Ben Haenow

X Factor Winner Ben Haenow Has Been Dropped By Syco, Sob

He could always be a man in a van again.

Friday, January 29, 2016 - 12:22

Sorry to burst your happy Friday bubble, but Ben Haenow has been dropped by Simon Cowell's record label just a year after winning the X Factor.

WHYYYYYY.

The singer, who won our hearts back in 2014, confirmed the news via a lengthy tweet as he promised fans this is not the end.

"So I wanted to let you all know directly from me, that after what has been the most incredible experience working on my debut album, myself and Syco entertainment have decided to part ways," he wrote.

Hey guys X Sorry I've been a bit quiet on here recently, been a crazy few weeks! So I wanted to let you all (cont) https://t.co/D98AnTTtwK
— Ben Haenow (@BenHaenow) January 28, 2016

Though he was keen to iterate that it was a mutual decision: "After discussions with the Syco team we both felt it was the right time to move on."

"I am very excited about this next chapter. I'm already writing and in talks about about the next album . there are going to be a few changes to my upcoming tour dates, but I'll let you know all the details very soon," Ben assured.

Despite Ben's efforts with his self-titled debut album and a hit single with Kelly Clarkson, his latest single Slamming Doors failed to even chart.

As for 2015 winner Louisa Johnson? Well the odds for her to be dropped next are 5/1…

The X Factor Stars: Where Are They Now?

We were obsessed with them at the time but where are our once-beloved The X Factor stars now? From Ben Haenow to One Direction find out who's playing with Beyoncé, who's playing on ferrys,and who Leon Jackson is.

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Steve Brookstein won the first series of The X Factor in 2004 and held the record for most votes received in a final, a whopping 6million, until Joe McElderry knocked him off the top spot. Sadly, from these glittering heights, the only way was down.

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Steve was dropped by Sony BMG just eight months after winning the show. In 2007 he was performing on the Portsmouth to Bilbao ferry and has since said that Simon Cowell "ruined Christmas" with the X Factor's winners' singles. Bitter much?

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Shayne Ward romped home to victory in Series 2. His winner's track, That's My Goal, was the third fastest selling single of all time in the UK, behind Elton John's Candle in the Wind and Will Green's Evergreen, but now we can't hum a single note.

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Shayne's now big news in knickers having strolled onto the cobbles of Coronation Street with his eye firmly set on Underworld in summer 2015. His music career's not too shabby either, his fourth album, Closer, went to number 17 the same year.

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Animal lover Leona Lewis became the first woman to win The X Factor in 2006. Her first album, Spirit, released in 2007, went an incredible 10 times platinum in the UK and has sold over 8million copies worldwide. Go Leona!

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Leona's sold more than 20million records worldwide, won an MTV video award and three World Music Awards. She wrote the theme tune to Avatar and in 2014 made her film acting début in Walking on Sunshine. Not bad going. Not bad going at all.

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Confession time: we don't remember Leon Jackson from 2007 at all, yet he stormed to victory in Series 4 of The X Factor. However, his career since has been simply spectacular...

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...spectacularly insignificant that is. Leon was dropped by Sony BMG after his first album sold a paltry 130,00 copies and he was last heard of co-writing with The Voice contestant Vince Kidd. Yeah, us neither. Sorry, Leon.

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Music's in Alexandra Burke's blood, her mum was the lead singer in Soul II Soul of Back To Life fame. And her musical heritage paid off when Alexandra became the second woman to win The X Factor in 2008.

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Alexandra's gorgeous version of Hallelujah was the biggest selling single of 2008. She returned to The X Factor as a guest judge in Series 8, the only contestant to ever do so, and in 2015 starred in the stage version of The Bodyguard.

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Did anyone think Joe McElderry would win The X Factor Series 6 in 2009? Our money was on Olly Murs or Stacey Solomon to be honest, both of whom have done better than Joe since, musically...

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...but Joe's the winner in other ways, quite literally. He took the crown in both Popstar to Operastar in 2011 and The Jump in 2014. He simply can't lose at reality TV! Now, if only we could get him a stint in the jungle or on Celeb Big Bro.

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We didn't predict Matt Cardle as the winner of Series 7 in 2010, as competition from Cher Lloyd, One Direction and ahem, Wagner, was fierce. But Matt and his hat won the day and single When We Collide sold more than 1million copies.

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Matt's still working in music, and in 2015 he took on the lead role in Memphis the musical. However, his success is at nothing compared to the undoubted winners of The X Factor series 7. Who do you think we could mean....?

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One Direction, of course! Back in 2010, Harry, Liam, Niall, Zayn and Louis auditioned for The X Factor but Simon Cowell didn't think they cut the mustard – alone. He formed them into a group and...

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...well, you know what happened next. MAGIC. Magic is what happened next.

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In 2011, Perry, Jesy, Jade and Leigh-Anne also walked into auditions for The X Factor as solo artists. Tulisa saw their potential but decided that the sum was greater than the parts, and Little Mix went on to be the first group to ever win the show.

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Tulisa's little muffins are huge on both sides of the Atlantic and are even producing some actual tunes. “Salute! Salute!” anyone? Don't mind if we do.

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James Arthur was another very unlikely looking popstar when he walked into The X Factor Series 9 auditions in 2012. But his down-to-earth charm, and a Cowell job on his gnashers, helped him take the crown.

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But just a year later, iTunes was offering to refund customers who'd bought his album following a slew of complaints about the lyrics. Oh, James. Where did it all go wrong?

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On a cheerier note, there was also Rylan Clark in series 9. It was never, in all honesty, about the musicianship with Rylan. It was about the SHOWMANSHIP. And, goodness, he had that in oodles.

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He still has it now. The model, turned singer, turned Celebrity Big Brother winner, turned BBOTS presenter, turned Celebrity MasterChefer, can do no wrong in our eyes. We are, and will forever be, Team Rylan.

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Sam Bailey is very lovely and all, but we're still not quite sure how she managed to walk away the winner of The X Factor Series 10 in 2013. However, in February 2014, Sam supported actual Beyoncé for a date on the Mrs Carter tour. Hats off.

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Sorry, Sam who?

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Chirpy Ben Haenow galloped to victory in series 11 of The X Factor last year. He was never in the bottom two and got the most public votes from week four until the end of the competition. The public just loved him!

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But do the public still love him? Alas, not so much. After beating Uptown Funk to the Christmas number one spot in 2014 (no mean feat) Ben has been absent from the music scene. Rumour says he's recording an album so watch this space.

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The X Factor returns to ITV later this year.

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Ben Haenow

X Factor Winner Ben Haenow Has Been Dropped By Syco, Sob

The X Factor Stars: Where Are They Now?

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