Biography
Ronan Parke drew instant comparisons to Justin Bieber as another tousle-haired schoolboy singer who had emerged since 2009, following his audition on Britain’s Got Talent, although his developed vocal abilities pointed more toward West End theater than mainstream pop success. The 1998 arrival from the modest Norfolk village of Poringland grew up with a builder father and nurse mother; he cultivated an early passion for music and completed multiple years of vocal training before a family acquaintance—the daughter of Norwich City goalkeeper Bryan Gunn—assisted with his submission for the fifth series of the program in 2011.
His audition take on Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” earned a standing ovation, prompting judges Louis Walsh, Amanda Holden, and Michael McIntyre to advance him to the live rounds, where he quickly became the betting favorite, especially after topping the semifinals vote with Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.” Only days ahead of the final, however, an online smear campaign alleging that show creator Simon Cowell had previously groomed Parke for fame gained traction and reached the front pages. Cowell firmly rejected the claims and sought police help to identify the perpetrator; an anonymous blogger was eventually exposed as the fabricator, yet Parke still placed second behind Scottish classical pop vocalist Jai McDowall by a margin of 2.6 percent.
Widely regarded as the competition’s standout talent nonetheless, he secured a £1 million Sony contract, appeared on the Britain’s Got Talent tour and before 50,000 spectators at T4 on the Beach, and issued his first single—a cover of Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles.” The self-titled debut album, containing Lady Gaga’s “The Edge of Glory,” Des’ree’s “You Gotta Be,” Katy Perry’s “Firework,” and the original Gary Barlow composition “Stronger Than I Am,” reached number 22 by the close of 2011. Parke then moved to AD Records for a fresh agreement and, in August 2012, delivered the single “We Are Shooting Stars.”
His audition take on Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” earned a standing ovation, prompting judges Louis Walsh, Amanda Holden, and Michael McIntyre to advance him to the live rounds, where he quickly became the betting favorite, especially after topping the semifinals vote with Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.” Only days ahead of the final, however, an online smear campaign alleging that show creator Simon Cowell had previously groomed Parke for fame gained traction and reached the front pages. Cowell firmly rejected the claims and sought police help to identify the perpetrator; an anonymous blogger was eventually exposed as the fabricator, yet Parke still placed second behind Scottish classical pop vocalist Jai McDowall by a margin of 2.6 percent.
Widely regarded as the competition’s standout talent nonetheless, he secured a £1 million Sony contract, appeared on the Britain’s Got Talent tour and before 50,000 spectators at T4 on the Beach, and issued his first single—a cover of Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles.” The self-titled debut album, containing Lady Gaga’s “The Edge of Glory,” Des’ree’s “You Gotta Be,” Katy Perry’s “Firework,” and the original Gary Barlow composition “Stronger Than I Am,” reached number 22 by the close of 2011. Parke then moved to AD Records for a fresh agreement and, in August 2012, delivered the single “We Are Shooting Stars.”