X Factor Flops and Fortunes Part 2

Series 6

This year saw another X Factor first, a runner up that was far more successful than the winner, proving that the voting public can get it wrong sometimes.
Joe McElderry, was the first X Factor winner to lose out on the Christmas number one but his debut single did eventually reach the top spot. His album, Wide Awake, came in at number 3 on the charts which was a decent start for the young Geordie; however, his luck soon turned when his third single didn't make the top 50 and he was subsequently dropped from Syco.
With his second album, Joe was under new management and this seemed to work from him because it debuted at number 2 and even his fourth album (yes, he has managed to release the many) reached the top 10 of the UK charts. He is currently working on a new album so things look promising.
Ambitions

Runner up Essex lad, Olly Murs, is a rare talent show success story because he may have come second on the show but in the music industry he definitely came out on top over the talent show winner.
Olly was almost immediately signed to Sony music after the X Factor final and released his first single, Please Don't Let Me Go, and with it beat Katy Perry to the number one spot. His self-titled debut album sold over 100,000 copies in the first week and reached number two which marked the start of Olly's ever-growing music career. He has since gone on to have three more number one singles, two more platinum selling albums, tour North America with One Direction and have number ones throughout Europe making him one of the most successful solo male acts to come out of X Factor.
Olly came full circle after just completing a stint as co-host of the Xtra Factor alongside Caroline Flack last year and is releasing his third UK album in the US later this year while working on his fourth studio album for a 2014 release.
Heart Skips A Beat

Series 7

Once again, the runner up outshines the winner but even more so, they were both outshined by two other contestants who managed to break America.
Matt Cardle is probably one of the last contestants that come to mind when you think back to Series 6 even though he actually won the show that year.
His debut single, When We Collide, has sold over a million copies - making him the fourth contestant to do so - and his album reached number two in the charts; as usual a good start in the music industry. But two singles later and Matt announced he was parting with his record label because he 'wasn't a priority' and soon dropped a second top ten album under new management.
He seems to be continuing with the music, hoping to crawl his way back onto everyone's radar with a new single, Loving You, featuring Mel C releasing in a few days and a third album out sometime later this year.
Good luck to him!
When We Collide



Rebecca Ferguson made a lot of impact on the show with her unique vocals and as soon as the X Factor wrapped she got signed to Sony records and dropped her debut top ten single a year later.
Heaven, her debut album, was critically acclaimed and went platinum and resulted in her getting signed to Coumbia records in the US. Although none of her four singles have managed to make a massive impact on the UK charts, she has recieved great reviews world-wide and has the support from her label behind her so it's a shame she is so underrated.
She has spent much of this year touring America and making appearances on many popular US talk shows so things are looking promising. She has almost finished working on her follow up album which will be released some time next year.
Backtrack


Cher Lloyd is an unexpected star to emerge from the show and although she received a lot of media attention and praise from the judges throughout the process, she only finished in fourth place.
She still got signed to Sony and got her first number one with her debut single, Swagger Jagger, in August 2011. For her debut album, Sticks + Stones, Cher worked with Busta Rhymes, RedOne and Mike Posner which paid off because it reached number in the UK.
Her big break in America came when she signed with LA Reid and her debut single in the US, Want U Back, reached number 4 on the US Itunes charts.
She is continuing to have success across the pond having just featured on a track with Demi Lovato and about to embark on a tour with girl group, Fifth Harmony. But when she returns to the UK next month, Cher will bring with her a second album and hopes for the same success that she managed to achieve with her debut.
Want U Back

But the biggest stars of the series, and possibly of the entire show so far, are One Direction who are now a world-wide success story thanks to the X Factor. Niall, Harry, Zayn, Liam and Louis didn't even know each other prior to auditioning for the show; however, at boot camp stages the judges put them into a group and the rest is history.
They came third in the show but have gone on to sell 19 million singles and 10 million albums all over the world. Their first three singles all hit number one in the UK chart which led them to embark on a trip to the US where, What Makes You Beautiful, reached number 28. Similarly, their first studio album was of equal success, becoming the fastest-selling debut album of 2011 and hit number one in 16 countries including America - an achievement that no British group had ever reached before.
They have had sold out arena tours, best-selling books and another number one album, Take Me Home, also selling over 500,000 copies in its first week in the US.
One Direction are only set to get bigger in the coming years, with a movie released next week, a third album to drop later this year and a stadium tour to commence next year.
Best Song Ever

Series 8
The first group to go on to win the X Factor, and once again a group that was created in the boot camp stages of the show, Little Mix are another female success story from the show.
Leigh-anne, Jade, Jesy and Perrie got their Christmas number 1 with debut single, Cannonball, and followed it with a second single, Wing, which also reached number one in the UK.
They soon signed a record deal overseas and released their debut album, DNA, which had already reached number 3 in the UK, and hit the Billboard 100 at number 4 making them a record breaking Britsh girl-group.
They have already started working on their second album which I am sure will propel them on to even more success.
Wings

Misha B, who came fourth, is also worth a mention; following this series she has a record deal with Relentless Records and released a critically acclaimed mixtape. Her debut single, Home Run, reached number 11 in the UK singles chart and she was the opening act for Nicki Minaj's UK leg of her sold-out arena tour.
She has since had a top ten single with her second release and is expected to drop her debut album sometime later this year
Here's To Everything

Series 9

Although it's too early to tell whether there are any success stories to emerge from last years show, winner James Arthur does have a promising career ahead of him. His winning X Factor single and Christmas number 1, Impossible, was the fastest-selling X Factor winning single so far and has sold over 1.5 million copies. With a second single and debut album being released later this year we will have to wait and see what the future holds for James
Impossible