Shayne Ward
Encyclopedia
Shayne Thomas Ward is an English pop singer who rose to fame as the winner of second series of The X Factor
. He has sold over 3 million records worldwide and has had number one albums and singles in 9 countries.
During The X Factor competition, Ward was mentored by manager Louis Walsh
. The Bookies' favourite to win the show, he defeated duo Journey South
and singer Andy Abraham
in the final screened by ITV1
by a margin of 1.2% of the vote, out of a reputed 10.8 million phone votes cast by viewers.
His first single, "That's My Goal
", was released in the UK on 21 December 2005 and became the last number one of 2005, hitting the top spot on 31 December. It sold 313,000 copies on its first day of sales, making it the third fastest selling single of all time (behind Elton John
's "Candle in the Wind
" and Will Young
's "Evergreen
", which sold 685,000 and 400,000 copies in their first days of sale respectively).
Ward's prize, as winner, was a recording contract with Simon Cowell
's Syco
record label, which is co-owned by Sony Music Entertainment
. The contract had a stated value of £1 million, of which £150,000 was a cash advance and the remainder was allocated to recording and marketing costs.
to Irish Traveller
parents Martin and Philomena. He has a twin sister named Emma and five other siblings: Mark, Martin, Michael, Lisa and Leona. He is a Manchester United supporter, and in 2002 he reached the final thirty of Popstars: The Rivals, the television show that created Girls Aloud
. Prior to his participation in The X Factor, Ward was in a band called Destiny with two women named Tracy Murphy and Tracey Lyle, performing at pubs, clubs and weddings.
. He impressed all three judges (Simon Cowell
, Sharon Osbourne
and Louis Walsh
) and passed through to the next round. His category (16 to 24 year olds) was then mentored by Walsh, and Ward was chosen to be among Walsh's top four contestants and perform on the live shows. Ward quickly became the bookmaker
s' favourite to win the show, and after making it to the grand final, he defeated Simon Cowell's duo Journey South
and Sharon Osbourne's over-25 singer Andy Abraham
and was crowned as the winner of The X Factor 2005. He had not fallen into the bottom two throughout the entire competition, and won by a margin of 1.2% of the vote, out of a reported 10.8 million phone votes cast by viewers. Immediately after the competition, his X Factor mentor Louis Walsh became his manager under a joint venture with Global Publishing and Walsh Global Management.
", was released in the UK on Wednesday, 21 December 2005. After selling 742,000 copies in the first week (including 313,000 on its first day), it became the Christmas number one single of 2005, held the top spot for four weeks and stayed in the top 75 until June 2006, a 21-week run. It became (at that time) the fourth fastest-selling UK single of all time, beaten only by Elton John
's "Candle in the Wind
", Will Young
's "Anything Is Possible/Evergreen
", and Gareth Gates
' "Unchained Melody
" which sold 685,000, 403,000 and 335,000 copies in their first days of sale respectively. To date, "That's My Goal" has sold over 1.3 million copies in the UK. Ward also won an Ivor Nevello Award for being the Best Selling Single.
Ward's second single, "No Promises", a cover of a Bryan Rice
song was released on 10 April 2006, and peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart. Shayne Ward
, his self-titled debut album was released on 17 April 2006. It sold 201,266 copies in the first week and entered the albums chart at number one. To date, the album has sold 520,000 copies in the UK and a further 2,000,000 worldwide, reaching number one in eight other countries. The album was certified platinum.
Ward's third single "Stand by Me
" failed to make the chart impact of the previous two, entering and peaking in the UK Singles Chart
at number fourteen. It fared slightly better in the Irish charts however, reaching number nine.
It was confirmed in Gary Barlow
's autobiography My Take
, that in 2006, fellow Take That
member, Jason Orange
threatened to quit the band, and Ward was seriously considered as his replacement. Orange, however, later changed his mind and a replacement was not required.
In August 2006, it was reported that Ward had developed vocal cord nodules – the same condition that stopped the singing career of Julie Andrews
– and was to be flown out to Los Angeles in early September to see a specialist surgeon. His manager, Louis Walsh
, released a statement that he was confident Ward would be fine and would be back at work by the end of the month. Ward had successful treatment and was indeed able to return to his singing career. In November 2006, he released his autobiography entitled My Story. He travelled to several places around the UK for book signings, which hundreds of people attended. In early 2007, Ward embarked on a solo tour of UK & Republic of Ireland venues, taking in eighteen concerts in twenty-eight days from late January to mid-February. The tour commenced in Dublin on 21 January and ended in Birmingham on 17 February 2007.
