Rebecca Ferguson

Having shown a passion for singing and songwriting since her childhood, Rebecca Ferguson made her first foray into music after appearing in 2004's series of "The X Factor," unable to impress the judges due to her shy demeanor and lack of confidence. In the preceding years, she wound up working as a legal secretary in her home town of Liverpool, England, deciding again to take her chances on "The X Factor" in 2010.

This time round, Ferguson was able to progress right through the competition, eventually losing out in the finals to Matt Cardle. Her impressive, smoky vocals grabbed the attention of the judges, recalling the tone of Amy Winehouse and Nina Simone. Despite not winning the competition, she still signed with Cowell's Sony imprint, Syco, releasing her debut album, "Heaven," in 2011. The album spawned the hit single, "Nothing's Real But Love," with the album peaking at number three in the UK album charts, as well as performing well in a number of European countries.

Following a sold-out UK headline tour, Ferguson travelled to the US in 2013, touring heavily across the country, building anticipation for her follow-up release. "Freedom" arrived later that year, again finding commercial success in a number of countries. Ferguson's third album, "Lady Sings the Blues" was announced for a release date of March 2015, as a collection of blues standards, recorded alongside musicians that had previously worked with the music legend, Frank Sinatra.