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John and Edward Grimes (born 16 October 1991), collectively known as Jedward (a portmanteau of their first names), are an Irish singing and television presenting duo. They are
identical twins Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...
who first appeared as John & Edward in the sixth series of ''
The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'' in 2009, generating a phenomenon of ironic popularity described as "the Jedward paradox". They finished in sixth place and were managed by
Louis Walsh Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s and 2000s. He later bec ...
, who was their mentor during ''The X Factor''. Jedward have released four studio albums: ''
Planet Jedward ''Planet Jedward'' is the debut studio album by Irish pop duo Jedward. The album was released on 16 July 2010. The album charted at No. 1 in Ireland and No. 17 in the UK. Critical reaction was largely negative. Background The album was relea ...
'' (2010), ''
Victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal Duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitu ...
'' (2011), '' Young Love'' (2012), and ''Voice of a Rebel'' (2019). Their first two albums went double platinum in Ireland. They have released several singles, including "
Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby) "Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)" is the debut single by Irish pop duo Jedward. The song is a medley of "Under Pressure", originally recorded in 1981 by Queen and David Bowie, and the 1990 Vanilla Ice single "Ice Ice Baby". "Ice Ice Baby" origina ...
", " Bad Behaviour", "
Lipstick Lipstick is a cosmetic product used to apply coloration and texture to lips, often made of wax and oil. Different pigments are used to produce color, and minerals such as silica may be used to provide texture. The use of lipstick dates back to ...
", with which they represented Ireland at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2011 The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, following the country's victory at the with the song "Satellite" by Lena. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union ...
in
Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
, and "
Waterline The waterline is the line where the hull of a ship meets the surface of the water. Specifically, it is also the name of a special marking, also known as an international load line, Plimsoll line and water line (positioned amidships), that indi ...
", with which they represented Ireland at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2012 The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was the 57th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, following the country's victory at the with the song " Running Scared" by the duo Ell & Nikki. It was the first time Azerb ...
in
Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
. Jedward are also known for their television work, including starring in the documentary series '' Jedward: Let Loose'' (2010), presenting the children's series '' OMG! Jedward's Dream Factory'' (2011 –2013) and ''
Jedward's Big Adventure ''Jedward's Big Adventure'' is a children's television programme airing on CBBC. It is hosted by Irish twins Jedward (John and Edward Grimes) and follows them as they visit various UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultur ...
'' (2012–2014)'','' and participating in the reality series ''
Celebrity Big Brother 8 ''Celebrity Big Brother 2011'', also known as ''Celebrity Big Brother 8'', was the eighth series of the British reality television series ''Celebrity Big Brother (British TV series), Celebrity Big Brother''. It was the first series of ''Celebrity ...
'' (2011), ''
Celebrity Big Brother 19 ''Celebrity Big Brother 19'', also known as ''Celebrity Big Brother: All-Stars vs. New Stars'', was the nineteenth series of the British reality television series ''Celebrity Big Brother'', hosted by Emma Willis and narrated by Marcus Bentley. ...
'' (2017)'','' in which they finished as runners-up, and ''Celebrity Coach Trip 4'' (2019). Jedwards's combined net worth was estimated at €6m in September 2013, and they have been ranked as the fifth most financially successful former ''X Factor'' UK contestants.


Early and personal life

Identical twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...
brothers John Paul Henry Daniel Richard Grimes and Edward Peter Anthony Kevin Patrick Grimes were born in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
. John and Edward's first school was Scoil Bhríde National School in Rathangan. They then attended King's Hospital School for four years before being moved to the Dublin Institute of Education. The twins competed in school talent shows during their school years and were inspired by
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
,
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
and the
Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The gr ...
. They were also members of the Lucan Harriers Athletic Club and Dundrum South Dublin athletics club and have competed in several Irish athletic tournaments. In addition, they briefly worked as games testers for
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
format holder
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
and support
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
clubs
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
and
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...
.