") was given a release date of 20 August 2007, but was then delayed and became a double A-side single with "No U Hang Up
". It was finally released on 24 September 2007, and charted at number two in the UK being held off by the Sugababes
with "About You Now
". "No U Hang Up" and "If That's OK with You" charted separately in Ireland, the former reaching number eleven and the latter entering at number one.
Ward's second album, Breathless
, was released on 26 November 2007, and after selling over 95,000 copies in its first week, debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, held off the top spot by his X Factor successor, Leona Lewis's, multi-platinum selling debut, Spirit
. In Ireland, the album debuted at number one (removing Lewis's album from the top spot) a position it held for three weeks, and was later certified five times platinum.
The second single from Ward's album was announced as "Breathless
", and was released on 19 November 2007. It peaked at number six in the UK and number two in Ireland. On 10 November, Ward performed "Breathless" on the live results show of the fourth series of The X Factor, although the single was not available for download until the 18 November, followed by a performance on The Paul O'Grady Show
on 19 November. In the UK the album has been certified platinum with sales of over 450,000.
In May 2008 Ward embarked on his month-long UK tour named The Breathless Tour 2008
. He made his stage debut at London's O2 Arena
and visited his home town Manchester
at the MEN Arena. He also performed his complete show as a support act for Westlife
's 2008 tour
in front of a crowd of over 80,000 at Ireland's Croke Park
. Ward also played on the opening night at The O2, Dublin
, at the Cheerios Childline concert on 16 December 2008.
refused to release any further music by Ward for three years in favour of Leona Lewis
and Susan Boyle
, prompting manager Louis Walsh
to stop managing Ward. Ward began working on his third album in 2009 with producers RedOne
and Taio Cruz
. The album, titled Obsession
, was released on 15 November 2010. The singer worked with songwriters such as Savan Kotecha
, Quiz & Larossi
and Lucas Secon
, while the songs produced by RedOne and Taio Cruz will not be included. The first single from the album is a cover version of Nickelback
's 2008 single, "Gotta Be Somebody
". Ward's version was released on 7 November 2010 and reached number 12 in the UK and number 10 in Ireland. The video for the song premiered on 29 October 2010 and he performed the song on The X Factor
on 7 November. Shayne also performed at the Miss World Pageant, which was held in Sanya, China. He did his first television appearance in over two years, on Live From Studio Five
the day after his X Factor appearance, where he also performed his single. The album reached number 11 in Ireland on 19 November and peaked at number 15 in the UK on 21 November. On 8 March 2011, Shayne performed the title track from the album Obsession on The Alan Titchmarsh Show
. In an interview with Digital Spy
Ward stated that he hoped he could release a second single from the album. On 19 April 2011, it was reported that Syco Music had not renewed their recording contract with Ward due to the chart performance of Obsession. Ward later responded to the label's decision on his Twitter profile writing, "1 door closed, A Thousand more will open." On 9 June 2011, it was announced that Ward would star as Stacee Jaxx in 80s-themed musical Rock of Ages
at the Shaftesbury Theatre
, London.
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
. He has sold over 3 million records worldwide and has had number one albums and singles in 9 countries.
During The X Factor competition, Ward was mentored by manager Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
. The Bookies' favourite to win the show, he defeated duo Journey South
Journey South
Journey South are an English singing duo, consisting of brothers Andy and Carl Pemberton. They are originally from Middlesbrough, Teesside, and performed in pubs and clubs throughout the United Kingdom for over eight years, prior to achieving third place on the second UK series of television talent...
and singer Andy Abraham
Andy Abraham
Andrew Abraham is an English singer. He was the runner-up in the second UK series of TV talent show The X Factor in 2005 to Shayne Ward, and also represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.Before applying for The X Factor, Abraham was a refuse collector...
in the final screened by ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
by a margin of 1.2% of the vote, out of a reputed 10.8 million phone votes cast by viewers.
His first single, "That's My Goal
That's My Goal
"That's My Goal" is a song, released in 2005 as the first single by Shayne Ward, the winner of the second series of X Factor. The song was first heard in the final of the aforementioned series, where it was performed by both Ward and X Factor runner up, Andy Abraham. The single was rush-released on...
