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Chris Maloney | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Christopher Michael Maloney |
| Born | 26 December 1977 Liverpool, England |
| Genres | Pop, soul, gospel |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Labels | Tristar |
Christopher Michael Maloney is an English singer and musician from Liverpool, who was first seen as a contestant on The X Factor in 2012.
In 2012, Maloney auditioned in Liverpool for the ninth series of The X Factor . He struggled with nerves, but managed to overcome them and sing Bette Midler's "The Rose". Afterwards, he received a standing ovation from the audience and judges Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow, Tulisa Contostavlos and guest judge Geri Halliwell. Barlow asked him "How the hell have you kept that voice hidden until now?", and Maloney admitted that he had previously filled out the application form for the show, but tore it up every year due to his nerves and other people telling him he was not good enough. All four judges gave him a "Yes" and he advanced to boot camp. He made it to the judges' houses stage alongside Nicola Marie, Melanie Masson, Carolynne Poole, Brad Shackleton and Kye Sones. Maloney failed to make it into Barlow's final three as Masson, Poole and Sones were selected ahead of him, but was later thrown a lifeline when it was revealed that all four judges could choose a wildcard, and the wildcard with the most public votes would become the thirteenth finalist. On the night of the first live show, Maloney was announced as the wildcard winner, beating Times Red, Amy Mottram and Adam Burridge to win the final spot in the live shows. [1]
Maloney took on the role of The X Factor novelty act for the ninth series. Despite being dubbed a "cabaret" and "cruise ship" singer by Walsh, Maloney advanced on the public vote nine times, receiving the most votes from weeks 1–7 before being eliminated from the first of the live final shows. During January & February 2013, Maloney appeared on the Live X Factor tour across the UK.
In April 2013, in an interview with the Liverpool Echo , Maloney confirmed that he had signed a contract with independent record label Tristar Records. [2] On 27 October 2013, he released his debut single "My Heart Belongs to You". [3]
Christopher opened his first performing arts school in Liverpool on 9 June 2014. Maloney established the academy to nurture the talent of the younger generation in Merseyside. Of his venture, he said: "I want to give something back to the community. I'm trying to make the performing arts accessible to the children." At the academy, the youngsters have the opportunity to train under Maloney's direction, as well as a team of top quality coaches.
In 2016, Maloney opened his second academy in Wirral, which moved to Prenton Park in 2018.
Maloney entered the Celebrity Big Brother house in January 2016. [4] On 26 January 2016, Maloney was the fifth person to be evicted after receiving the fewest votes. He had spent 22 days in the house.
In November 2018, Maloney's debut autobiography, titled Wildcard, was released. [5]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | X Factor | Contestant | Series 9 |
| 2016 | Celebrity Big Brother | Contestant | Series 17 |
| 2019 | When Plastic Surgery Goes Wrong | Himself | Channel 5 Documentary |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The X Factor Live Tour | Vocalist | Touring Production
|
| 2019 | Dance to the Music | Vocalist | Touring Production 42 UK dates |
| 2019 | Cinderella | Prince Charming | Touring Production 12-15 December (Marine Hall, Fleetwood) 21-30 December (Playhouse, Bradford |
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Michael Louis Vincent Walsh is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s and 2000s. He has also served as a judge on television talent competition shows, including Popstars (2001–2002), You're a Star (2003–2004), The X Factor, and Ireland's Got Talent (2018–2019). In March 2024, Walsh entered the Celebrity Big Brother house as a housemate on the twenty-third series.
Carolynne Willey is a British singer-songwriter, actress and former model from Leeds, England. She is a founding member of the Carolynne Good Band, based in Leeds and London. She is best known for finishing in third place on the second series of the BBC singing competition Fame Academy in 2003. In 2011, Willey was a contestant on The X Factor and made it to the judges' houses' stage of the competition. She returned to the show the following series in 2012 and made it to the live shows, but was eliminated after the first live show following a sing-off against Rylan Clark.
The X Factor is a British reality television music competition, created by Simon Cowell. Premiering on 4 September 2004, it was produced by Fremantle's Talkback Thames, and Cowell's production company Syco Entertainment for ITV, as well as simulcast on Virgin Media One in Ireland. The programme ran for around 445 episodes across fifteen series, each one primarily broadcast late in the year, until its final episode in December 2018. The majority of episodes were presented by Dermot O'Leary, with some exceptions: the first three series were hosted by Kate Thornton; while Caroline Flack and Olly Murs hosted the show for the twelfth series.
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The eighth series aired on ITV on 20 August 2011 and ended on 11 December 2011. Dermot O'Leary hosted the main show on ITV, while Caroline Flack and series 6 runner-up Olly Murs co-presented the spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2. Louis Walsh returned to the judging panel and was joined by Gary Barlow, Kelly Rowland and Tulisa. Barlow, Rowland, Tulisa joined the panel replacing judges, Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole. Series 5 winner Alexandra Burke served as a guest judge for week 4 of the live shows due to Rowland having a throat infection.
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