Career


2009–2012: ''The X Factor'' and ''Planet Jedward''

In 2008, John and Edward formed a duo and the following year they auditioned in
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
as a group for the sixth series of ''
The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'', under the name John & Edward. Despite being described by judge
Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of ''The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on t ...
as "not very good and incredibly annoying", John & Edward were put through to bootcamp, then made it to judges' houses, where
Louis Walsh Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s and 2000s. He later bec ...
selected them for the live shows. John & Edward became known for their unpolished but enthusiastic performances, famously including a version of
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
' " Oops!... I Did It Again", during which they reenacted the ''
Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...
'' monologue. After their departure from ''The X Factor'', Jedward were signed to Modest! Management, however it was later announced that Louis Walsh had reached "an amicable agreement", which allowed him to take the twins on. From February until April 2010, they performed on the ''X Factor'' Live tour, where they were credited with the boost in demand for tickets, that led to an extension in the tour run. Their debut single "
Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby) "Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)" is the debut single by Irish pop duo Jedward. The song is a medley of "Under Pressure", originally recorded in 1981 by Queen and David Bowie, and the 1990 Vanilla Ice single "Ice Ice Baby". "Ice Ice Baby" origina ...
" was a mashup of "
Under Pressure "Under Pressure" is a song by the British rock band Queen and singer David Bowie. Originally released as a single in October 1981, it was later included on Queen's 1982 album ''Hot Space''. The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, ...
" and "
Ice Ice Baby "Ice Ice Baby" is a hip hop song by American rapper Vanilla Ice, K. Kennedy and DJ Earthquake. It was based on the bassline of the song "Under Pressure" by British rock band Queen and British singer David Bowie, who did not receive songwritin ...
", with
Vanilla Ice Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in South Dallas, and raised in Texas and South Florida, Ice released his debut album, ''Hooked'', ...
contributing guest vocals. In March Jedward's Sony contract ended, but the following day Universal Music Ireland signed them on a three-album contract. In April 2010, Jedward began their first solo tour, a 27-date tour of Ireland called the Planet Jedward Tour. Due to popular demand, it was extended with a second 43-date leg in the UK and Ireland. The ''
Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...
'' rated the tour positively, saying that "Jedwardmania is right up there with
Beatlemania Beatlemania was the fanaticism surrounding the English rock band the Beatles in the 1960s. The group's popularity grew in the United Kingdom throughout 1963, propelled by the singles "Please Please Me", "From Me to You" and "She Loves You". By ...
." Jedward's second single, a cover of the
Blink-182 Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their ...
song "
All the Small Things "All the Small Things" is a song by American rock music, rock band Blink-182. It was the second single and eighth track released from the band's third album, ''Enema of the State'' (1999). The track was composed primarily by guitarist and vocal ...
", was released in July 2010 and peaked at number 21 on the Irish charts and number 6 on the
UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...
. The same week, Jedward released their debut album ''
Planet Jedward ''Planet Jedward'' is the debut studio album by Irish pop duo Jedward. The album was released on 16 July 2010. The album charted at No. 1 in Ireland and No. 17 in the UK. Critical reaction was largely negative. Background The album was relea ...
'', consisting of cover versions. It which went straight to number one on the
Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). The charts were previously compiled on behalf of IRMA by Chart-Track, and have been compiled by the ...
and number 17 on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
. In August 2010, Jedward appeared in their own
ITV2 ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, a ...
documentary, entitled '' Jedward: Let Loose'', a three-part series in which they moved out of their home for ten days.


