boot camp, Jesy’s sister is related to Leigh-Anne’s cousin, and so on. ‘It’s just all been in sync somehow from the start,’ says Leigh-Anne, and they laugh, all in sync. Yet if Little Mix was somehow meant to be, that hasn’t meant they’ve had an easy ride. ‘We were only young girls when we first started,’ says Jade, ‘and at that age, if you see one bad comment on Facebook, it gets to you. And then you go into this world and it’s magnified by a million.’ Perrie with her fiancé Zayn Malik of One Direction fame ‘You just learn to ignore the bad things, really,’ says Perrie, who as Zayn’s other half has had more than her fair share of Twitter abuse, ‘because the people who are slating you on the internet are probably massively overweight with hairy pits, smelling of BO. Do you know what I mean?

They’re doing it to make themselves feel better.’ Even with the exposure, the album sales, the photo-shoot entourage, they insist that it’s not like they are living some kind of charmed life. ‘I love doing a trip to Tesco,’ says Perrie. ‘I find it funny when people get really shocked that I’m in there because I’m like, “Well, how am I meant to eat?” It’s a fun day out for me because I never have time to do anything.’ Of the four girls, Jesy has the most recognisable face: ‘She gets noticed everywhere,’ says Leigh-Anne. ‘In certain situations, I can’t go out,’ says Jesy. ‘Like when you go to a shopping centre, there’s just no point because once you do one picture with someone, it ends up becoming a signing.’ And it’s not just the general public who want a piece of Little Mix. On their last album they worked with Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts, Shaznay Lewis from All Saints, T-Boz from TLC and rapper Missy Elliott. And look out for more hot names on the second one.‘We do most of the writing,’ says Leigh-Anne.

‘I think you’ll see in the next album how we’ve progressed as writers as well as singers.’ Which only leaves the small matter of Perrie’s engagement. It’d be fair to say that it was a bit of a shock for her bandmates. ‘Oh my gosh!’ says Leigh-Anne, who is dating ex-footballer Jordan Kiffin. ‘I’m so happy for her, but I feel that personally I’m not ready.’ Little Mix with their X Factor mentor Tulisa Has it caused the others to think about their relationships? ‘We’re not ready either,’ says Jade, who is in a relationship with Sam Craske from dance troupe Diversity (the act that beat Susan Boyle to win Britain’s Got Talent in 2009). ‘I think it depends on the boy: the boy’s got to ask.’ ‘I would get serious if I had a boyfriend!’ laughs Jesy, who split with Jordan Banjo, also a member of Diversity, earlier this year. And Perrie? Blushing a little, she says, ‘When the time’s right, the time’s right.’ It’s right for Perrie, and right for Little Mix.

Little Mix’s new single ‘Move’ will be released on 3 November. The album Salute will follow on 11 November IN THE MIX

Question: Which was the first group to win 'The X Factor'?
Answer: LITTLE MIX