Rebecca Ferguson

At 37 years old, Rebecca Ferguson has this physical status:

Rebecca Caroline Ferguson (born 21 July 1986) is a British singer and songwriter.

She came to prominence in 2010 when she became the runner-up of the seventh series of The X Factor, losing to the winner that year, Matt Cardle.

She subsequently signed a joint record deal with Syco Music and Epic Records in the UK.

She later signed to Columbia Records in the US. Ferguson's debut album, Heaven, was released in December 2011 to commercial and critical success.

The album sold 128k in its first week and peaked at No. 3 in the UK Official Charts, making Ferguson the fastest-selling debut solo artist of the decade between the years of 2007 - 2017.

Co-written by Ferguson, it was certified two times platinum in the UK and platinum in Ireland.

The album yielded six singles including lead single "Nothing's Real but Love", which enjoyed commercial success throughout much of Europe and Oceania, entering the UK Singles Chart at number 10.

A deluxe version of the album included the single "Backtrack", which entered the charts in October 2012 at number 15, giving Ferguson her second Top 20 hit.

Ferguson's second studio album, Freedom, was released in December 2013.

It met with positive reviews from critics and commercial success in the UK where it charted at number 6 and has since been certified Gold by the BPI.

The album's lead single, "I Hope", peaked at number 15 in the UK.

In 2012, she was nominated for two MOBO Awards and one MTV Europe Music Award.In 2015 Ferguson released her third studio album Lady Sings the Blues covering a number of jazz classics made famous by Billie Holiday.

The lead single "Get Happy" was added to BBC Radio 2's playlist and the album charted at number 7, becoming Ferguson's third consecutive Top Ten charted album in the UK charts.

The following year, Ferguson released her fourth studio album "Superwoman".

The album reached number 7 on the UK charts, and gained Ferguson her fourth consecutive Top Ten album on the UK charts.

She cites Aretha Franklin, Kings of Leon, Christina Aguilera and Amy Winehouse among her influences.

Early life

Rebecca Ferguson was born on 21 July 1986 at Mill Road Hospital in Liverpool to a father of Jamaican descent and a white British mother. She spent the first two years of her life in Huyton. She has a younger brother, Sam. The family then moved to a house on an estate in Woolton Village when her parents separated. Ferguson received her primary education at Woolton Primary School and her secondary and sixth form education at Gateacre Community Comprehensive School. As a teenager she later moved to Anfield. That was when she became pregnant with her first child Lillie May. Two years later she had her son, Karl. Ferguson has said her family supported her ambition to become a professional singer and helped her through two previous X Factor auditions. She also revealed that she was "bullied as a kid because my family was poor and I never had the right clothes or toys." Despite having a difficult start in life, Ferguson insisted she wanted people to focus solely on her talent. Ferguson also revealed that as a child she always wanted to be a pop star. She revealed on Loose Women that she was sexually abused in a care home when she was 8 years old.

Ferguson is a qualified legal secretary, having studied at Hugh Baird College, Bootle. She later commented, "There is only so long you can chase the dream when you are a mum. I wanted the kids to see me do well and be a better role model. They were always seeing their mummy fail. That was why I started college."

Personal life

Ferguson met the father to her two oldest children, Karl Dures, on holiday in Tenerife. Ferguson and Dures dated for four years and had two children named Lillie May and Karl. She also has a daughter named Arabella, born in 2014, from a later relationship. On 1 January 2022 Ferguson confirmed her engagement to her partner of 7 years.

Ferguson previously dated fellow The X Factor contestant and former One Direction member Zayn Malik. The relationship ended after four months together, In July 2011. Ferguson addressed the media interest, saying: "When I was in a relationship with Zayn it was quite hard, but it comes with it. Me and Zayn just grew apart. I wish him all the best."

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Career

Ferguson had previously applied for The X Factor and P. Diddy's Starmaker in New York, but was unsuccessful. "I went to other auditions," she later told me, "I was admitted to New York to audition for P.Diddy's Starmaker" and "no." "It was really sad because I spent money to get there." I did not try out for The X Factor, but it didn't turn out too well."