", was released in the UK on 21 December 2005 and became the last number one of 2005, hitting the top spot on 31 December. It sold 313,000 copies on its first day of sales, making it the third fastest selling single of all time (behind Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's "Candle in the Wind
Candle in the Wind
"Candle in the Wind" is a song with music by Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It was originally written in 1973, in honour of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier....
" and Will Young
Will Young
William Robert "Will" Young is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominenceafter winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise...
's "Evergreen
Evergreen (Westlife song)
"Evergreen" is a pop song, co-written by Jörgen Elofsson, Per Magnusson and David Kreuger, and originally recorded by Westlife. The song appears on their album World of Our Own, and was released as a single, only in the Philippines, where it reached number 3 due to the insistent demand of their fans...
", which sold 685,000 and 400,000 copies in their first days of sale respectively).
Ward's prize, as winner, was a recording contract with Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
's Syco
Syco
Syco Entertainment, often known as simply Syco , is a global joint venture between Simon Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment focused on the production and exploitation of music, television, film and digital content...
record label, which is co-owned by Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
. The contract had a stated value of £1 million, of which £150,000 was a cash advance and the remainder was allocated to recording and marketing costs.
Early life
Ward was born in 1984 in ClaytonClayton, Greater Manchester
Clayton is a suburb of the city of Manchester, in North West England. It is situated about 3 miles east of the city centre, on Ashton New Road. Clayton takes its name from the Clayton family who owned large parts of land around the area, including Clayton Vale, through which the River Medlock flows...
to Irish Traveller
Irish Traveller
Irish Travellers are a traditionally nomadic people of ethnic Irish origin, who maintain a separate language and set of traditions. They live predominantly in the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States.-Etymology:...
parents Martin and Philomena. He has a twin sister named Emma and five other siblings: Mark, Martin, Michael, Lisa and Leona. He is a Manchester United supporter, and in 2002 he reached the final thirty of Popstars: The Rivals, the television show that created Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
. Prior to his participation in The X Factor, Ward was in a band called Destiny with two women named Tracy Murphy and Tracey Lyle, performing at pubs, clubs and weddings.
2005: The X Factor
In early 2005, Ward auditioned for the second series of The X FactorThe X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
. He impressed all three judges (Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
, Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....
and Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
) and passed through to the next round. His category (16 to 24 year olds) was then mentored by Walsh, and Ward was chosen to be among Walsh's top four contestants and perform on the live shows. Ward quickly became the bookmaker
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
s' favourite to win the show, and after making it to the grand final, he defeated Simon Cowell's duo Journey South
Journey South
Journey South are an English singing duo, consisting of brothers Andy and Carl Pemberton. They are originally from Middlesbrough, Teesside, and performed in pubs and clubs throughout the United Kingdom for over eight years, prior to achieving third place on the second UK series of television talent...
and Sharon Osbourne's over-25 singer Andy Abraham
Andy Abraham
Andrew Abraham is an English singer. He was the runner-up in the second UK series of TV talent show The X Factor in 2005 to Shayne Ward, and also represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.Before applying for The X Factor, Abraham was a refuse collector...
and was crowned as the winner of The X Factor 2005. He had not fallen into the bottom two throughout the entire competition, and won by a margin of 1.2% of the vote, out of a reported 10.8 million phone votes cast by viewers. Immediately after the competition, his X Factor mentor Louis Walsh became his manager under a joint venture with Global Publishing and Walsh Global Management.
