- Mary Byrne (singer)
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For other people named Mary Byrne, see Mary Byrne (disambiguation).
Mary Byrne Birth name Mary Byrne Born 3rd November 1959
Ballyfermot, Dublin, Republic of IrelandGenres Pop, rock Occupations Singer Instruments Vocals Years active 2010–present Labels Sony Music Ireland, Universal Music Ireland Associated acts The X Factor Finalists 2010 Mary Byrne (born November 1959 [1]) is an Irish singer-songwriter from Ballyfermot, Dublin.[1] She rose to fame in 2010 after becoming a finalist on the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010. Following her elimination in the live semi-final, she signed a record deal with Sony Music Ireland.[2] Byrne and her fellow The X Factor finalists gained a number-one single on the UK Singles Chart and the Irish Singles Chart after releasing "Heroes" a cover of David Bowie, in aid for Help for Heroes.[3] Her debut single, "I Just Call You Mine" was released on 4 March 2011. Mine & Yours, Byrne's debut album was released 28 March 2011 in the UK. The album was produced by hit-maker Nigel Wright.
Contents
Early and personal life
Byrne currently lives in Ballyfermot, Dublin with her 23-year-old daughter Debbie, as she is a single mother.[4] She suffers from arthritis in her knees which she says can sometimes stop her from performing.[5] Before The X Factor, she worked for supermarket chain Tesco, leading to her referral as "Tesco Mary"[citation needed]. She quit singing at 28 because of low self-esteem after a failed relationship.[6] However, she later returned to perform pub gigs in 2005 to give her musical career a try[7] where she also performed with her brother, Tommy, under the name The Tommy Lee Experience.[8] In 2008 she won the Irish television singing contest Nollaig No. 1 using the name Mary Lee and released the single "Siúil Leat".[1][9]
Music career
2010: The X Factor
Byrne entered reality television show The X Factor in 2010. In her audition, she said that she wanted to be a singer all her life but had very low self esteem holding her back but 'got the confidence to go out and do it in the last 5 or 6 years'. She impressed the judges with her performance of "I (Who Have Nothing)" and was put through to the next round. At the judges' houses she performed "Fix You", and was put through to the live finals, even though she forgot a few words to the song.[10] Her employer, Tesco Ireland, started a campaign to persuade all staff to support her.[11] On the first live show, Byrne gained the most public votes by singing It's a Man's Man's Man's World.[12] The audience gave Byrne a standing ovation after the performance and the longest round-of-applause of the series.[13] Mary was in the 'Final Showdown' twice. The first time she was in the Bottom 3 with fellow contestants Wagner, and Katie Waissel. As Waissel received the fewest votes she was automatically eliminated leaving Mary to battle against Wagner in the Final Showdown. The following week she was in the bottom two with Cher Lloyd. This was when Mary was eliminated from the show by the judges. This later became controversial, as the show stated that the contestant with the fewer public votes would be eliminated, but it turned out that Byrne in fact received more votes than Cher.[14] Mary performed a total of 13 different songs, on 15 occasions in front of the judges:
When Performed Song Result Audition I Who Have Nothing Through to Bootcamp Judges Houses Fix You Through to live shows Week 1 It's a Man's Man's Man's World Safe Week 2 You Don't Have To Say You Love Me Safe Week 3 I Who Have Nothing Safe Week 4 Could It Be Magic Safe Week 5 There You'll Be Safe Week 6 Can You Feel the Love Tonight Safe Week 7 Something Safe Week 8 All I Want Is You & Brass in Pocket Bottom three Final Showdown (Week 8) This Is My Life Saved by judges vote Week 9 Never Can Say Goodbye & The Way We Were Bottom two Final Showdown (Semi-final) It's a Man's Man's Man's World Eliminated by judges vote Mine & Yours
After the elimination from The X Factor, Byrne signed a record deal with Sony Music Ireland and begun work on her debut album.[2] The album, Mine & Yours, was released in the UK on 28 March 2011, and 25 March in Ireland.[15] Byrne released her debut single, a cover of Martina McBride's "I Just Call You Mine", due to phenomenal demand when the track was debuted from her album Mine & Yours on Irish radio. The fan reaction was so positive that Sony Music Ireland were 'inundated' with requests to make the song available to the public and 'eager fans' prior to the album's release.[16] After little to none promotion, the song peaked at number 12 on the Irish Singles Chart.[17] Byrne revealed her album would be sold on QVC like Susan Boyle did to help sell a few more copies.[18] In an interview with Digital Spy Byrne stated;
