Amelia Lily

Last updated

Amelia Lily
Amelia Lily.jpg
Lily performing in 2012
Background information
Birth nameAmelia Lily Oliver
Born (1994-10-16) 16 October 1994 (age 29)
Nunthorpe, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • television personality
Years active2011–present
Labels
Website amelialily.com

Amelia Lily Oliver (born 16 October 1994) is an English singer and television personality. In 2011, she became a finalist on the eighth series of The X Factor , where she finished in third place. In 2017, she finished as runner-up on the twentieth series of Celebrity Big Brother . In 2020, she began appearing in the MTV reality series Geordie Shore .

Contents

Following The X Factor, Lily signed a record deal with Sony, and released a single titled "You Bring Me Joy". The single peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, and number 21 in the Republic of Ireland. Lily's follow up single, "Shut Up (And Give Me Whatever You Got)", charted at 11 on the UK Singles Chart. Lily's third single, "Party Over", peaked within the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. [1] In 2015, Lily joined the cast of American Idiot , in the lead role of Whatsername.

Early life

The daughter of Aranka Bradley and Barry Horowitz, Amelia Lily Oliver was born in Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough on 16 October 1994. She was educated at Chandlers Ridge Primary School and Teesside High School. Lily began her musical career as a secondary school pupil by posting videos of herself singing on YouTube. [2] Her cover of Adele's "Someone Like You" garnered over 1 million views. [3] From the age of 13, she began writing songs with her guitar, and aspired to be a country singer. [4] She was also a figure skater for 6 years during her childhood. [4] She was also working on the tills at a garden centre in Nunthorpe. In a Sugarscape interview in August 2012, she revealed that she wanted to be a nun when she was younger. [5]

Career

In 2011, Lily auditioned for the eighth series of The X Factor in Liverpool in front of judges Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow, Kelly Rowland and Tulisa. She sang Erma Franklin's "Piece of My Heart" and won praise from all four judges. Barlow said, "...oh my goodness, 16 years old that was incredible. That absolutely lifted the top of this arena, well done. Amazing vocals. Amelia I am blown away..." [6]

She progressed through to bootcamp and then to judges' houses, where she sang "E.T." by Katy Perry in front of Rowland and guest judge Jennifer Hudson. Lily made it to the live shows in Rowland's Girls category (solo females aged 16–24), alongside Misha B, Janet Devlin and Sophie Habibis. She performed "Billie Jean" on the first live show (Britain vs America). The judges loved her performance with Walsh saying, "Amelia, you deserve to be on that stage"; Barlow also gave her thumbs-up, commenting, "That was a really great opening to the show", but she was the first of Kelly's four girls to be eliminated from the show on 9 October by her mentor as there was no public vote in the first live show. After her surprise elimination, Lily continued to perform at clubs. Prior to the sixth live show, it was announced that Frankie Cocozza was removed from the show after breaking competition rules and that the public would be given the chance to reinstate one of the four contestants eliminated during the first live show. Lily was voted back into the competition after winning 48.8% of the vote, beating duo 2 Shoes, James Michael and Jonjo Kerr. Her comeback performance of "The Show Must Go On" received critical acclaim from all the judges. She was automatically put through to week 7 by the public vote.

In week 7, she sang "Think" by Aretha Franklin. Despite positive comments from the judges, she was in the bottom two with Craig Colton, and was saved after Barlow and Tulisa voted to send Lily home while Rowland and Walsh voted to send Colton home. The result went to deadlock for the first time in the series. Lily advanced to the quarter-final in week 8 while Colton was sent home. In the quarter-final, Lily again received critical acclaim from the judges for her two performances: "China in Your Hand" and "Since U Been Gone", with Barlow commenting that her first performance was "really nice to hear it sung in tune". She automatically advanced to the semi-final in week 9 by the public vote. In the semi-final, she performed Motown classic "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "I'm with You" to win her place in the final. The next night, she won a place in the show's final at Wembley Arena. Throughout the series, she topped the public vote twice and was in the bottom two only once before reaching the finals, where she sang "Ain't No Other Man" and performed "River Deep – Mountain High" alongside Rowland. She finished the competition in third place.