2011–2012: ''Victory''

On 12 February 2011, Jedward released their third single and Eurovision Song Contest entry "
Lipstick Lipstick is a cosmetic product used to apply coloration and texture to lips, often made of wax and oil. Different pigments are used to produce color, and minerals such as silica may be used to provide texture. The use of lipstick dates back to ...
", which peaked at number one in Ireland. Jedward successfully qualified from the second Eurovision Song Contest semi-final, eventually finishing in eighth place. After the Eurovision Song Contest, "Lipstick" was released digitally across Europe, where it charted in many countries such as
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, Sweden, Germany and most notably
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
where it peaked at number three. The song also peaked at number 8 in the South Korea's international artists' chart. "Lipstick" had featured in a
Hyundai Hyundai is a South Korean industrial conglomerate ("chaebol"), which was restructured into the following groups: * Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested ** Hyundai Mobis, Korean car parts company ** Hyundai ...
advertising campaign in South East Asia. Shortly after the Eurovision Song Contest, on 23 May, Jedward performed in front of an audience of 60,000 people at
College Green College Green or The College Green may refer to: * College Green, Adelaide outdoor venue at the University of Adelaide * College Green, Bristol, England * College Green (Dartmouth College), New Hampshire, primarily known as "the Green" * College ...
in Dublin City ahead of a speech by visiting
U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
. In April 2011, Jedward began their second tour, the Bad Behaviour Tour, with a series of dates across Ireland. Jedward's next single " Bad Behaviour" was released in July and reached number one in the Irish charts. This was followed two weeks later by their second album ''Victory'', consisting entirely of original tracks. A new version of ''Planet Jedward'' was released by the German branch of Universal Music in July, featuring a mix of tracks from ''Planet Jedward'' and new songs from ''Victory''. On 31 July, the twins began the first leg of their third tour, The Carnival Tour, with 12 shows across Ireland and Northern Ireland. In September Jedward played their first European tour, with dates in Sweden and Germany, followed by a UK tour. Three days after the first leg finished, Jedward entered the ''
Celebrity Big Brother 8 ''Celebrity Big Brother 2011'', also known as ''Celebrity Big Brother 8'', was the eighth series of the British reality television series ''Celebrity Big Brother (British TV series), Celebrity Big Brother''. It was the first series of ''Celebrity ...
'' house. They made it to the final, eventually finishing in third place. The third single from ''Victory'', " Wow Oh Wow" was released in August 2011, with a music video featuring their ''Celebrity Big Brother'' housemate
Tara Reid Tara Donna Reid (born November 8, 1975) is an American actress. She played Vicky in the films '' American Pie'' (1999), '' American Pie 2'' (2001), and '' American Reunion'' (2012), and Bunny Lebowski in '' The Big Lebowski'' (1998). In 2013, s ...
. In December, Jedward starred in the pantomime ''Jedward and the Beanstalk'', a musical comedy version of the fairytale ''
Jack and the Beanstalk "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition On Commons and as Benjamin Tabart's moralized "The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk" in 1807. Henry Cole ...
''.


2012–2013: ''Young Love''