| Week | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Audition | "Sacrifice" | To final 24 |
| Week 1 | "Right Here Waiting Right Here Waiting "Right Here Waiting" is a ballad recorded by Richard Marx on his second album, Repeat Offender. "Right Here Waiting" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the 700th song to do so. It also peaked at #2 in the United Kingdom.-Background and writing:... " |
Safe |
| Week 2 | "If You're Not the One If You're Not the One "If You're Not the One" is a pop song written by Daniel Bedingfield and produced by Mark Taylor for Bedingfield's debut album Gotta Get thru This... " |
Safe |
| Week 3 | "Summer of '69 Summer of '69 "Summer of '69" is a song recorded by Canadian recording artist Bryan Adams, from his fourth studio album, Reckless . The song was written by Adams and Jim Vallance, a long-time writing partner of Adams. "Summer of '69" was produced by Adams and Bob Clearmountain. It was released in June 1985 under... " |
Safe |
| Week 4 | "You Make Me Feel Brand New You Make Me Feel Brand New "You Make Me Feel Brand New" was a 1974 hit by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics. The song was written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed.An R&B ballad, it was the fifth track from their 1974 album, Let's Put It All Together and was released as a single and reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot... " |
Safe |
| Week 5 | "Cry Me a River Cry Me a River (Justin Timberlake song) "Cry Me a River" is the second single from Justin Timberlake's solo debut album Justified. Released on December 17, 2002, the single, which features guest vocals and production by Timbaland & Scott Storch, won Timberlake a Grammy Award for "Best Male Pop Vocal Performance" in 2004.-Background... " |
Safe |
| Week 6 | "A Million Love Songs A Million Love Songs "A Million Love Songs" is the penultimate single released by Take That from their debut album and was written by lead vocalist Gary Barlow at the age of 15.-Song information:... " |
Safe |
| Week 7 | "I Believe in a Thing Called Love I Believe in a Thing Called Love "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" is a 2003 single by the English rock band The Darkness. This was released as a single twice, the first time in August 2002 with "Love On The Rocks With No Ice" and "Love Is Only A Feeling." In September 2003, it was released as the third single off Permission to... " |
Safe |
| Week 8 | "Careless Whisper Careless Whisper "Careless Whisper" is a 1984 single by George Michael , released by Epic Records in the UK, Japan, and other countries; and by Columbia Records in North America. The song was George Michael's first solo single although he was still performing in Wham! at the time... " |
Safe |
| "Take Your Mama Take Your Mama "Take Your Mama" is a song by American band Scissor Sisters and is the second track on their self-titled debut album . It was released March 29, 2004 as a single in the UK, peaking at #17 in the UK Singles Chart... " |
||
| Semi-final | "If Tomorrow Never Comes If Tomorrow Never Comes "If Tomorrow Never Comes" served as the first single from Irish singer/songwriter Ronan Keating's second studio album, Destination. The song was produced by Steve Mac. The song peaked at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, as well as making the Top 10 in Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Germany,... " |
Safe |
| "Unchained Melody Unchained Melody "Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages.... " |
||
| Final | "If You're Not the One If You're Not the One "If You're Not the One" is a pop song written by Daniel Bedingfield and produced by Mark Taylor for Bedingfield's debut album Gotta Get thru This... " |
Winner |
| "When a Child Is Born When a Child Is Born "When a Child is Born" is a popular Christmas song. The original melody was "Soleado", a tune from 1972 by Ciro Dammicco , composer for the Italian group Daniel Santecruz Ensemble. The English language lyrics were written later by Fred Jay.... |
||
| "Over the Rainbow Over the Rainbow "Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie... " |
||
| "That's My Goal That's My Goal "That's My Goal" is a song, released in 2005 as the first single by Shayne Ward, the winner of the second series of X Factor. The song was first heard in the final of the aforementioned series, where it was performed by both Ward and X Factor runner up, Andy Abraham. The single was rush-released on... " |
2006–07: Life after X Factor and Shayne Ward
Immediately after his victory on The X Factor, Ward signed a recording contract with Syco Music and his first single, "That's My GoalThat's My Goal
"That's My Goal" is a song, released in 2005 as the first single by Shayne Ward, the winner of the second series of X Factor. The song was first heard in the final of the aforementioned series, where it was performed by both Ward and X Factor runner up, Andy Abraham. The single was rush-released on...
", was released in the UK on Wednesday, 21 December 2005. After selling 742,000 copies in the first week (including 313,000 on its first day), it became the Christmas number one single of 2005, held the top spot for four weeks and stayed in the top 75 until June 2006, a 21-week run. It became (at that time) the fourth fastest-selling UK single of all time, beaten only by Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's "Candle in the Wind
Candle in the Wind
"Candle in the Wind" is a song with music by Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It was originally written in 1973, in honour of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier....
", Will Young
Will Young
William Robert "Will" Young is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominenceafter winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise...
's "Anything Is Possible/Evergreen
Evergreen (Westlife song)
"Evergreen" is a pop song, co-written by Jörgen Elofsson, Per Magnusson and David Kreuger, and originally recorded by Westlife. The song appears on their album World of Our Own, and was released as a single, only in the Philippines, where it reached number 3 due to the insistent demand of their fans...