Performances on The X Factor

EpisodeSongThemeResult
Audition"Piece of My Heart"Free choiceAdvanced
Bootcamp 1"You've Got the Love" (group performance)Bootcamp challengeAdvanced
Bootcamp 2"Nobody Knows"Bootcamp songsAdvanced
Judges' houses"E.T."Free choiceAdvanced
"You and I"Free choice
Live show 1"Billie Jean"Britain vs AmericaAxed by Kelly Rowland
Eliminated
Return voteN/AN/A1st (48.8%)
Reinstated
Live show 6"The Show Must Go On" Lady Gaga vs Queen 1st (27.4%)
Safe
Live show 7"Think"Movies5th (11.3%)
Bottom two
Results show 7"You and I" (final showdown performance)Save me songAdvanced to the quarter-final via deadlock
Quarter-Final"China in Your Hand"Guilty pleasures1st (23.8%)
Safe
"Since U Been Gone"Musical heroes
Semi-Final"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Motown 3rd (21.4%)
Safe
"I'm with You"Song to get you to the final
Final"Ain't No Other Man"Free choice3rd (26.5%)
Eliminated
"River Deep – Mountain High"
(with Kelly Rowland)
Mentor duet

After Lily embarked on the X Factor Live Tour 2012 which took place in cities across the UK and Ireland, it was announced that she had signed a £500,000 record deal with Sony subsidiary Xenomania. [7] In September 2012, she released her debut single, "You Bring Me Joy", which reached number one on iTunes following its release, [8] eventually charting at number two in the UK. [9] Her second single, "Shut Up (And Give Me Whatever You Got)", was released in January 2013, peaking at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. Her third single, "Party Over", was released in April 2013 [10] and reached number 40.

Her debut album was planned to be released on 29 April 2013, [11] and was to be titled Be a Fighter. Lily described the album as featuring an eclectic range of genres—"There's a bit of dubstep on there as well which I think will surprise people! The sound is all over the place but I think the record works because we've only included songs that I really connected with." [12] Lily announced in July 2013 that the album's release had been postponed to record new material for it as she wanted it to be "perfect". [13] Be a Fighter appeared on online retailers later in 2013 with a new release date of 4 February 2014, but was subsequently taken down.

Lily was the support act for Girls Aloud's arena tour, Ten: The Hits Tour, participating from 21 February to 20 March 2013. [14] Lily was also the main support act for Olly Murs's gig at the INTRO Festival. [15] She also performed at Allstarz Summer Party at Madejski Stadium in Reading [16] and later Chester Rocks at Chester Racecourse in June 2013, both of which were alongside Jessie J and Lawson.

In July 2014, Lily announced the release of a single titled "California" with Warner Music, due for release 7 September 2014. Lily released the music video for "California" on 25 July 2014. In 2016, a CD featuring the explicit version of "California" appeared online, including two new tracks, "The Best Of Me Yet (Greatest Night)" and "U Get Me".

In November 2014, it was announced that Lily would be replacing Marcus Collins in the UK tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat [17] from February 2015. In May 2015, the London Evening Standard announced that Lily would be taking on the role of Whatsername when Green Day's American Idiot came to London. [18]

In 2017, Lily competed in the twentieth series of Celebrity Big Brother . She left the house on Day 25 as the runner up behind Sarah Harding. [19] Lily returned to the musical theatre stage in the 2017–2018 UK tour of Shrek the Musical in the role of Princess Fiona. [20] In October 2019, it was announced that Lily had joined the cast of the MTV reality series Geordie Shore . [21] In September 2022, Lily started hosting her own podcast called "The Talent Factory: Inside the Music Machine", on BBC Radio One. [22]

Artistry

Lily credits Pink as her major musical influence and idol. [23] She also admires Kelly Clarkson, and cited her as her hero during The X Factor, singing one of her songs in the show's quarter final, "Since U Been Gone". [24]

