Alexandra Burke 2008 X Factor Winner
The winner of X Factor 2008 had previously auditioned for the show in 2005 and had managed to get as far as the judges selection stage, but she was rejected by Louis Walsh in his house in Dublin on the basis that she was too young. 2008 was her year and as the rounds went on, her vocal superiority, all round entertainment value led her to the final in an outright favorite position.
Alexandra won the prize of a recording contract with Simon Cowell's Syco record label, reputed to be worth £1million. Cowell was rewarded almost immediately by selling 105,000 copies of her debut single 'Hallelujah' in a single day,establishing a new European record for single sales in one day. As Christmas no.1,sales passed the 1 million mark by the first week of January 2009.
Her debut album "Overcome" was released on 26th October 2009 and it went on to be certified platinum in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