", and Gareth Gates
Gareth Gates
Gareth Paul Gates , is an English singer-songwriter. He was the runner-up in the first series of the ITV talent show Pop Idol. Gates has sold over 3.5 million records in the UK alone. He is also known for having a stutter, and has talked about his speech impediment publicly...
' "Unchained Melody
Unchained Melody
"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages....
" which sold 685,000, 403,000 and 335,000 copies in their first days of sale respectively. To date, "That's My Goal" has sold over 1.3 million copies in the UK. Ward also won an Ivor Nevello Award for being the Best Selling Single.
Ward's second single, "No Promises", a cover of a Bryan Rice
Bryan Rice
Brian Risberg Clausen, better known as Bryan Rice , is a Danish pop singer and songwriter.His debut single "No Promises" was a huge hit in Denmark in the fall of 2005/spring of 2006. The song was covered and released by British X Factor winner Shayne Ward reaching #2 in the official U.K...
song was released on 10 April 2006, and peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart. Shayne Ward
Shayne Ward (album)
Shayne Ward is the self-titled debut album by English pop singer and the second X Factor winner Shayne Ward. It was released on 17 April 2006 and debuted at the top position in both Ireland and the United Kingdom. Since its release, it has been certified platinum in the UK, selling 531,659 copies...
, his self-titled debut album was released on 17 April 2006. It sold 201,266 copies in the first week and entered the albums chart at number one. To date, the album has sold 520,000 copies in the UK and a further 2,000,000 worldwide, reaching number one in eight other countries. The album was certified platinum.
Ward's third single "Stand by Me
Stand by Me (Shayne Ward song)
"Stand by Me" is the third single from the second United Kingdom X Factor winner Shayne Ward. It was released in the UK on 10 July 2006. It is an original track from his debut album, Shayne Ward...
" failed to make the chart impact of the previous two, entering and peaking in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at number fourteen. It fared slightly better in the Irish charts however, reaching number nine.
It was confirmed in Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is frontman and lead vocalist of pop group Take That and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters...
's autobiography My Take
My Take
My Take is an autobiography by British singer/songwriter and lead member of Take That, Gary Barlow. "My Take" is his take on his childhood, breaking into the music scene, his years in Take That, after the band split, going solo and culminating in the reformation of the Take That to phenomenal...
, that in 2006, fellow Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
member, Jason Orange
Jason Orange
Jason Thomas Orange is an English musician and dancer. He is a member of the pop band Take That who gained popularity in the 1990s and are currently enjoying further success since their reunion in 2005.-Early fame and Take That:...
threatened to quit the band, and Ward was seriously considered as his replacement. Orange, however, later changed his mind and a replacement was not required.
In August 2006, it was reported that Ward had developed vocal cord nodules – the same condition that stopped the singing career of Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
– and was to be flown out to Los Angeles in early September to see a specialist surgeon. His manager, Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
, released a statement that he was confident Ward would be fine and would be back at work by the end of the month. Ward had successful treatment and was indeed able to return to his singing career. In November 2006, he released his autobiography entitled My Story. He travelled to several places around the UK for book signings, which hundreds of people attended. In early 2007, Ward embarked on a solo tour of UK & Republic of Ireland venues, taking in eighteen concerts in twenty-eight days from late January to mid-February. The tour commenced in Dublin on 21 January and ended in Birmingham on 17 February 2007.
2007–08: Touring and Breathless
After the completion of his successful debut tour, Ward's fourth single and first from his second album ("If That's OK with YouIf That's OK with You
"If That's OK with You" is a song written by Savan Kotecha, Arnthor Birgisson and Max Martin for The X Factor winner Shayne Ward from his second studio album "Breathless". It was released as his fourth single overall, a double A-side with "No U Hang Up"...
") was given a release date of 20 August 2007, but was then delayed and became a double A-side single with "No U Hang Up
No U Hang Up
"No U Hang Up" is a song written by Arnthor Birgisson, Rami Yacoub and Savan Kotecha and performed by The X Factor winner, Shayne Ward. The song was released as a double A-side single along with "If That's OK with You".-Charts:...
". It was finally released on 24 September 2007, and charted at number two in the UK being held off by the Sugababes
Sugababes
The Sugababes are an English pop girl group based in London, consisting of members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen. The Sugababes were formed in 1998 with founding members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. Their debut album, One Touch, was released in 2000 under London...
with "About You Now
About You Now
"About You Now" is a 2007 single by English girl group Sugababes, written by Cathy Dennis and producer Dr. Luke for the group's fifth studio album, Change...
