Latest news with #AidenGrimshaw


Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
X Factor's Aiden Grimshaw looks completely unrecognisable 15 years after starring on the singing show alongside One Direction
X Factor 's Aiden Grimshaw looked completely unrecognisable 15 years after starring on the ITV singing competition. The star, who is now 33, appeared on the show back in 2010 which was the same year One Direction took part - but now looks worlds away from his fresh-faced days on TV. Aiden has continued a career in music and regularly posts singing videos, covers, and updates on Instagram to his 19,000 followers. The Blackpool-born musician has released music under the alias Butterjack and his most recent cover was of French musician Kavinsky's track Nightcall. When on The X Factor, he competed as a solo artist on the same season as 1D, which was eventually won by Matt Cardle. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. He made it all the way to the live shows and was the the eighth contestant eliminated, earning a record deal with RCA Records after he was voted out in week six. In his audition, he impressed judges with a rendition of Kanye West 's Gold Digger, with no backing track. Aiden looks completely unrecognisable from his X Factor days and is now sporting a bushy moustache. He also swapped his quiff for a floppy, long hairstyle and has upgraded his wardrobe to include more retro fashion. After being eliminated from The X Factor, two years later in 2012 Aiden released his debut single Is This Love which debuted at number 35 on then UK Singles Chart. He continued to find success with his first album Misty Eye, which was also released in 2012 and reached number 19 on the UK Albums Chart. Following a few more projects, he took a break from music before returning in 2015 and then taking on the name Butterjack in 2018. Aiden's departure from The X Factor was a shock one, after he competed against Katie Waissel in the bottom two and the judges vote went do deadlock before going to the public vote. Aiden has continued a career in music and regularly posts singing videos, covers and updates on Instagram to his 19,000 followers The seventh series was won by Matt Cardle, with Rebecca Ferguson runner-up and One Direction third. It comes after Sir Elton John claimed earlier this year that gaining fame from shows like X Factor is ' the worst thing that can happen to you in the music industry'. Instead, the legendary musician suggested new artists 'go and play in a pub' to 'take risks' and get a 'backbone'. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he stressed how important playing live is for musicians. The star admitted then when he played in Musicology, they would sometimes perform to tiny audiences, and no matter how small the crowd, it always helped him improve. He recalled: 'That experience stood me in great stead for when I became Elton John because I had backbone. 'And backbone is so important, because the worst thing that can happen to you in the industry are things like X Factor and instant fame on television where you have no experience of playing live.' Elton said: 'You get put on stage, you go, and you can't do it. That's the worst thing. American Idol - just the worst. Take risks. Go and play in a pub.' However, despite his distaste for musical talent shows, Elton appeared on The X Factor back in 2013 to perform a duet with judge Gary Barlow.


Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
X Factor's Aiden Grimshaw unrecognisable 15 years since appearing on show
Aiden Grimshaw, who appeared on The X Factor back in 2010, looks completely unrecognisable now, 15 years since he wowed the judges on the popular ITV talent show Aiden Grimshaw is barely recognisable 15 years since appearing on The X Factor alongside One Direction. The fresh-faced hopeful captivated the celebrity judges on Simon Cowell's TV talent show back in 2010, when he boldly covered Kanye West's smash hit Gold Digger in his audition, without a backing track. Louis Walsh branded the then-18 year old "absolutely brilliant", Nicole Scherzinger said "I love your voice" and Simon Cowell added, "You're one of the best we've found, certainly in Manchester and possibly – in your category – throughout the competition." Progressing week by week not only with 1D but also Rebecca Ferguson, Katie Waissel, Cher Lloyd, and eventual victor Matt Cardle, gap-year student Aiden secured a respectable ninth position. Following his X Factor stint, Aiden signed a deal with record label RCA, releasing his debut single Is This Love, which peaked at number 35 on the UK Singles Chart. He then dropped his album Misty Eye, hitting number 19. In 2018, Aiden revealed he'd been using the alias Butterjack to release music, only to then steer back to his original name. In 2023 it was announced that he'd signed a new deal with a Dutch record label. Aiden now looks so different from his clean-shaven, quiff-haired X Factor days, often sporting a beard on his Instagram page and most recently appearing with a moustache and tousled hair. A week ago, he talked about writing more songs, alongside a picture of himself playing a guitar. The singer told his 19k followers: "Back to it, 20 consecutive days of sun. 13 days of coughs. 6 songs written - Nearly 2 bank holidays. 1 europa final loss. A fresh bill of health a new month - new music exciting new things. Mays been a ride." Aiden has also opened up about his regrets of not fully capitalising on the opportunity The X Factor presented him with back in the day. Speaking to the Metro, he shared his reflections, saying: "My only regrets about the show are that maybe didn't shoot as hard as I could have in some of the aspects afterwards because of trying to be cool. Now, I would just go for everything because why would you not do that? That's so stupid. But I enjoyed it." He also talked about the pressure of the show, continuing: "'There was a lot of pressure to find what to do and my not wanting to be uncool stopped me from exploring all paths and being out there." Aiden was romantically linked to Cher Lloyd during his time on The X Factor, and talked about his bromance with Matt Cardle. The pair were said to spend all their time in the house chatting and making each other cups of tea. Aiden said: "Matt and me are really good mates, he's a great bloke. We've got a really great bromance going on."