“ Recording this album was a dream come true. I'm so grateful for all of the support I received both during and after the show. Nothing I'm experiencing now would have been possible without the wonderful people who picked up their phone each weekend and voted for me! I hope you enjoy listening to the album as much as I enjoyed making it. ” —Mary Bryne in an interview with Digital Spy[19]
The album was produced by hit-maker, Nigel Wright[20] and contains tracks which Mary performed on The X Factor. However, the songs on the album are not her performances from the show.[20] Byrne is currently on the 2011 The X Factor Live Tour, but Sony Music are planning Byrne's first solo concert tour.[21] Mine & Yours debuted at number-one on the Irish Album Charts on 31 March 2011.[22]
2011–present
In June 2011, Byrne was asked to perform for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at a special gala performance in Dublin to mark The Queen's first official state visit.[23] She was also Neil Diamond's special guest at the Aviva Stadium, where she performed in front of 55,000 people.[24] August 2011 saw Byrne appear in GREASE The Musical at the Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin.[25] She has been working on an autobiography 'This Is My Life' which is set to be released on October 21st in the UK and Ireland.[26]
On September 13th 2011, it was announced that Mary Byrne had asked to end her record deal with Sony, and asked to switch to Universal.[27] It was later announced that she had started working on a second album, produced by Phil Coulter, to be released in Ireland by Universal Music Ireland, and in the UK by Decca UK.[28][29] On November 2nd Mary Byrne stated on her facebookpage that her new album, which is called "...With Love", will be released on November 25th.
Discography
Studio albums
Year Album details Peak UK
[30]IRL
[17]2011 Mine & Yours - Released: 28 March 2011
- Label: Sony
- Formats: CD, digital download
6 1 Singles
Year Single Peak Album UK IRL
[17]2011 "I Just Call You Mine" — 12 Mine & Yours As featured artist 2010 "Heroes" (as part of The X Factor finalists) 1 1[31] Non-album single References
- ^ a b Cara Lee (30 Aug 2010). "Simon is really attractive, who wouldn't want to be his girlfriend". The Sun. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/x_factor/3116515/X-fave-Mary-Byrne-has-the-hots-for-Simon.html.
- ^ a b "'X Factor' Mary signs record deal". Irish Times. 8 December 2010. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1208/1224285029319.html. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "Newsbeat - X Factor: Finalists cover David Bowie for charity". BBC. 15 October 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/11549701. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ^ Niamh Walsh (7 November 2010). "X Factor 2010: Mary Byrne's daughter Debbie speaks out about her father | Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1327406/X-Factor-2010-Mary-Byrnes-daughter-Debbie-speaks-father.html. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ^ "Arthritis pain stops Mary Byrne dancing on The X Factor". Unreality TV. 24 October 2010. http://www.unrealitytv.co.uk/x-factor/arthritis-pain-stops-mary-byrne-dancing-on-the-x-factor/. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ^ Lisa Sewards (25 March 2011). "X Factor Tour: Why Tesco Mary Byrne's over her heartache | Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1369755/X-Factor-Tour-Why-Tesco-Mary-Byrnes-heartache.html?ito=feeds-newsxml. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ^ Jenny Friel (5 September 2010). "Mary Byrne: I don't mind being likened to SuBo but please call me MaBy | Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1309151/Mary-Byrne-I-dont-mind-likened-SuBo-MaBy.html. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ^ McBride, Caitlin; Feehan, Conor (28 August 2010). "'We always knew Mary would be X Factor success'". Evening Herald. http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/tv-radio/we-always-knew-mary-would-be-x-factor-success-2315528.html.
- ^ "Mary Lee, TG4’s Nollaig No.1 winner, releases her Christmas single Siúil Leat". TG4. http://www.tg4.ie/bearla/stud/noll/noll.asp.
- ^ Connolly, Lucy (9 October 2010). "X Fagtor". The Sun (London: News Group Newspapers). http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/x_factor/3172346/X-Factor-chiefs-order-Mary-Byrne-to-quit-smoking.html#ixzz11qohnvEF. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
- ^ Ken Sweeney (5 October 2010). "Tesco text factor mobilises for Mary". Irish Independent. http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/tv-radio/tesco-text-factor-mobilises-for-mary-2364652.html.