". "No U Hang Up" and "If That's OK with You" charted separately in Ireland, the former reaching number eleven and the latter entering at number one.
Ward's second album, Breathless
Breathless (Shayne Ward album)
Breathless is the second solo studio album by British pop singer and winner of The X Factor, Shayne Ward. Record label Syco Music released it in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2007. The album is mostly written by Rami Yacoub, Arnthor Birgisson and Savan Kotecha. The album was commercially...
, was released on 26 November 2007, and after selling over 95,000 copies in its first week, debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, held off the top spot by his X Factor successor, Leona Lewis's, multi-platinum selling debut, Spirit
Spirit (Leona Lewis album)
Spirit is the debut album by British singer Leona Lewis, released by Syco Music in November 2007 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, followed by a worldwide release during early 2008...
. In Ireland, the album debuted at number one (removing Lewis's album from the top spot) a position it held for three weeks, and was later certified five times platinum.
The second single from Ward's album was announced as "Breathless
Breathless (Shayne Ward song)
"Breathless" is a song by the second United Kingdom X Factor winner Shayne Ward. It was released as his fifth single and 2nd and final single for his second album on November 19, 2007. On Valentine's day 2008 the song was announced as number 2 on the UK's greatest love songs of all time...
", and was released on 19 November 2007. It peaked at number six in the UK and number two in Ireland. On 10 November, Ward performed "Breathless" on the live results show of the fourth series of The X Factor, although the single was not available for download until the 18 November, followed by a performance on The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show was a BAFTA award-winning British comedy chat show hosted by Birkenhead-born comedian Paul O'Grady. The format was originally devised by Granada Television and was broadcast on ITV before moving to Channel 4...
on 19 November. In the UK the album has been certified platinum with sales of over 450,000.
In May 2008 Ward embarked on his month-long UK tour named The Breathless Tour 2008
The Breathless Tour 2008
The Breathless Tour is the second tour by English pop singer Shayne Ward. It took place in May 2008, in support of his second album Breathless. The tour commenced six months after the release of Breathless.-Background:...
. He made his stage debut at London's O2 Arena
The O2 arena (London)
The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of The O2, a large entertainment complex on the Greenwich peninsula in London, England.With a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on the event, it is second largest...
and visited his home town Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
at the MEN Arena. He also performed his complete show as a support act for Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
's 2008 tour
Back Home Tour
The Back Home Tour is a world tour by Irish boyband, Westlife in support of their 9th studio album, Back Home. The band will be touring the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand....
in front of a crowd of over 80,000 at Ireland's Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
. Ward also played on the opening night at The O2, Dublin
The O2, Dublin
The O2 is a 14,000-seat amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland, which opened on 16 December 2008. The venue is jointly owned by Live Nation and Harry Crosbie with Live Nation in charge of programme booking and operating the venue...
, at the Cheerios Childline concert on 16 December 2008.
2009–present: Obsession and leaving record label
Simon CowellSimon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
refused to release any further music by Ward for three years in favour of Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
and Susan Boyle
Susan Boyle
Susan Magdalane Boyle is a Scottish singer who came to international public attention when she appeared as a contestant on the TV programme Britain's Got Talent on 11 April 2009, singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from ...
, prompting manager Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
to stop managing Ward. Ward began working on his third album in 2009 with producers RedOne
RedOne
Nadir Khayat , known by the stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan producer and songwriter. Renowned for co-producing hit singles such as "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", "Alejandro" and "Judas", he is attributed by some as the key to Lady Gaga's success...
and Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz is a British singer-songwriter, record producer, occasional rapper, and entrepreneur. In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which Cruz wrote, arranged and produced himself. It achieved initial success in the UK and earned him a MOBO Award nomination...
. The album, titled Obsession
Obsession (Shayne Ward album)
Obsession is the third studio album by English pop singer Shayne Ward. It was released on 15 November 2010 in the United Kingdom, and on 8 February 2011 in the United States. Two retailer exclusive versions of the album will be available, with HMV offering a set of four bonus postcards and Play.com...
, was released on 15 November 2010. The singer worked with songwriters such as Savan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha is an American songwriter and vocal producer from Austin, Texas of Indian descent. Kotecha has sold over 60 million records with artists such as Usher, Enrique Iglesias, Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears, One Direction and Celine Dion...