2012 saw Jedward again win the Irish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, this time with their song "
Waterline The waterline is the line where the hull of a ship meets the surface of the water. Specifically, it is also the name of a special marking, also known as an international load line, Plimsoll line and water line (positioned amidships), that indi ...
". In May, Jedward performed "Waterline" at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2012 The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was the 57th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, following the country's victory at the with the song " Running Scared" by the duo Ell & Nikki. It was the first time Azerb ...
in Baku, Azerbaijan. After qualifying from their semi-final, they eventually came in 19th place in the grand final. "Waterline" was also the lead single on the twins' third album '' Young Love'', released in June. The tracks " Young Love" and " Luminous" were also released as singles. Jedward released the charity single and "unofficial" Irish
UEFA Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
song " Put the Green Cape On", a reworking of "Lipstick". The duo embarked on the European leg of their Victory Tour in January, playing in Austria, Germany, Sweden, Finland and Estonia. This was followed by the ''Young Love Tour'' in Ireland in August. They also visited Singapore, where the new album had enjoyed popular success. In June they ran as part of the
2012 Summer Olympics torch relay The 2012 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from 19 May until 27 July, prior to the London 2012 Summer Olympics. The torch bearer selection process was announced on 18 May 2011. As well as touring the United Kingdom the schedule included the t ...
in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
on day 19 of the relay. The twins starred in their own TV series ''Jedward's Weird Wild World'' on UK TV channel 5*, with John and Edward humorously presenting a selection of popular internet videos. Over the Christmas and New Year period
RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...
broadcast the second series of their show '' OMG! Jedward's Dream Factory'', and the second season of their BBC series ''
Jedward's Big Adventure ''Jedward's Big Adventure'' is a children's television programme airing on CBBC. It is hosted by Irish twins Jedward (John and Edward Grimes) and follows them as they visit various UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultur ...
'' screened in early 2013. Over the festive season, Jedward starred in their third annual
pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
, ''Jedward & the Magic Lamp''. In January 2013, the twins made a promotional visit to
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada, appearing twice on
MuchMusic Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. MuchMusic launched on August 31 ...
's ''New Music Live'' show and also made an appearance on
Canada AM ''Canada AM'' was a Canadian morning television news show that aired on CTV from 1972 to 2016. Its final hosts were Beverly Thomson and Marci Ien, with Jeff Hutcheson presenting the weather forecast and sports. The program aired on weekdays, and ...
. While in Toronto, Jedward also filmed a promotional video for the ''Young Love'' album track "Happens in the Dark" and previewed a clip from the video on ''New Music Live''. Later in the month, it was announced that Jedward's three-album contract with Universal Music Ireland would not be renewed. The music video for "Happens in the Dark" was premiered on
Much Music Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. MuchMusic launched on August 31, ...
in March, with the video having been shot in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
earlier in the year. In April the twins filmed a video for the song "What's Your Number?" in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Later in the month they made a promotional visit to Australia, including radio and television appearances. In June, Jedward joined the line-up of A Night for Christy, a gala concert in aid of
Aslan Aslan () is a major character in C. S. Lewis's ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' series. Unlike any other character, he appears in all seven chronicles of the series. Aslan is depicted as a talking lion, and is described as the King of Beasts, the ...
frontman
Christy Dignam Christy Dignam (born Christopher Dignam on 23 May 1960) is the lead singer of the popular Irish rock band Aslan. His career of over forty years has been characterised by numerous successes on the Irish charts as well as recurring problems with dr ...
. The twins performed Aslan's song "She's So Beautiful" with the band. In July the twins performed live shows in Cork and Limerick, with a UK live tour scheduled for September. In November the twins toured Australia, with performances in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. While in Australia they also released the music video for ''Young Love'' album track "Can't Forget You". The video for "Can't Forget You" was shot at and around El Mirage Lake, in San Bernardino County, Los Angeles, California, United States..


2014–present: ''Voice of a Rebel'' and other projects

In January 2014, the third series of their
CBBC CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...
television programme ''
Jedward's Big Adventure ''Jedward's Big Adventure'' is a children's television programme airing on CBBC. It is hosted by Irish twins Jedward (John and Edward Grimes) and follows them as they visit various UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultur ...
'' was broadcast. Due to its popularity, the series run was doubled to 10 episodes. They also provided weekly style commentary of the contestants in Sweden's
Melodifestivalen Melodifestivalen (; literally "the Melody Festival") is an annual song competition organised by Swedish public broadcasters Sveriges Television (SVT) and Sveriges Radio (SR). It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song ...
competition and made a guest performance at the Melodifestivalen Second Chance show in early March. In April 2014, Jedward debuted their new single " Free Spirit" on Australian radio station
KIIS 106.5 KIIS 1065 (call sign: 2WFM) is a commercial FM radio station in Sydney, Australia, on a frequency of 106.5 MHz. KIIS 1065 is one of the flagship stations on ARN's KIIS Network. The station's headline show is ''The Kyle and Jackie O Show''. ...
. This was followed by news of the duo's fourth studio album to be released later in the year. The album will contain songs written and produced by Jedward. The duo's follow-up single "Ferocious" was released in November 2014, charting at No.15 on the Irish singles chart. In November 2014 it was announced that John and Edward would join the cast of
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
's new circus reality show ''
Get Your Act Together ''Get Your Act Together'' was a British talent show that began airing on ITV on 18 January 2015, hosted by Stephen Mulhern. The show features celebrities learning various different acts, such as juggling, singing, impressions and escapology, and p ...
'' in 2015. Between 2014 and 2018, they released several new self-penned singles and directed the accompanying music videos. The twins appeared on ''The Ray D'arcy Show'' in February 2017 and confirmed that they were working on their fourth studio album. They signed to Universal Music Singapore in April 2019, and released their fourth studio album, and first with UMSG, ''Voice of a Rebel'' on 20 June 2019 across Asia, followed by the rest of the world on 27 June. The album is available both digitally and on CD (the latter via their official website).


