By their final stages TV talent shows are full of nice people with laudable dreams and lovely voices, but when you first saw Shayne Ward on The X Factor, you knew he was different. The real deal. He has an extraordinary voice, of course. And he's a sweet, good-looking lad. But there was something more. A hunger. A sense that he didn't just enjoy performing, he needed it. Shayne, in other words, has that elusive X factor. He's more than just a great singer. He’s a proper pop star.
After winning The X Factor, his debut single 'That's My Goal' was pretty much a dead cert for the Christmas number one. It was the sheer scale of its success that was surprising. The first-day sales were the third biggest ever recorded for a single in the UK: some 313,000 copies. It went on to sell well more than 1.3 million.
The eponymously titled album is a timeless, ballad-led set that showcases Shayne's vocal and emotional range to the full. 'That's My Goal' is there, of course, and the achingly beautiful second single 'No Promises', while X Factor fans will enjoy the live recording of his show-stopping version of 'Over The Rainbow'.
So Shayne Ward started out on a reality TV show. But in time that’s going to be about as important as Britney and Justin's time on the Mickey Mouse Club, Kylie's stint as queen of Neighbours, or Robbie's teenage years in Take That. There really is something about the boy. It's been a roller-coater ride so far, but this accomplished debut album isn’t the end of the story. It's the beginning.
See Shayne Ward, with a fingers crossed will be a celebration on him going to number one with 'No Promises', on Saturday 15th April at G-A-Y @ The Astoria, 157 Charing Cross Road, Soho, WC2H.
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