, Quiz & Larossi
Quiz & Larossi
Andreas Romdhane and Josef Larossi have a studio based in the centre of Stockholm, Sweden. They have worked together since 1999 when they wrote songs for Lutricia McNeal. During their partnership they have written/produced songs for a wide variety of acts such as The Pussycat Dolls, Il Divo, Geri...
and Lucas Secon
Lucas Secon
Lucas Secon, also known by the stage name Lucas, is a world-renowned Danish-American Grammy , MTV Award and Emmy Award-nominated record producer, songwriter,Golden Poets Award winner, DJ, rapper, singer and artist/conceptualist. He lives in London, United Kingdom.Secon has contributed to seven...
, while the songs produced by RedOne and Taio Cruz will not be included. The first single from the album is a cover version of Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
's 2008 single, "Gotta Be Somebody
Gotta Be Somebody
"Gotta Be Somebody" is the first official single released from Nickelback's sixth studio album, Dark Horse. Originally, the lead single from the album was set to be "If Today Was Your Last Day" but was changed instead to "Gotta Be Somebody". The song was digitally delivered to all formats on...
". Ward's version was released on 7 November 2010 and reached number 12 in the UK and number 10 in Ireland. The video for the song premiered on 29 October 2010 and he performed the song on The X Factor
The X Factor (UK series 7)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a £1 million recording contract with the Syco Music record label. The seventh series started on ITV on 21 August 2010 and ended on 12 December 2010. The winner was Matt Cardle and...
on 7 November. Shayne also performed at the Miss World Pageant, which was held in Sanya, China. He did his first television appearance in over two years, on Live From Studio Five
Live from Studio Five
Live From Studio Five was an early evening, British magazine programme which was produced by Sky News for Channel 5. The show was presented by Kate Walsh and a line-up of other co-presenters during its run. It consisted of interviews and discussing topical issues, with an emphasis on showbusiness...
the day after his X Factor appearance, where he also performed his single. The album reached number 11 in Ireland on 19 November and peaked at number 15 in the UK on 21 November. On 8 March 2011, Shayne performed the title track from the album Obsession on The Alan Titchmarsh Show
The Alan Titchmarsh Show
The Alan Titchmarsh Show is a British daytime TV chat show broadcast between 3 and 4pm weekdays on the ITV Network.-Format:The programme made its debut on ITV in 2007. It focused on the theme of "The Best of British" focusing on food, entertainment and celebrities in a mid-afternoon slot...
. In an interview with Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
Ward stated that he hoped he could release a second single from the album. On 19 April 2011, it was reported that Syco Music had not renewed their recording contract with Ward due to the chart performance of Obsession. Ward later responded to the label's decision on his Twitter profile writing, "1 door closed, A Thousand more will open." On 9 June 2011, it was announced that Ward would star as Stacee Jaxx in 80s-themed musical Rock of Ages
Rock of Ages (musical)
Rock of Ages is a rock/jukebox musical, with a book by Chris D'Arienzo, built around classic rock hits from the 1980s, especially from the famous glam metal bands of the decade. The musical features songs from Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Steve Perry, Poison and Asia, among...
at the Shaftesbury Theatre
Shaftesbury Theatre
The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End Theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The theatre was designed for the brothers Walter and Frederick Melville by Bertie Crewe and opened on 26 December 1911 with a production of The Three Musketeers, as the New...
, London.
Discography
- Shayne WardShayne Ward (album)Shayne Ward is the self-titled debut album by English pop singer and the second X Factor winner Shayne Ward. It was released on 17 April 2006 and debuted at the top position in both Ireland and the United Kingdom. Since its release, it has been certified platinum in the UK, selling 531,659 copies...
(2006) - BreathlessBreathless (Shayne Ward album)Breathless is the second solo studio album by British pop singer and winner of The X Factor, Shayne Ward. Record label Syco Music released it in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2007. The album is mostly written by Rami Yacoub, Arnthor Birgisson and Savan Kotecha. The album was commercially...
(2007) - ObsessionObsession (Shayne Ward album)Obsession is the third studio album by English pop singer Shayne Ward. It was released on 15 November 2010 in the United Kingdom, and on 8 February 2011 in the United States. Two retailer exclusive versions of the album will be available, with HMV offering a set of four bonus postcards and Play.com...
(2010)