Eoghan Quigg
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Eoghan Karl Christopher Quigg (; born 12 July 1992) is a
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 ...
er and pop singer from Dungiven,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, who finished third in the fifth series of the British television music talent contest ''
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 2008. As a result of his ''X Factor'' success, Quigg was due to be signed by
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 ...
, ''X Factor'' creator/producer and owner and CEO of
Syco Syco Entertainment is a British media entertainment company, headquartered in London, founded and owned by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell. The company focuses on TV production. The company was formed in 2005 through So ...
Records, but was instead signed to
RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
after Cowell pulled out. Quigg released an eponymous studio album in 2009, to strongly negative reviews. Quigg competed in the Irish national selection for the chance to represent Ireland in 2014 at the
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
but finished second. Quigg joined Coagh United F.C. in 2015, and later Portstewart F.C. in the
Northern Ireland Intermediate League The Northern Ireland Intermediate League is an amateur intermediate league based in the north-west region of Northern Ireland. As one of the leagues in the 4th tier of Northern Irish football, the league champions can be promoted to the NIFL Prem ...
.


Early life

Eoghan Karl Christopher Quigg grew up in Dungiven,
County Londonderry County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. B ...
, Northern Ireland. Singing along to
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
cartoons since the age of two, Quigg found his voice when he was in class and told to stand up and sing as a punishment. To the teacher's surprise he sang well, which led to his becoming a choir boy. From then on he sang lead roles in school musicals, such as ''
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (often colloquially known as ''Joseph'') is a sung-through musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. Thi ...
''.


Career


Singing career


2007–2008: ''The X Factor''

In 2008, Quigg auditioned for the talent show ''
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 front of judges
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 ...
,
Dannii Minogue Danielle Jane Minogue () is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. She initially gained recognition for her appearances on the television show ''Young Talent Time'' (1982–1988) and for her role as Emma Jackson on th ...
,
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 ...
and
Cheryl Cole Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. Born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, she rose to fame in late 2002 upon winning a place in Girls Aloud, a girl group created through ITV's '' Popstar ...
. Quigg got past the "judges' houses" stage of the competition, and made it to the live shows in Cowell's 14–24 boys group, along with
Scott Bruton ''The X Factor'' is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The fifth series was broadcast on ITV from 16 August 2008 until 13 December 2008. Dermot O'Leary returned to present the main show on ITV, while Fearne Cott ...
and Austin Drage, both of whom were eliminated early in the live shows. On the first live show, Quigg sang "
Imagine Imagine may refer to: * Imagination Music Albums * ''Imagine'' (Armin van Buuren album), 2008 * ''Imagine'' (Eva Cassidy album), 2002 * ''Imagine'' (Janice Vidal album), 2012 * ''Imagine'' (John Lennon album), 1971 ** ''Imagine: John Lennon' ...
" and was highly praised by the judges. On the second live show (
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
week) he sang "
Ben Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( he, ...
" which was also praised. On
Big Band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...
week Quigg sang "
L-O-V-E "L-O-V-E" is a song written by Bert Kaempfert and Milt Gabler, recorded by Nat King Cole for his 1965 studio album '' L-O-V-E''. Composition and background The song was composed by Bert Kaempfert with lyrics by Milt Gabler, and produced by Lee ...
" and received a standing ovation from the judges and the crowd. He made it to the semi-finals and after performances of "
Year 3000 "Year 3000" is a song performed by British pop rock band Busted. It was released as the second single from their debut studio album '' Busted'' (2002). "Year 3000" reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and became the 34th-biggest seller ...
" and "
Does Your Mother Know "Does Your Mother Know" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA and was the second single taken from their sixth album, '' Voulez-Vous''. The B-side was "Kisses of Fire", which was also taken from the album. The song is notable for its emphasis on ma ...
" was voted through to the final. Quigg eventually finished third, with
Alexandra Burke Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke (born 25 August 1988) is a British singer, songwriter and actress. She won the fifth series of the British television series ''The X Factor'' in 2008, and has been signed to Epic Records, RCA Records and Syc ...
the winner, and
JLS JLS (an initialism of Jack the Lad Swing) are an English boyband, which consists of members Aston Merrygold, Oritsé Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill, originally formed by Williams. They initially signed to Tracklacers production company ...
runners-up.