Personal life

Lily is a Type 1 diabetic, having been diagnosed with the condition aged three. [25] She is the sister of Any Dream Will Do 's Lewis Bradley. [26] [27] Her father, John Barry Oliver, was the manager of Billingham Town. [28]

Discography

Singles

As lead artist

YearTitlePeak chart positions Certifications Album
UK
[29]
IRE
[30]
NL
[31]
SCO
[32]
2012"You Bring Me Joy"221672Non-album singles
2013"Shut Up (And Give Me Whatever You Got)"11638
"Party Over"4036
2014"California"8343
"—" denotes single that did not chart or was not released.
YearTitlePeak chart positionsAlbum
UK
[34]
IRE
[35]
SCO
[36]
2011"Wishing on a Star"
(as part of The X Factor Finalists 2011 featuring JLS and One Direction)
111Charity single

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dannii Minogue</span> Australian singer and actress (born 1971)

Dannii Minogue is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. She first gained recognition for her appearances on the television show Young Talent Time (1982–1988) and for her role as Emma Jackson on the soap opera Home and Away (1989–1990). Minogue began her music career in the early 1990s, achieving early success with her debut studio album, Love and Kisses (1991), which was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry, and included the hit singles "Love and Kisses", "Baby Love", "Jump to the Beat" and "Success". Following the release of her second studio album, Get into You (1993), Minogue's popularity as a singer had declined, leading her to make a name for herself with award-winning performances in theatre productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Barlow</span> British musician and television personality (born 1971)

Gary Barlow is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the British pop group Take That.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China in Your Hand</span> 1987 single by TPau

"China in Your Hand" is a song by English pop group T'Pau from their debut studio album, Bridge of Spies (1987). A re-recorded version was released as a single in October 1987, spending five weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart. "China in Your Hand" was the 600th single to top the UK chart and kept George Harrison's "Got My Mind Set on You" from hitting the top spot. The song also reached number one in Belgium, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland. In 2015, the song was voted by the British public as the nation's 11th favourite 1980s number one in a poll for ITV, and in 2017 was chosen by The Daily Telegraph as one of the 21 best power ballads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheryl (singer)</span> English singer and television personality (born 1983)

Cheryl Ann Tweedy is an English singer and television personality. Born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, she rose to fame in late 2002 upon winning a place in Girls Aloud, a girl group created through ITV's Popstars: The Rivals. While still in the group, she began a solo career in April 2009, and between then and 2014, she released four studio albums – 3 Words (2009), Messy Little Raindrops (2010), A Million Lights (2012) and Only Human (2014). Collectively, the albums included ten singles, five of which – "Fight for This Love", "Promise This", "Call My Name", "Crazy Stupid Love" and "I Don't Care" – reached the top position on the UK Singles Chart. Cheryl was the first British female solo artist to have five number-one singles in the UK, and she held the record until Jess Glynne overtook her in 2018.

<i>The X Factor</i> (British TV series) British reality television music competition

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 British entertainment company, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Burke</span> British singer, songwriter, actress (born 1988)

Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She won the fifth series of the talent television show The X Factor in 2008. Following the show, she was signed to Syco Music and released the winner's single "Hallelujah", which became the European record holder for the most singles sold over a period of 24 hours, selling 105,000 in one day, and became the top-selling single of 2008 in the UK and the UK's Christmas 2008 number one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olly Murs</span> English singer-songwriter (born 1984)

Oliver Stanley Murs is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence after participating on the sixth series of the television talent show The X Factor in 2009, where he finished as runner-up. Following the show, Murs was signed to RCA Records and Sony Music in the United Kingdom, and Columbia Records in the United States.

