Steve Brookstein facts for kids

Stephen Desmond Brookstein (born 10 November 1968) is an English singer. He is most famous for winning the very first season of The X Factor in 2004.

Early Life and Start in Music

Steve Brookstein was born in Dulwich, London, England. His mother, Malle, worked for the local council, and his father, Errol, was a lorry driver. His dad is from South Africa, and his mom has roots in Estonia.

Before he became famous on The X Factor, Steve was already trying to make it in music. In 1997, seven years before his big break, he was a finalist on an ITV show called The Big Big Talent Show.

Winning The X Factor

In 2004, Steve decided to audition for the first season of The X Factor. This TV show aimed to find new singing stars in the UK. At his first audition, two of the judges, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh, weren't very impressed. They thought he didn't have enough confidence.

However, the third judge, Simon Cowell, asked Steve to come back and sing again the next day. Steve did, and this time he impressed all the judges. He made it through to the live shows, where viewers could vote for their favorite singers. Steve was in the "Over 25s" group, and Simon Cowell was his mentor.

Steve made it all the way to the grand final on 11 December 2004. He competed against a group called G4 and ended up winning! He even held the record for the most votes in a final for five years, with 6 million votes.

First Song and Album

After winning The X Factor, Steve signed a deal with the Sony BMG record label. His first song was a cover of "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins. It came out on 20 December 2004. The song quickly became a hit, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart in January 2005. It stayed at the top for one week. The music video for the song showed clips from his journey on The X Factor.

Steve released his first album, Heart and Soul, on 9 May 2005. Even though he performed songs from the album on TV, no second song was released from it.

Leaving the Record Label

In August 2005, just eight months after winning The X Factor, Steve was dropped by Sony BMG. This happened even though his first song and album were successful. Steve has said that he was offered a second album and a chance to return to the show, but he turned it down. He wanted to sing new songs, not just covers.

After this, Steve spoke out about The X Factor. He said the show was "one big theatre" and that it was "killing music." He also had disagreements with Simon Cowell, saying he felt upset about how he was treated.

Later Career and New Music

After his time with Sony BMG, Steve continued to perform. In 2008, he acted in a touring musical called Our House, playing the role of 'the father'.

In December 2009, a campaign started on Facebook to stop The X Factor winner from getting the Christmas number one song. Steve supported this campaign, which helped Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name" reach the top of the charts instead. He continued to share his thoughts about The X Factor and Simon Cowell.

In 2013, Steve announced that he was working on a new album called Forgotten Man. It was released on 23 March 2014.

He also wrote a book called Getting over the X, which came out on 21 November 2014. The book shares his experiences after winning The X Factor and how things changed for him in the music world.

Music Releases

Steve Brookstein has released several albums and singles.

Albums

Singles

Concert Tours

Steve Brookstein has also gone on several concert tours:

• The X Factor Live Tour (2005)
• The 40,000 Things Tour (2006)
• The Great American Soul Book Tour (2007)