The X-Factor: The First 10 Winners – Where Are They Now?

From 2004 to the show’s end in 2018, there have been 15 seasons of The X-Factor, with some major music artists being born from Simon Cowell’s reality show. While not every winner has gone on to become a pop sensation, the majority have done very well for themselves.

But when it comes to the original 10 winners from the series, many fans want to know where they are today, whether they had long-term success in the music industry, or if they simply faded away after an initial burst. Some winners have gone on to establish themselves as major names, but others haven’t quite made that stamp on the industry.

10 Steve Brookstein (Season 1)

Steve Brookstein was the original winner of The X-Factor, and he was certainly a popular man with the public as he received the most votes in a final (6 million) until season 6. After the show, Steve went on to release his first album which reached number one in the UK.

However, Steve then famously fell out with Simon Cowell and was dropped by his music label. Since that point, he’s released an autobiography about his journey, and he has continued to perform live music as well.

9 Shayne Ward (Season 2)

Shayne Ward was another popular winner of the show, and he’s someone who has had a lot of success since his victory on the reality show. He has released several albums since that point and has gone on to have great success in the musical world as well.

But Shane hasn’t just worked in music as he has also branched out into acting. Shane has popped up in one of the biggest soap operas of all time, Coronation Street, which he was involved in for several years, and he has since landed a role in an upcoming project called Stairs.

8 Leona Lewis (Season 3)

Out of all The X-Factor winners, Leona Lewis has been one of the most successful. Her original album was the fourth best-selling album in the UK for the 2000s, and she has sold over 30 million records worldwide throughout her career.

Leona has released five albums since winning the show and has also got involved in acting as well, including appearing on Broadway as Grizabella in Cats. Lewis also recently returned to The X-Factor as a judge for the spin-off show, The X-Factor: The Band. 

7 Leon Jackson (Season 4)

Leon Jackson only released one studio album after winning The X-Factor, which came with the record label deal he landed after winning the show. However, he did continue to play live shows around the UK, debuting new music that never managed to get released.

However, he has stayed working in the industry and spends his time now writing music for others instead of himself. Leon Jackson also puts his focus into charity work as well, raising money for Glasgow Children’s Hospital.

6 Alexandra Burke (Season 5)

The season 5 final was a tense and close one with Alexandra Burke managing to beat popular boyband JLS at the very end. While JLS has gone on to have big success, so has Alexandra Burke, who has released three albums and enjoyed a tour with Beyonce.

Burke also competed on the popular reality show, Strictly Come Dancing, finishing in second place, and she is currently thriving in the musical theatre world. However, her most recent television appearance actually came on the Celebrity Great British Bake Off, where she got to show her baking skills.

5 Joe McElderry (Season 6)

Joe McElderry was another popular contestant on the show and he has gone on to sell over 2 million records across his career. Since winning the show he has released five studio albums, with one of those being a Christmas album, putting together a fantastic career for himself.

However, in more recent times, Joe has been focused on performing in musical theatre. He received huge praise for his role as Joseph in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, and he continues to work on stage to this day.

4 Matt Cardle (Season 7)

Matt Cardle was another great winner of the show and is someone who has gone on to produce music ever since that point. Cardle has released four albums over the course of his career and has also joined the rock band Seven Summers.

However, Cardle will be returning to solo music this year, with The X-Factor winner recently revealing that he will be releasing a new album this year, with the first single from that already being available.

3 Little Mix (Season 8)

One of the biggest music artists that have come from The X-Factor is Little Mix. While the show has brought several big groups in JLS and One Direction, it was Little Mix who broke the run and became the first-ever group to actually win the show.

Since that point, the group has only kicked on to become one of the biggest girl bands in the world. They have sold over 60 million records across their career, and while Jessy left the group recently, Little Mix has continued as a trio, releasing new music this year.

2 James Arthur (Season 9)

James Arthur has had a rollercoaster of a career since winning this show, having thrived coming out of it, only to land himself in some issues due to controversies in his life. A homophobic comment saw him dropped by his record label.

However, James Arthur returned to music and now has three studio albums to his name. He has recently revealed that a fourth album is in the works as well, which should be released at some point this year.

1 Sam Bailey (Season 10)

On the milestone season of The X-Factor, it was Sam Bailey who stepped up and managed to win the historic season of the show. Sam won the Christmas number one the year she won the competition and since that point, she’s released two albums.

Sam, like other X-Factor winners, has since gone on to be part of the musical theatre world, having been involved in various shows across her time after the series, and she has continued creating music since that point as well.

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