Philanthropy

Jedward are involved with many charity projects, and were one of the highest rated charity ambassadors in Ireland for 2011. Jedward are ambassadors for the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) and have fronted an ISPCC poster campaign. The proceeds of their Euro 2012 charity single " Put The Green Cape On" also went to the ISPCC. From 2010 to 2013 Jedward performed annually at the
ChildLine Concert The ChildLine Concert, known for sponsorship reasons as the 'Cheerios ChildLine Concert', was an annual pop music charity event which took place in Ireland between 1997 and 2014. The money raised from the concerts was donated to the young perso ...
, which benefits the ISPCC's ChildLine service. Also in Ireland, Jedward have been involved with the ISPCA's My Dog Ate It campaign, and promote the
Concern Worldwide Concern Worldwide (often referred to as Concern) is Ireland's largest aid and humanitarian agency. Since its foundation 50 years ago it has worked in 50 countries. According to its latest annual report, Concern helped 28.6 million of the world's ...
Fast fundraiser. Jedward have also been involved with
Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
,
Sport Relief ''Sport Relief'' was a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, established in 2002. It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Director of Educati ...
and Children in Need, in the UK, as well as giving their time to visit children in hospitals.


Other ventures


Advertising

Jedward have been involved with many advertising campaigns in the UK and Ireland. In 2009, agreed to be the subject of a Tourism Ireland radio campaign, which made a tongue-in-cheek apology to the UK for Jedward's antics on ''The X Factor''. In 2010, Jedward fronted an advertising campaign for Irish
fast food Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ingredien ...
chain
Abrakebabra Abrakebabra is an Irish fast-food restaurant chain established in Dublin, Ireland in 1982. When the first Abrakebabra restaurant was opened in Rathmines in Dublin it attracted huge attention catering to late-night crowds with a fresh menu tha ...
. Jedward have also fronted advertising campaigns for
East Midlands Trains East Midlands Trains (EMT) was a British train operating company owned by the transport group Stagecoach, which operated the East Midlands franchise between November 2007 and August 2019. Following the Department for Transport (DfT) award ...
, Rowntree's Randoms, Disney Universe and a Travel Supermarket commercial with comedian
Omid Djalili Omid Djalili ( fa, امید جلیلی; born 30 September 1965) is a British actor, comedian and writer. Early life and education Djalili was born on 30 September 1965 in Chelsea, London, to Iranian Baháʼí parents. He attended Holland Park ...
. The last was later banned after the UK Advertising Standards Authority ruled that the advert was misleading. In 2011, they fronted an advertising campaign for mobile network
3 Ireland Three Ireland, officially Three Ireland (Hutchison) Limited (formerly Hutchison 3G Ireland Ltd), is a telecommunications and internet service provider operating in Ireland as a subsidiary of CK Hutchison, operating under the global Three bran ...
, including their own Jedward-branded
mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...
.


Stage

Between 2010 and 2013, Jedward performed in an annual pantomime over the Christmas and New Year period. Based at the
Olympia Theatre, Dublin The Olympia Theatre, known for sponsorship and advertising purposes as the 3Olympia Theatre, is a concert hall and theatre venue in Dublin, Ireland, located on Dame Street. In addition to Irish acts, the venue has played host to many well-known ...
, the pantomimes also starred Linda Martin. John and Edward played themselves and the shows featured Jedward songs. The twins' first show was ''Cinderella'' in 2010, where they played the fairy godbrothers. They returned in 2011 with a sell-out season of ''Jedward and the Beanstalk'', and again in 2012 with ''Jedward and the Magic Lamp''. In 2013 their fourth and last pantomime was ''Jedward in Beauty and the Beast''.