= Performances on ''The X Factor''

=


2008–09: Post ''X Factor''

Quigg appeared at the
Cheerios 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 ...
at the Dublin O2 in Dublin on 16 December 2008, among acts including
Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; (born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican indie label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By the ...
,
Anastacia Anastacia Lyn Newkirk ( ; born September 17, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter and former dancer. Her first two albums '' Not That Kind'' (2000) and '' Freak of Nature'' (2001) were released in quick succession to major success. Spurred o ...
and Irish boy band
Boyzone Boyzone were an Irish boy band, created in 1993 by talent manager Louis Walsh. Before even recording any material, Boyzone made an appearance on RTÉ's '' The Late Late Show''. Their most successful line-up was composed of Keith Duffy, Steph ...
. In December he also appeared on '' The Late Late Show'' where it was announced that Boyzone had invited him on their UK and Ireland Better Tour. On 15 January 2009 it was announced that Quigg had landed a record deal with Syco's parent company
Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...
. He later signed to
RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
.


2009: Studio album

Quigg released his only album, titled ''
Eoghan Quigg Eoghan Karl Christopher Quigg (; born 12 July 1992) is a footballer and pop singer from Dungiven, Northern Ireland, who finished third in the fifth series of the British television music talent contest ''The X Factor'' in 2008. As a result o ...
'', on 6 April 2009. " 28,000 Friends", its sole single, peaked at no. 96 in the UK Singles Chart. The album charted at number 14 and spent 3 weeks in the top 100.Eoghan Quigg Chart Statistics on aCharts.us
Retrieved on 6 July 2009
It debuted at Number 1 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 left the charts eight weeks later. The album met with what Matthew McCreary in ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' described as a critical "savaging". Many reviewers, including Peter Robinson of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', called it the worst record ever made. Criticism was directed at its lack of original material, low production values and poor singing performance from Quigg. Following disappointing album sales, Quigg was dropped by RCA Records.


2014: Eurovision Song Contest

In February 2014, Quigg was announced by
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 ...
as one of the five acts that would compete to represent
Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 Ireland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with the song "Heartbeat," written by Jonas Gladnikoff, Rasmus Palmgren, Patrizia Helander and Hazel Kaneswaran. The song was performed by Can-linn featuring Kasey Smith. The Irish broadc ...
, with the song "The Movie Song". He finished second in the contest.


Television

Quigg played a minor role in the BBC sitcom ''
Dani's House ''Dani's House'' is a British children's comedy series broadcast on CBBC and starring Dani Harmer. The first series premiered on 26 September 2008, and its fifth series concluded on 19 July 2012. It has received several awards and nominations f ...
'', playing himself. He appeared as a guest on 22 December 2009 edition of '' Alan Carr: Chatty Man'' and featured as a guest on ''
Harry Hill's TV Burp ''Harry Hill's TV Burp'' (also known as just ''TV Burp'') is a British television comedy programme broadcast between 2001 and 2012 on ITV. The show was produced by Avalon Television and was written and hosted by comedian Harry Hill. Each ep ...
'' on 19 February 2011.


Radio

In April 2017, Quigg began presenting on Q Radio Mid Ulster. The following year, he interviewed his fellow 2008 ''X Factor'' finalist,
Alexandra Burke Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke (born 25 August 1988) is a British singer, songwriter and actress. She won the fifth series of the British television series ''The X Factor'' in 2008, and has been signed to Epic Records, RCA Records and Syc ...
.


Football career

He began an amatuer
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 ...
career in 2015, signing for Coagh United F.C.. He later joined Portstewart F.C. in the
Northern Ireland Intermediate League The Northern Ireland Intermediate League is an amateur intermediate league based in the north-west region of Northern Ireland. As one of the leagues in the 4th tier of Northern Irish football, the league champions can be promoted to the NIFL Prem ...
.


Personal life

Quigg lives in
Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
with his girlfriend Amy Campbell, whom he began dating in 2015. They have a daughter, Emmy Belle, who was born in April 2021. Quigg also plays an active part in the lives of Cooper and Milla, Campbell's two children from a previous relationship. In October 2022, the couple announced that they were expecting their second child (and Campbell's fourth overall). He had a
hair transplant Hair transplantation is a surgical technique that removes hair follicles from one part of the body, called the 'donor site', to a bald or balding part of the body known as the 'recipient site'. The technique is primarily used to treat male pa ...
in 2020, travelling to
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
to get the procedure done. Quigg has maintained his singing career as a member of a wedding band called The Housem8s.


Discography


Albums


Singles


As lead artist


As featured artist


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quigg, Eoghan 1992 births Living people Male singers from Northern Ireland The X Factor (British TV series) contestants People from Dungiven Musicians from County Londonderry