<i>The X Factor</i> (British TV series) series 8 British TV competition

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Down for Whatever</span> 2011 single by Kelly Rowland featuring The WAV.s

"Down for Whatever" is a song by American recording artist Kelly Rowland featuring production collective The WAV.s, taken from Rowland's third studio album Here I Am (2011). The song was released on October 26, 2011. The Eurodance driven up-tempo song is the album's third international single and sixth overall and final single, released from October 26, 2011, by Universal Motown and Universal Music. "Down for Whatever" was written by Teddy Sky and Bilal Hajji and co-written and produced by RedOne, Jimmy Joker and The WAV.s. The song has been described as a Eurodance and Electro music. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who say that the song is as catchy as Rowland's previous dance hits, "When Love Takes Over" and "Commander". It was also described as a "Radio friendly song".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitty Brucknell</span> English singer

Kimberley Dayle Edwards, formerly known professionally as Kitty Brucknell, is an English pop singer. She rose to fame as a finalist on the eighth series of The X Factor in 2011, where she finished in seventh place.

Marcus Collins is an English singer who was a finalist on the eighth series of The X Factor in 2011. He was mentored by Take That frontman Gary Barlow, who continued to work with him on his debut album.

<i>The X Factor</i> (British TV series) series 9 Season of television series

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The ninth series began airing on ITV on 18 August 2012 and ended on 9 December 2012. Dermot O'Leary returned as presenter of the main show on ITV, whilst Caroline Flack and Olly Murs returned to co-present The Xtra Factor on ITV2. Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow and Tulisa returned as judges. Nicole Scherzinger was confirmed as the fourth permanent judge after Geri Halliwell, Leona Lewis, Rita Ora, Mel B, Anastacia and Scherzinger herself stood in as guest judges for the vacant position left by Kelly Rowland. After the show of 8 December, two of Scherzinger's acts, James Arthur and Jahméne Douglas, became the top two, meaning that Scherzinger was guaranteed to win. Arthur was announced as the winner on 9 December, and released a cover of Shontelle's "Impossible" as his winner's song. As of 2016, it is the most successful winner's single in the show's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet Devlin</span> Northern Irish singer

Janet Maureen Aoife Devlin is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter who competed in the eighth series of The X Factor in 2011, where she finished in fifth place. Her debut album Hide & Seek was released in 2013. After a string of EPs and singles, her second studio album Confessional was released in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Misha B</span> British singer

Misha Amber Bryan, known by her stage name Misha B, is a British singer. She rose to notability as a finalist on the eighth series of The X Factor in 2011, where she finished in fourth place. Several sources have noted her powerful vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Bring Me Joy (Amelia Lily song)</span> 2012 single by Amelia Lily

"You Bring Me Joy" is the debut single by British singer Amelia Lily. The song premiered on The Hits Radio on 7 July 2012, after the radio premiere the song leaked online the following day. Officially it was released in the United Kingdom on 9 September 2012 through Sony Music. The song was written by Annie Yuill, Brian Higgins, Carla Marie Williams, Fred Falke, Luke Fitton, Matt Gray, Miranda Cooper, Owen Parker, Toby Scott and produced by Xenomania.

<i>The X Factor</i> (British TV series) series 10 British TV competition

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The tenth series began airing on ITV on 31 August, and finished on 15 December 2013. Dermot O'Leary returned to present the main show on ITV and Caroline Flack was back to present spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2, along with comedian Matt Richardson, who replaced Olly Murs. Flack also presented backstage segments during the live shows. Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow and Nicole Scherzinger returned as judges for their respective tenth, third and second series, with Sharon Osbourne returning to replace Tulisa after five series away. This was Barlow's final series as a judge. Osbourne and Scherzinger also departed the series, but reprised their roles as judges with Walsh again in series 13 and series 14.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Party Over</span> 2013 single by Amelia Lily

"Party Over" is a song recorded by British singer Amelia Lily. Written by Lily, Brian Higgins, Matt Gray, Miranda Cooper, Wayne Hector and Annie Yuil, and produced by Xenomania, It was released on 21 April 2013 and debuted at number 40 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Bailey</span> English pop singer

