Biography
Irish identical twins John and Edward Grimes first attracted widespread notice in 2009 during their stint as contestants on the sixth season of the British talent competition The X Factor. The youthful pop-singing pair soon drew attention for their energetic dance routines and their signature tall hairstyles. Blending syllables from their given names, they adopted the stage name Jedward and went on to build a lasting presence as pop artists, amassing three successive albums that reached the top of the Irish charts. They have twice represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest and advanced both times to the final. Expanding beyond recordings, the brothers also moved into television presenting and appeared on reality formats including Celebrity Big Brother and Celebrity Coach Trip.
Born in Dublin, the Grimes brothers had already begun performing together as children and drew inspiration from pop acts such as Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and the Backstreet Boys. They entered the X Factor lineup in October 2009, only weeks before turning 18, and although their raw presentation led to a sixth-place finish, they emerged as unexpected favorites and won the endorsement of judge Louis Walsh, who later became their manager.
With Walsh’s guidance, Jedward secured a Sony Music contract and issued their debut single—a mashup of “Under Pressure” and “Ice Ice Baby”—early in 2010. The track reached number one in Ireland and number two in the U.K., yet fell to number 12 the following week and soon disappeared from the British charts altogether. Sony promptly terminated the agreement, but the duo signed a three-album deal with Universal the next day and rushed out their first album, Planet Jedward, which arrived that July. A collection of covers, Planet Jedward reworked numerous pop, rock, and R&B hits; it performed strongly, hitting number one on the Irish album chart and number 17 on the U.K. album chart.
Once the Bad Behavior Tour concluded in 2011, the brothers entered the U.K. reality series Big Brother 8 as housemates and simultaneously represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest with the single “Lipstick,” finishing eighth. In 2012 they again represented Ireland at Eurovision, this time with the song “Waterline.” That year also saw the release of their third studio album, Young Love, which topped the Irish chart though it did not repeat that success abroad. In subsequent years the pair stayed visible through advertising campaigns, charity efforts, modeling, and the children’s program Jedward’s Big Adventure. They also made cameo appearances in the third, fourth, and fifth installments of the Sharknado film series. After a seven-year hiatus from recording, Jedward returned with their fourth album, Voice of a Rebel, in 2019.
Born in Dublin, the Grimes brothers had already begun performing together as children and drew inspiration from pop acts such as Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and the Backstreet Boys. They entered the X Factor lineup in October 2009, only weeks before turning 18, and although their raw presentation led to a sixth-place finish, they emerged as unexpected favorites and won the endorsement of judge Louis Walsh, who later became their manager.
With Walsh’s guidance, Jedward secured a Sony Music contract and issued their debut single—a mashup of “Under Pressure” and “Ice Ice Baby”—early in 2010. The track reached number one in Ireland and number two in the U.K., yet fell to number 12 the following week and soon disappeared from the British charts altogether. Sony promptly terminated the agreement, but the duo signed a three-album deal with Universal the next day and rushed out their first album, Planet Jedward, which arrived that July. A collection of covers, Planet Jedward reworked numerous pop, rock, and R&B hits; it performed strongly, hitting number one on the Irish album chart and number 17 on the U.K. album chart.
Once the Bad Behavior Tour concluded in 2011, the brothers entered the U.K. reality series Big Brother 8 as housemates and simultaneously represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest with the single “Lipstick,” finishing eighth. In 2012 they again represented Ireland at Eurovision, this time with the song “Waterline.” That year also saw the release of their third studio album, Young Love, which topped the Irish chart though it did not repeat that success abroad. In subsequent years the pair stayed visible through advertising campaigns, charity efforts, modeling, and the children’s program Jedward’s Big Adventure. They also made cameo appearances in the third, fourth, and fifth installments of the Sharknado film series. After a seven-year hiatus from recording, Jedward returned with their fourth album, Voice of a Rebel, in 2019.
Albums
Singles