Modelling career

Jedward have been signed to Next Models and appeared in fashion magazines '' i-D'', ''
Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'' and ''
Grazia ''Grazia'' (; Italian for ''Grace'') is a weekly women's magazine that originated in Italy with international editions printed in Albania, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Colombia, France, Germany. Greece, Indonesia, I ...
''.


Impact

Whilst on ''The X Factor'', Jedward's fans included
Pixie Lott Victoria Louise Lott (born 12 January 1991), better known by her stage name Pixie Lott, is an English singer and songwriter. Her debut album, '' Turn It Up'', released in September 2009, reached number six on the UK Albums Chart and sold ove ...
and
Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...
.
Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Brian Cowen Brian Bernard Cowen (born 10 January 1960) is an Irish former politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2008 to 2011. Cowen was elected to Dáil Éireann in 1984, for the constituency of Laois–Offaly and served in a ...
also backed the singers, while
Leona Lewis Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and activist. Born and raised in the London Borough of Islington, she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieved nationa ...
said that she worried about them. Two leading British political parties,
Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...
and the
Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
, each released campaign posters
parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...
ing the twins. Former
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...
came under fire in November 2009 for describing Jedward as "not very good" and later apologised for doing so. Following this, Walsh stated "So Gordon Brown and Simon Cowell both have something in common: neither of them know what the public want." Brown's successor,
David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
, admitted that he enjoyed watching ''The X Factor'' and that Jedward were his favourite act. Cameron also bought a T-shirt with their faces on it. ''
The Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Republic of Ireland, Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditional ...
'' called Jedward " tone-deaf twins", even though the pair were voted more popular than
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
in a teenage poll. Comedian
Oliver Callan Oliver Callan (born 27 December 1980) is an Irish vocal and performance satirist and impressionist known as the creator of '' Callan's Kicks'', '' Nob Nation'' and for frequent appearances on ''The Saturday Night Show''. He rose to fame durin ...
has parodied them on his
RTÉ 2 (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, whil ...
show ''
Nob Nation ''Nob Nation'' is the title of a series of topical comedy pieces broadcast since November 2006 on two national radio stations in Ireland, RTÉ 2fm and RTÉ Radio 1. The programmes are broadcast Monday through Saturday each week. ''Nob Nation'' ...
''. Their 2017 court case was later the subject of a stage musical starring comedians
Kevin McGahern Kevin McGahern (born 7 November 1986) is an Irish comedian, TV presenter, writer and actor. He is the former host of ''Republic of Telly'' between 2013 and 2017 and documentary series ''Kevin McGahern's America''. Early life McGahern was born ...
and Tony Cantwell.


Discography

Studio albums * ''
Planet Jedward ''Planet Jedward'' is the debut studio album by Irish pop duo Jedward. The album was released on 16 July 2010. The album charted at No. 1 in Ireland and No. 17 in the UK. Critical reaction was largely negative. Background The album was relea ...
'' (2010) * ''
Victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal Duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitu ...
'' (2011) * '' Young Love'' (2012) * ''Voice of a Rebel'' (2019)


Filmography


Awards and nominations


See also

* List of ''The X Factor'' finalists (UK series 6)


References


External links

* * (JedwardTV - music videos, sketches, interviews etc) * (JedwardVEVO - music videos) * {{Authority control Living people Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2011 Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2012 Twin musical duos Identical twin males Irish boy bands Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Ireland Irish pop music groups Irish male singers Irish musical duos The X Factor (British TV series) contestants Irish twins People educated at The King's Hospital Musical groups established in 2009 People educated at the Institute of Education (Dublin) Year of birth missing (living people) Entertainer duos