Samantha Florence Bailey is an English pop singer who won the tenth series of The X Factor in 2013. Following her win, her debut single, a cover of Demi Lovato's "Skyscraper" was released on 15 December 2013, achieving the Christmas number one on 22 December 2013. She was the first X Factor winner in three years to gain the Christmas number one spot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let Me Go (Gary Barlow song)</span> 2013 single by Gary Barlow

"Let Me Go" is a song by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow. It was released in Ireland on 15 November 2013 and in the United Kingdom on 17 November 2013 as the lead single from his fourth solo album, Since I Saw You Last (2013). It was written by Barlow and produced by Steve Power. "Let Me Go" peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart, becoming Barlow's sixth solo top 10 hit in the UK.

References

  1. "AMELIA LILY". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  2. "Amelia Lily". AllMusic . Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  3. "Amelia Lily - X Factor - Adele - Someone Like You". YouTube. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Amelia Lily interview". Mark Meets Magazine. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  5. "Exclusive Amelia Lily: 'I wanted to be a nun when I was younger'". SugarScape. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  6. "Tellymix.co.uk". September 2011.
  7. "'X Factor' Amelia Lily 'lands three-album record deal'". Digital Spy. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  8. "Amelia Lily hits number one on iTunes with 'You Bring Me Joy'". Digital Spy. 10 September 2012.
  9. "The Script beat Amelia Lily to score first UK No.1 single". Digital Spy. 16 September 2012.
  10. Copsey, Robert (21 February 2013). "Amelia Lily previews new single 'Party Over' - listen". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  11. Corner, Lewis (27 February 2013). "Amelia Lily debuts new single 'Party Over' - listen". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  12. "Amelia Lily: 'New album has dubstep, soul'". Digital Spy. 7 August 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  13. Amelia Lily still working on debut album: 'I want it to be perfect' Digital Spy
  14. Copsey, Robert (19 February 2013). "Amelia Lily to support Girls Aloud UK arena tour". Digital Spy . Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  15. Pain, Andrew (28 February 2013). "Amelia Lily to support at Olly Murs gig in Middlesbrough". Evening Gazette. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  16. Barnes, Becky. "Review: Allstarz Summer Party at Madejski Stadium" . Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  17. "X Factor's Amelia Lily joins Joseph tour as Narrator". WhatsOnStage.com. 10 February 2015.
  18. "X Factor finalist thanks Simon Cowell as she makes West End debut as". London Evening Standard. May 2015.
  19. "Sarah Harding crowned Celebrity Big Brother winner, amid controversy and boos". The Telegraph. 26 August 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  20. "Amelia Lily joins the UK tour cast of Shrek the Musical". whatsonstage.com. 3 November 2017.
  21. "Amelia Lily joins Geordie Shore cast and X Factor fans are in total shock". Chronicle Live . Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  22. "X Factor star Amelia Lily on lasting impact the show had on her life and why it'll never be as good as it used to be". Metro . Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  23. "Amelia Lily - Bio". Heat . Archived from the original on 26 November 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  24. "Amelia does Kelly... Clarkson not Rowland - The X Factor 2011 Live Show 8 (Full Version)". YouTube. TheXFactorUK. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  25. "Amelia Lily - Diabetes UK". Diabetes UK. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  26. "Lewis Bradley on sister Amelia Lily's X Factor exit". gazettelive. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  27. "Amelia Lily banned from X Factor romance despite Geordie Shore texts". chroniclelive. 9 October 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  28. "Billingham Town make X Factor star Amelia-Lily's dad club manager". 30 June 2015.
  29. "Amelia Lily > UK Charts". Official Charts Company. officialcharts.com/.
  30. "Discography Amelia Lily". irish-charts.com. Hung Medien.
  31. Hung, Steffen. "Discografie Amelia Lily". Dutch Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
  32. Peak positions for Scotland:
  33. "Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (enter "Amelia Lily" into the "Keywords" box, then select "Search") on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  34. Peak positions for the featured singles in the UK:
  35. Peak positions for the featured singles in Ireland:
  36. Peak positions for the featured singles in Scotland: