Leon Jackson Scottish pop singer Date of Birth: 30.12.1988 Country: Great Britain

Biography of Leon Jackson

Leon Jackson was a Scottish pop singer who rose to fame after winning the fourth season of the popular British talent show, "The X Factor," in 2007. He was born on December 30, 1988, in Whitburn, West Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom. Throughout his life, Leon lived in Whitburn with his mother, Wendy. Sadly, he lost his father, Philip, on October 14, 2007, due to complications from the flu.

Before his music career took off, Leon worked as a sales assistant in retail stores. However, in 2007, he participated in a karaoke competition with his friends, and that's when he discovered his passion for singing. Leon became a huge fan of contemporary jazz, considering Michael Bublé as his ultimate hero.

Prior to making it to the finals of "The X Factor," Leon had planned to pursue an architecture course at Napier University. In 2007, he auditioned for the fourth season of the show in Glasgow and eventually emerged as the winner on December 15, 2007. As the champion, Leon secured a $1 million contract with Syco Music/Sony BMG, with Dannii Minogue becoming his manager.

Leon's victory on "The X Factor" was considered the biggest shock in the history of reality television betting, as he was initially an outsider. The winner was determined by public voting, and Leon won by a margin of approximately 10%. Many viewers accused the independent regulator, Ofcom, responsible for ensuring the fairness of the vote count, for not being able to vote for Rhydian Roberts. However, Ofcom investigated the issue and concluded that no illegal harm was done to Roberts.

In December 2007, Leon had the opportunity to perform alongside his idol, Michael Bublé, at Wembley Arena, where they sang a duet of Bublé's song, "Home." Leon described it as the highlight of his life.

On February 11, 2008, Leon started the "X Factor Live" tour at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, along with other contestants from the 2007 reality show. He continued performing on various stages across the UK until March 21, when the "X Factor" 2007 officially concluded at the Wembley Arena.

Simon Cowell stated that Leon's debut album would not be released immediately, but would follow the success of Leona Lewis' album, "Spirit," the winner of the show's third season. "Spirit" was released 11 months after Leona's victory and achieved global success. Leon's debut album, titled "Right Now," was set to be released on October 20, 2008. Following his debut single, "When You Believe," the song "Don't Call This Love" would also be released. Leon performed this brand-new single on "The X Factor" on October 11, 2008.