Olly Murs

An upbeat singer with a bent toward hooky, R&B, funk and reggae-infused dance-pop, Britain's Olly Murs garnered widespread fame as the runner-up on the sixth season of The X Factor. While on the show, Murs' cheeky charisma and highly resonant vocals earned comparisons to contemporaries like Will Young and Robbie Williams, traits that helped his eponymous 2010 debut reach number two in the U.K. Murs then scored four consecutive number one U.K. albums with 2011's In Case You Didn't Know, 2012's Right Place Right Time, 2014's Never Been Better, and 2016's 24 Hrs, spawning hits like "Please Don't Let Me Go," "Heart Skips a Beat, "Troublemaker," and "Wrapped Up" with Gym Class Heroes' Travie McCoy. In 2018, he again returned to the Top Ten with You Know I Know and began appearing as a coach on The Voice UK. Following a hiatus, he delivered his seventh album and fifth number one U.K. album, 2022's Marry Me. Born Oliver Stanley Murs in Essex in 1984, Murs showed little interest in singing while at school, focusing his attention on football, which he played for the school team and later semi-professionally for local non-league team Witham Town. In 2007, he appeared on Deal or No Deal, where he won a lowly £10. However, it was his performance of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" on the sixth series of The X Factor in 2009 that enabled him to show off his vocal talents. Mentored by Simon Cowell in the live stages, he wowed judges with renditions of songs by the Beatles, Queen, and George Michael, and soon became the favorite to win the show. Despite a duet with musical hero Robbie Williams in the hotly contested finale, Murs finished a respectable second to Joe McElderry. In 2010, he signed a six-figure record deal with Epic/Syco Music and embarked on the sold-out X Factor arena tour. After being personally invited by Williams to play at the televised charity football event Soccer Aid, Murs released his first single, the Jason Mraz-inspired "Please Don't Let Me Go," in August. His debut album, featuring songs written by Eg White, Scouting for Girls' Roy Stride, and Wayne Hector, was released in 2010. The record produced three U.K. Top 20 singles, with "Thinking of Me" and "Heart on My Sleeve" racking up chart positions alongside the debut number one "Please Don't Let Me Go." Murs took a short break from his musical career in late 2011 to present the eighth season of The Xtra Factor -- a spinoff behind-the-scenes look at The X Factor -- returning to the program that shot him to fame. His experience with the dynamics involved in the show and his upbeat character made him a firm favorite with the audience -- as well as flirty co-presenter Caroline Flack. During the recording of each show, Murs was working on songs for his second album with writers Steve Robson (Lily Allen, James Morrison) and Claude Kelly (Kelly Clarkson, Backstreet Boys). The first single from his second record, "Heart Skips a Beat," featuring U.K. hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks, was released in summer 2011 and swiftly became a hit. The full-length release, In Case You Didn't Know, followed in November and secured his first U.K. number one album. The following year, Murs opened for sprightly boy band One Direction on their North American tour and re-released the "Heart Skips a Beat" single, replacing Rizzle Kicks with Philadelphia rap duo Chiddy Bang, to coincide with the shows. Also in 2012, Murs released his third studio album, Right Place Right Time, which included the single "Troublemaker," featuring rapper Flo Rida. It topped the U.K. Albums chart and peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200. Summer 2013 brought a number of prestigious live shows, including a support slot on Robbie Williams' Take the Crown stadium tour, which also involved duetting with the former Take That star during the headline set. By the end of the year, Murs had also collaborated in the studio with Williams, who showed up on his Swings Both Ways album on the track "I Wanna Be Like You." In November 2014, Murs issued Never Been Better, his fourth studio album, which included the single "Wrapped Up" with the frontman of Gym Class Heroes, Travie McCoy as a guest. Another number one album in the U.K., it cracked the top 50 on the Billboard 200. In support of the album, Murs embarked on a European tour in mid-2015, with sold-out dates throughout the U.K. and Ireland. In April it was announced that Murs would return with his former Xtra Factor co-presenter Caroline Flack to take over the hosting of the main X Factor show after the departure of Dermot O'Leary. Toward the end of the year, Never Been Better was given a special-edition release, adding an extra seven tracks to the original album -- including the U.K. Top Ten single "Kiss Me" -- and a bonus live DVD, recorded on his European tour. Murs' fifth album, 24 Hrs, arrived in late 2016 and featured the singles "You Don't Know Love" and "Grow Up." 24 Hrs became his fourth consecutive effort to top the British album chart. The next year, Murs issued an acoustic version of "Unpredictable" with singer Louisa Johnson. His sixth effort arrived in 2018, bundled as a double album of new songs and greatest hits. Landing at number two in the U.K., You Know I Know included the Ed Sheeran-penned single "Moves" featuring Snoop Dogg and "You Know I Know" with Shaggy. Around 2018, Murs embarked on an extended hiatus from recording. However, he stayed in the spotlight, appearing as a coach on The Voice UK. He also made his voice acting debut, appearing in an episode of the Disney Channel series 101 Dalmatian Street and in an uncredited role in the film Spies in Disguise. Murs eventually returned to the studio and in October 2022 released "Die of a Broken Heart" as the first track off his seventh studio album. Inspired by a relationship and subsequent engagement, the David Stewart-produced Marry Me arrived that December, becoming the singer's fifth U.K. number one album.
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