Having already been to Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff (just to name a few), this week the X Factor auditions finally reach London. The auditions for the 8th series of the hit TV show will be held at the O2 Arena in North Greenwich, where hundreds of contestants will be joined by brand new judges Gary Barlow, Tulisa Contostavlos and Kelly Rowland, as well as Louis Walsh - the only judge who has taken part in all eight series.
In previous years, Essex has played a huge role in the final rounds of the X Factor, and we hope that this year will be no exception! In 2009, Olly Murs reached the final of the series, coming second to Joe McElderry. Murs' debut album has gone two times platinum, with his debut single 'Please Don't Let Me Go' reaching #1 in the Official Chart. Now currently on tour with previous X Factor finalists JLS, Olly has been one of the biggest success stories from the past seven years of the X Factor, and one of the biggest celebrities to have come out of Essex in recent years.
And of course, 2010 saw Essex take the X Factor crown when Halstead's Matt Cardle beat One Direction and Rebecca Ferguson to become the seventh winner of the TV show. His debut single 'When We Collide' was the Christmas #1, and his forthcoming debut album, due to be released in October, is bound to be a big hit.
With stars like Olly Murs, Matt Cardle, and of course 2009 runner-up Stacey Solomon, putting Essex on the map throughout the past years of the show, we have big hopes that this can continue in the 2011 series of the X Factor, due to start in August.
If you are going to the auditions at the O2 this week (Wednesday 6th July/Thursday 7th July/Friday 8th July), keep your eyes and ears peeled for the talent that Essex has to offer!