Ferguson performed "A Change Is Gonna Come" at her audition before being judged by Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, and guest judge Nicole Scherzinger. She sang "Like a Star" to Cowell, "that is a recording voice" at her bootcamp audition. "I told you the first time I saw her, she is our generation's songbird," Scherzinger said. She performed "Fireflies" at judges' houses and was invited by mentor Cheryl in her Girls category (solo females aged 16–27). In the first live show she sang "Teardrops" and "Goodness." "Why Don't You Do Right?" she sang on the third live show. In her fourth live show, she sang "Wicked Game" and performed "Wicked Game." Ferguson received a standing ovation from Cowell and Cheryl after her appearance of "Make You Feel My Love" on her fifth live show. Ferguson received another standing ovation from Dannii Minogue and Cheryl after performing "Candle in the Wind" in the following episode. She performed a duet with Christina Aguilera in the final, a duet that was performed in Aguilera's hit song "Beautiful." Ferguson's winner's song was a recreation of Duffy's "Distant Dreamer." She avoided the final showdown every week and finished second, behind Matt Cardle, the first female runner-up on The X Factor.

Ferguson had been signed by Syco Music in the final. Ferguson had signed a joint record contract between Syco Records and Epic Records in January 2011. Ferguson and nine other contestants from the series appeared in the X Factor Live Tour from February to April 2011. 500,000 people attended Ferguson's tour around the United Kingdom.

Ferguson wrote "Nothing's Real But Love" on November 20, 2011; Eg White and Ferguson wrote the song. According to the UK Singles Chart, the single ranked at number ten on the UK Singles Chart. Heaven was her debut album and was released in the United Kingdom on December 5, 2011. Ferguson appears on the album as a result of his collaboration with Eg White, Steve Booker, Fraser T Smith, Xenomania, Paul Barry, Mark Taylor, and Brian Higgins. Ferguson later revealed that she would be co-writing the whole of her album for her to "connect" with the songs. Soul, pop, and Blues will be included on the album. Critics lauded Ferguson for being the first credible artist to step away from the reality television format, giving the album a critical reception. On Sunday, Cowell praised Ferguson, saying how proud she was of the event. "I am completely blown away by Rebecca Ferguson, her album, and her performance." "Congratulations!" In its first two weeks of being released, the British Phonographic Industry was awarded platinum for shipments of 300,000 units.

Ferguson unveiled her first headlining UK and Ireland Tour on November 18th, 2011-2012, spanning 14 dates from 20 February to 13 March 2012. Ferguson had to add more dates to her tour due to high demand, and none of which have sold out. Ferguson's second single to be released from the album would be "Too Good to Lose." The single was supposed to be released on February 26, but it was postponed until March 4th. On February 2nd, Ferguson's official video premiered on the Ferguson website. To make the song more radio friendly, the single version has been edited and shortened. Ferguson appeared on "This Is Lionel Richie," alongside Lionel Richie, in which she performed "Endless Love." In a television commercial campaign for Nescafé Gold Blend coffee, beginning in February 2012, an excerpt from Ferguson's "Nothing's Real but Love" was used. "Glitter & Gold" was announced on Ferguson's official website as the third single from the album's release on April 29th. Ferguson broke her left leg during a night out, which required her to wear a cast for several weeks. She appeared on a stool during her appearance on Britain's Got Talent and Alan Carr: Chatty Man.

Ferguson performed "Nothing's Real But Love" on The Today Show on May 29, 2012. On The View, she appeared on The View as well. Ferguson revealed on Twitter on July that she would bring her leadership team to court after they started her job until she died. The relationship deteriorated even more in September 2012 with the former management company requesting a ruling that the actor unlawfully ended her employment and demanding 20% of her future compensation.

Ferguson said in a March 2012 interview that she wanted to publish her second studio album in 2014, and that she would begin writing the album in 2013 after advertising for Heaven had concluded, and that she would take a more upbeat approach to the album. Ferguson said on August 23, 2012, she would debut a deluxe version of Heaven on October 15, 2012, and she'd also debut "Backtrack" the day before. Ferguson's second backtrack on the second week of the The X Factor results were published on October 14th. Ferguson unveiled an EP of live tracks from the 2012 iTunes Festival, which included five tracks including "Nothing's Real but Love" on September 16th. Ferguson revealed in a chat with Chart Show TV that "Shoulder to Shoulder" will be the last single from Heaven until she begins working on her second studio album on December 9, 2012. Ferguson appeared on Chatty Man on December 14th. In comparison, "Teach Me How to Be Loved" was released as the album's last single in Germany. Ferguson's charity record He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, includes other artists such as Paloma Faith, Paul McCartney, and Robbie Williams. The single is intended to raise funds for various charities connected to the Hillsborough disaster. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number one on Christmas Day.

Ferguson revealed in October 2012 that she would embark on a US tour in January 2013 and that she had already begun writing new material for her second album. Ferguson revealed on November 29, 2012, that she will tour the United States later this year and said she would write her second album, which should be published later this year or 2014."

After a month absence and a completion of the album in mid-August, she began work on her second studio album on February 18, 2013. Ferguson revealed in July 2013 that she was on the verge of finishing up her second album, while simultaneously stating that it had been "very difficult to make" and that she was writing about her babies. On August 22, she revealed on Facebook that her latest album, Freedom, will be released on December 2nd, 2013, as well as showing pre-order links to the album.

On October 12, 2013, Ferguson's lead single, "I Hope," debuted on YouTube and debuted at number 15 on the UK singles chart; in mainland Europe, "Light On" was the lead single from the album. Freedom was released the following day and landed at number six in the BPI charts, and has since been rated Gold by the BPI. Critics generally approved of freedom. The album features a duet with US soul singer John Legend as well as writing by Jarrad Rogers, Toby Gad, and Eg White.

Ferguson reported that she was back in the studio on August 7th, a "therful day at the studio recording with the same musicians that Frank Sinatra used and so many other greats are feeling very grateful." Ferguson unveiled the album's name, artwork, and release date on her Vevo channel on January 13, 2015. Lady Sings the Blues was released on RCA Records on March 9, 2015. The album debuted at number 7 on the UK Albums Chart, ranking it at number seven on the UK Albums Chart.

Ferguson marched in Horse Guards Parade, London, on May 9, 2015. Ferguson revealed on Twitter that she is "busy recording" and that "the next album sounds good already" on October 4th, 2015. On the 30th of August, the album's first single, "Bones," a recreation of a 2013 track by NZ artist Ginny Blackmore's cover, was announced on September 2nd. On October 7, the album "Superwoman" was released. Ferguson went from 23 October to 29 November in the United Kingdom.

Fern Britton Meets was on her way in December 2016. In the interview, Ferguson, the former teenage mother who became an X Factor singing sensation, talked about how her Christian faith helped her get through challenging times, both on the show that brought her overnight fame and in the years that followed. Ferguson says she is speaking out to help others, from being the perpetrator of fraud to being left to being stranded.

She revealed on her fifth studio album on April 21, 2017. She revealed on her Facebook page on October 2nd that year that she was no longer with her company but that she was still working on new projects and touring in 2018. On December 1, 2017, she released her first single "Uncrazy," a dance song that takes away from Ferguson's usual style of music.

On May 8, 2020, Nile Rodgers and the world premiere "Nothing Left But Family" was released. Ferguson revealed on social media that the next album would be released around 2022 or early 2023 and that producer Nile Rodgers will be involved. Ferguson announced on November 25, 2021, that this would be her fifth studio album to be released in 2023, as well as her declaration that after the release, she would be leaving the music industry. Ferguson premiered a new song titled "I'm Going To Love You" on "BBC Concert Orchestra" on February 11, the lead single from her final studio album.

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