- ^ "Revealed: The X Factor 2010 voting percentages and detailed results - X Factor 2011 | The X Factor 2011 by TellyMix". Xfactor.tellymix.co.uk. 12 December 2010. http://xfactor.tellymix.co.uk/2010/news/23245-revealed-the-x-factor-2010-voting-percentages-and-detailed-results.html. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ^ Simon Cable. "X Factor 2010: Cher Lloyd and Mary Byrne have a battle of the divas | Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1319425/X-Factor-2010-Cher-Lloyd-Mary-Byrne-battle-divas.html. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ^ Sara Nathan (15 December 2010). "X Factor 2010: Mary Byrne had higher vote share than Cher Lloyd at semi-finals | Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1338478/X-Factor-2010-Mary-Byrne-higher-vote-share-Cher-Lloyd-semi-finals.html. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ^ "Louis Walsh backing Mary Byrne's career". The List. 4 March 2011. http://www.list.co.uk/article/33086-louis-walsh-backing-mary-byrnes-career/. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ^ "Sony Music Ireland Latest News". Sonymusic.ie. http://www.sonymusic.ie/news/mary-byrne/mary-byrne-set-to-release-debut-single-i-just-call-you-mine-on-4th-march. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ^ a b c "MARY BYRNE". irish-charts.com. http://irish-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Mary+Byrne. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
- ^ "X Factor: Mary Byrne to sell 'Mine & Yours' on QVC". Unreality TV. 3 March 2011. http://www.unrealitytv.co.uk/x-factor/x-factor-mary-byrne-to-sell-mine-yours-on-qvc/. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ^ Thursday, 17 February 2011, 09:58 GMT (17 February 2011). "Music - News - Mary Byrne announces debut LP details". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/s103/the-x-factor/news/a304276/mary-byrne-announces-debut-lp-details.html. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ^ a b "Mine & Yours The Debut Album From Mary Byrne". Outside Organisation (London: Outside Organisation). 18 February 2011. http://outside-org.co.uk/2011/02/mine-yours-the-debut-album-from-mary-byrne/. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
- ^ "X Factor: Mary Byrne is planning her own tour". Unreality TV. 18 March 2011. http://www.unrealitytv.co.uk/x-factor/x-factor-mary-byrne-is-planning-her-own-tour/. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ^ >> IRMA << Irish Charts - Singles, Albums & Compilations >>
- ^ Queen Elizabeth tells former X Factor contestant Mary Byrne she never misses an episode | The Sun |Showbiz|TV|X Factor
- ^ http://outside-org.co.uk/2011/04/x-factor-star-mary-byrne-confirmed-for-aviva-stadium-as-special-guest-of-neil-diamond/
- ^ Music Interviews, Pop & Rock Gossip, Videos, Irish Single & Album Charts, with Eddie Rowley
- ^ This Is My Life: Amazon.co.uk: Mary Byrne: Books
- ^ X Factor's Mary Byrne moves from Simon Cowell's Sony Music to Cheryl Cole's Universal label | Unreality TV
- ^ Showbiz, Entertainment, Gossip & News: Irish and International Celebrities
- ^ Wild ride for Celtic Thunder’s ‘Storm’ and composer Phil Coulter - VIDEO | Off The Record | IrishCentral
- ^ Chart Stats - Mary Byrne
- ^ "X FACTOR - THE FINALISTS 2010". irish-charts.com. http://irish-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=X+Factor+-+The+Finalists+2010. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
Singles "I Just Call You Mine"Featured singles "Heroes"Related articles The X Factor (UK) Series Main Celebrity Battle of the StarsPresenters Current Former Judges Current Former Guest Paula Abdul · Geri Halliwell · Natalie Imbruglia · Pixie Lott · Katy Perry · Nicole Scherzinger · Alexandra BurkeWinners Main series Steve Brookstein · Shayne Ward · Leona Lewis · Leon Jackson · Alexandra Burke · Joe McElderry · Matt CardleCelebrity series Related singles Winner's singles "Against All Odds" · "That's My Goal" · "A Moment Like This" · "When You Believe" · "Hallelujah" · "The Climb" · "When We Collide"Charity singles Related articles List of finalists (series 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8) · Discography · Controversy and criticism · Syco TV · Fremantlemedia · talkbackTHAMES · ITVNotable contestants of The X Factor (UK) Series one Series two Series three Leona Lewis · Ray Quinn · Ben Mills · The MacDonald Brothers · Kerry McGregor · Avenue · Dolly RockersSeries four Series five Series six Series seven Series eight The Risk · Carolynne PooleCategories:- 1959 births
- Irish female singers
- Irish pop singers
- Irish rock singers
- English-language singers
- Irish-language singers
- People from Dublin (city)
- The X Factor (UK) contestants
- Living people
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