Steve Brookstein facts for kids

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

Early Life and Start in Music

Stephen Brookstein was born in Dulwich, a part of 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 well-known on The X Factor, Steve had already tried his luck on TV. In 1997, seven years before his big win, he was a finalist on another ITV show called The Big Big Talent Show.

Music Career

Winning The X Factor and First Album

In 2004, Steve Brookstein tried out for the first season of The X Factor. This TV show aimed to find new music stars in the UK. At his first audition, two of the judges, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh, were not very impressed. They thought he didn't have enough drive or confidence. However, the third judge, Simon Cowell, asked Steve to come back the next day and sing again.

At his second audition, Steve managed to impress all the judges and moved on in the competition. He made it to the live shows, where people watching at home could vote for their favorite singers. Steve was one of three contestants over 25 years old, and Simon Cowell was his mentor.

Steve reached the grand final on December 11, 2004. He competed against a group called G4 and ended up winning! Even though he mixed up some words in his winner's song and Sharon Osbourne had a strong reaction against him, he won. Later, Sharon Osbourne wrote in her book that Steve had actually received the most votes in every single live show. For five years, he held the record for the most votes ever in an X Factor final, with 6 million votes. This record was later broken by Joe McElderry in season 6.

After winning The X Factor, Steve Brookstein signed a deal with the Sony BMG music company. He released his first song, "Against All Odds", on December 20, 2004. This song was a cover of a famous song by Phil Collins. It started at number two on the UK Singles Chart and then went all the way to number one on January 2, 2005. It stayed at the top for one week. In Ireland, the song reached number 11. The music video for the song showed clips from his time on The X Factor, from his first try-out to his final performance.

Steve released his first album, Heart and Soul, on May 9, 2005. Even though he performed songs from the album on TV shows, a second song from the album was never released. In August 2005, it was announced that Sony BMG had decided to stop working with him. This happened only eight months after he won The X Factor, even though his first song and album had been successful. Steve says that he was offered a second album and a chance to return to the show, but he said no. He wanted to sing a mix of old and new songs, but they only wanted him to do another album of covers.

In August 2005, Steve Brookstein spoke out against The X Factor. He said the show was "one big theatre" and that it was "killing music." He has had disagreements with Simon Cowell and The X Factor for many years. He said that Simon Cowell would not want him "within 100 miles" and that he felt upset about how he was treated on the show.

Even though Steve had quick success with his first album and song both reaching number one, he was dropped by Simon Cowell's management. This happened after Steve said he wasn't allowed to be creative with his music.

Later Years and New Music

In June 2007, Steve Brookstein performed on a P&O ferry. 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 1 song. Steve Brookstein supported this campaign, which wanted the song "Killing in the Name" by Rage Against the Machine to reach the top. He also criticized Simon Cowell online. He said that Cowell "ruined Christmas" and that he was dropped from his record label because he "wouldn't play the game." Steve also claimed that The X Factor show was planned and that the winner was decided beforehand. Because of these comments, he was removed from The X Factor official website.

Even with his strong feelings about The X Factor, Steve agreed to write weekly reviews of the show for London 24 in 2010. In these reviews, he called the judges "ridiculous" and questioned the singing skills of some of the finalists, including One Direction band member Louis Tomlinson.

In 2013, Steve Brookstein announced that his new album would be called Forgotten Man. It was released on March 23, 2014.

Steve also released a book on November 21, 2014, called Getting over the X. This book tells his story of winning The X Factor and then how the media and music industry seemed to turn away from him.

Music Releases

Albums

Songs (Singles)

Music Videos

Concert Tours

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