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Alexandra Burke |
Alex, singer with the wow factor
I owe it all to my mum, says TV talent show finalist who has Mayor cheering her on
A MONTH ago few people had heard of 20-year-old Alexandra Burke, from Barnsbury, let alone seen her sing on nationwide TV.
But this week Mayor of Islington Councillor Stefan Kasprzyk is a fan of the singer, as is every shopkeeper in the Caledonian Road, near where she lives.
For those not glued to ITV’s talent show The X Factor, Alex is the singer with the remarkable soulful voice who has beaten 150 other hopefuls to reach the finals.
At odds of 3 to 1 she is being tipped by the bookies to win the competition, watched by more than nine million viewers. But there are still 12 weeks to go and Alex must beat 11 other finalists.
With no professional training, Alex thanks her mother Melissa, a former soul singer, for inspiring her to perform. She also pays tribute to teachers at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School in Penton Street, particularly singing coach Sarah Beagley, currently on maternity leave.
Speaking to the Tribune this week from her The X Factor hideaway, Alex said: “I owe my mum everything. She encouraged me to sing and perform at an early age. That’s why I’m still here.”
It is not the first time Alex, a former pupil at Copenhagen Primary School, has been in the TV competition. As a fresh-faced 16-year-old she made it to the latter stages in 2005 before being booted off by judge Louis Walsh.
She said this week: “I’m more experienced and determined now. But I’ve got to keep my cool because I’ve still a long way to go.”
Meanwhile, mum Melissa, the daughter of a Pentecostal preacher, is keeping in touch with Alex by phone and encouraging her to be confident. Melissa was born and bred in Islington, and performed professionally with 1990s group Soul II Soul. She also attended Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School, where she began performing.
Melissa said: “I was hoping Alex would do well but I didn’t expect she’d come this far. When she was a kid Alex would sing at any opportunity. She would come on tour with me and insist she be allowed to go on stage and perform. She always endeared herself to the crowd.
“But I hope I also taught her to be persistent. She was obviously upset after failing to get through on X Factor the first time in 2005. But I taught her that you can’t let failure get you down. Once you are down you have got to get up again.”
The family live off Frederica Street. Melissa is equally proud of her other children – Sheniece, 23, who is studying beauty therapy, David, 21, who is training to be an accountant, and Aaron, 16, who wants to join the police.
Melissa still sings but suffers from kidney disease and needs dialysis three days a week at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead.
She said: “The doctors and nurses all know about Alex. A few have even been along to live shows of The X Factor to watch her.” |
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