Marcus Collins

Marcus Collins, an English vocalist, entered the lineup of Eton Road in 2007, a band that had already appeared on the third series of The X Factor. Within twelve months he exited the group, took up work as a hairdresser, and soon chose to launch a solo career. On series eight of The X Factor he reached the finale by performing an eclectic selection of covers that included Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger,” Rihanna’s “Russian Roulette,” Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” and the Jackie Wilson-associated “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher.” Female quartet Little Mix ultimately eliminated him at that stage. His mentor on the program, Gary Barlow of Take That, forged a close professional alliance and placed him on the RCA roster, where Collins immediately began recording his debut album. Issued in March 2012, the self-titled collection was preceded by a January 2012 cover of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army”; it also featured contributions from Barlow and the Swedish production team StarGate, along with a fresh studio rendering of “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher” and a version of Janelle Monáe’s “Tightrope.”