Biography
Diana Vickers attained the status of a British musical figurehead upon reaching the age of sixteen through her participation in the fifth series of The X Factor in 2008. Simon Cowell likened her distinctive voice to Marmite, implying listeners would either embrace or reject it. She progressed through eight consecutive live shows without once landing in the danger zone, securing a temporary exemption in one round after developing acute laryngitis. Bookmakers had positioned her as the likely overall victor, yet the concurrent breakthroughs of Alexandra Burke and JLS resulted in her elimination immediately before the finale, leaving her in fourth place behind Eoghan Quigg. Although she initially joined Syco Records together with the three contestants who had finished ahead of her, the contract was soon terminated and she moved instead to RCA.
Beginning in January 2009, she started shaping her debut album in collaboration with Ellie Goulding, Starsmith, and Guy Sigsworth. The sessions extended for more than a year without any material reaching the public. During this interval she performed in the West End production The Rise and Fall of Little Voice and received the best newcomer prize at the theatre awards. In April 2010 she issued her first single, “Once,” written by Cathy Dennis and Eg White. The track arrived amid considerable anticipation, entered the U.K. singles chart at number one on sales exceeding seventy thousand copies, and was followed less than a month later by the album Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree, which likewise debuted at the summit with nearly thirty-six thousand units sold. This success made Vickers a three-time chart-topping artist by the age of eighteen; her earlier contribution to the 2008 Christmas number-one single “Hero,” recorded with her fellow X Factor finalists, formed part of that record.
A second single, “The Boy Who Murdered Love,” appeared in July 2010, the same period in which she made her debut as a DJ at a London party. Although her next album would not arrive for another three years, she launched her own clothing line and took a role in Bruce Macdonald’s independent film The Perfect Wave, which featured Scott Eastwood. Early attempts to explore an indie-rock direction, including sessions with Starsailor’s James Walsh, ultimately gave way to an electro-pop approach for Music to Make Boys Cry in 2013. Promotion included a series of sold-out U.K. summer dates supporting Olly Murs and an appearance at V Festival. She also returned to acting, appearing in the comedy series Girls Give Out and touring the country in the political satire The Duck House with Ben Miller.
Beginning in January 2009, she started shaping her debut album in collaboration with Ellie Goulding, Starsmith, and Guy Sigsworth. The sessions extended for more than a year without any material reaching the public. During this interval she performed in the West End production The Rise and Fall of Little Voice and received the best newcomer prize at the theatre awards. In April 2010 she issued her first single, “Once,” written by Cathy Dennis and Eg White. The track arrived amid considerable anticipation, entered the U.K. singles chart at number one on sales exceeding seventy thousand copies, and was followed less than a month later by the album Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree, which likewise debuted at the summit with nearly thirty-six thousand units sold. This success made Vickers a three-time chart-topping artist by the age of eighteen; her earlier contribution to the 2008 Christmas number-one single “Hero,” recorded with her fellow X Factor finalists, formed part of that record.
A second single, “The Boy Who Murdered Love,” appeared in July 2010, the same period in which she made her debut as a DJ at a London party. Although her next album would not arrive for another three years, she launched her own clothing line and took a role in Bruce Macdonald’s independent film The Perfect Wave, which featured Scott Eastwood. Early attempts to explore an indie-rock direction, including sessions with Starsailor’s James Walsh, ultimately gave way to an electro-pop approach for Music to Make Boys Cry in 2013. Promotion included a series of sold-out U.K. summer dates supporting Olly Murs and an appearance at V Festival. She also returned to acting, appearing in the comedy series Girls Give Out and touring the country in the political satire The Duck House with Ben Miller.
Albums
Singles
