Steve Brookstein

Stephen "Steve" Desmond Brookstein (born 10 November 1968) is a British jazz and soul singer, who rose to fame in the United Kingdom after becoming the winner of the first series of The X Factor in 2004. After winning The X-Factor, Steve Brookstein was immediately signed to the Sony BMG record label through which he released his first single, a cover of "Against All Odds" on 20 December 2004. The song debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 2 and then rose to the number 1 spot on 8 January 2005, and stayed there for one week. In Ireland, the song peaked at number 11. The music video for the song was a montage of clips from his time on The X-Factor, from his initial audition to his final performance after being declared the winner. Brookstein released his debut album Heart and Soul on 9 May 2005 through Sony BMG, five months after his first single reached number one. The album was an immediate success, also debuting on the UK charts at number-one and going on to sell approximately 250,000 copies. Although Brookstein continued to perform tracks from his album on shows such as CD:UK, a second single failed to materialise. In August 2005 it was announced that Sony BMG had dropped him from their line-up only eight months after he won The X-Factor and despite the success of his debut single and album. The decision to drop him reportedly came after he refused to record a second album of covers, instead arguing that his next release should include a number of original, self-penned songs. After being dropped by Sony BMG, Brookstein spent the next year writing his own material and forming his own record label. On 2 October 2006, he released his second single (and first from his upcoming album) "Fighting Butterflies" independently. Although accompanied and promoted by a music video, the song failed to crack the UK Top 75. Undeterred, Brookstein released his second album 40,000 Things on 9 October 2006. However, the album also failed to chart. Sunday Mirror columnist Carole Malone joked that the album's title was prophetic as "that's [40,000 things] what will be left in Woolworths' bargain bin". From September to November 2006, Brookstein embarked on a nationwide tour of small venues in order to promote his new album. Many of the shows were sold out, but several had to be cancelled due to low ticket sales. In June 2007, Brookstein appeared as a cabaret act on the P&O Portsmouth to Bilbao ferry, alongside series 2 X-Factor alumni Chico Slimani and Journey South. In October 2007, Brookstein recorded and contributed the track "Head Over Heels" for Ian Levine's Disco 2008 album. In September 2007, Brookstein embarked on his Great American Soul Book tour, and is currently writing and recording new material. In 2008, he is to play the father in a touring production of the musical Our House.