Oritsé Williams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Oritsé Williams
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Oritsé at LCM 2016
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Oritsé Jolomi Matthew Soloman Williams
27 November 1986 London, England
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| Years active | 2006–present |
| Children | 1 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
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| Signature | |
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Oritsé Jolomi Matthew Soloman Williams (born 27 November 1986), known as Oritsé, is a British singer. He is famous for being a founding member of the boy band JLS. The band became well-known after finishing second on the TV show The X Factor in 2008. JLS sold over 10 million records worldwide. Oritsé also won the dancing competition Stepping Out in 2013.
Contents
Early Life and Inspiration
Oritsé Williams was born in London on November 27, 1986. His family comes from Nigeria. From a young age, Oritsé was inspired by his mother, who had multiple sclerosis. This experience made him want to help find a cure for the condition. He planned to do this through his love of music.
He went to Larmenier & Sacred Heart Primary School in West London. There, he learned to play the trumpet. He also attended the British International School in Lagos, Nigeria, and Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School.
Music Career with JLS
Forming the Band
In 2007, Oritsé and his brother came up with a big plan. His brother wanted to become a scientist to find a cure for MS. Oritsé decided to support this goal through his music. He formed a boy band called UFO, which stood for "Unique Famous Outrageous." The other members were Aston Merrygold, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill.
In 2008, UFO tried out for the fifth season of The X Factor. They had to change their name to JLS ("Jack the Lad Swing") because another band was already called UFO. JLS did very well on the show. They reached the final and came in second place, behind Alexandra Burke.
JLS's Success
After The X Factor, JLS became very popular. They sold more than 10 million records around the world. They had four albums that reached the top three in the UK. They also had five songs that went to number one in the UK. JLS won five MOBO Awards and two BRIT Awards for their music.
On April 24, 2013, JLS announced that they would be splitting up. This happened after they released their fifth album, Goodbye – The Greatest Hits. The band members wanted their fans to hear the news directly from them. When they talked about splitting up on the TV show Alan Carr: Chatty Man, Oritsé became very emotional. His bandmate Marvin Humes comforted him.
Life After JLS
Winning Stepping Out
In 2013, Oritsé took part in the ITV dancing show Stepping Out. He danced with his girlfriend at the time, Aimee Jade "AJ" Azari. They made it to the final. On September 28, 2013, Oritsé and AJ won the competition.
| Week | Dance | Judges' scores | Result | |||
| Wayne Sleep | Mel B | Jason Gardiner | Total | |||
| 1 | Tap dance | 8 8 |
10 10 |
9 8 |
53 | Safe |
| 2 | Salsa | 8 9 |
10 10 |
9 10 |
56 | Safe |
| 3 | Quickstep | 9 10 |
10 10 |
8 8 |
55 | Safe |
| 4 | Bollywood | 10 10 |
10 10 |
10 10 |
60 | Safe |
| 4 | Jazz | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 | Safe |
| 5 | Rumba/Salsa | 10, 10 10, 10 |
10, 10 10, 10 |
10, 9 10, 10 |
119 | Winners |
Solo Music and New Name
After JLS, Oritsé started his solo music career. He changed his stage name to OWS. He announced his first solo album, Waterline, which was released in June 2015. It was available on iTunes.
Other Projects and Charity Work
Products and Endorsements
In 2010, "Oritsé dolls" were released, along with dolls for the other JLS members. New dolls came out when JLS launched their second album, Outta This World.
JLS also had their own line of hoodies. Oritsé's hoodie was red. In 2010, Oritsé and the other JLS members appeared in TV adverts for Nintendo Wii Party. JLS also took part in the Walkers crisps "Make sandwich more exciting" advertising campaign. Their performance at Sandwich Technology School was shown in a TV ad with other famous people.
Helping Others: Philanthropy
Oritsé and the other JLS members started "The JLS Foundation." This foundation raises money for six different charities. These include Cancer Research UK, Rays of Sunshine, Brook, Childline, Beat Bullying, and the MS Society. Even after the band split, the foundation continues its work.
Oritsé was an ambassador for the MS Society. This charity helps raise money and awareness for Multiple sclerosis. This cause is very important to Oritsé because his mother was diagnosed with MS when he was young.
All the money from the JLS number one song "Love You More" went to Children in Need. In 2012, JLS performed at the "Children in Need Rocks Manchester" concert. They sang "Take a Chance on Me." In 2013, JLS sang a mix of their songs on the EastEnders set for Children in Need.
Oritsé and JLS also helped raise money for Comic Relief. They appeared in funny sketches with comedians like Miranda Hart and James Corden.
In 2012, all the JLS members visited Uganda for Sport Relief. They appeared in emotional videos shown during the Sport Relief night. That same year, JLS released the official Sport Relief charity song, "Proud." It reached number 6 on the UK Singles chart. They also hosted a special concert called "JLS sing for Sport Relief" and took part in the Sport Relief Mile.
JLS has been part of five charity singles in total:
- "Hero" with The X Factor 2008 finalists (for Help for Heroes)
- "Wishing on a Star" with The X Factor finalists and One Direction (for Together for Short Lives)
- "Love You More" (for Children in Need)
- "Proud" (for Sport Relief)
- "Everybody Hurts" (for Helping Haiti)
Four of these five charity songs reached number one on the Official UK Singles chart.
Images for kids
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Oritsé's signature
