Cast your mind back to series 11 of The X Factor UK in 2014. It was the year that CelebMix favourite Ben Haenow won the show, Fleur East became an overnight sensation following her ‘Uptown Funk’ performance, and we also saw the birth of octoband, Stereo Kicks.
Remember Stereo Kicks? Of course you do. Not only did they make waves due to the fact that there were eight members in the band, but they were all incredibly talented with fabulous voices to match. Following the show, they released their debut single, the underrated ‘Love Me So’, which charted at 31 in the UK singles chart. Sadly however, the band soon split and went their separate ways.
Since then, we’ve seen several of the members smashing their own thing. Reece Bibby and Charlie Jones joined New Hope Club and Over Atlantic respectively and are currently enjoying great success, whilst Tom Mann is now Liam Payne’s Musical Director.
But what about vocal powerhouse James Graham? It’s no secret that the singer-songwriter has been working on solo music, and he even gave us a taste of what to expect with the release of ‘Viral’ last year. However, he’ll soon be on our screens once more, flexing those sensational vocal cords of his on the second season of Fox’s The Four: Battle For Stardom.
It has just been revealed that James will be one of the first four contestants on the show, alongside rapper Sharaya J, R&B singer Carvena Jones, and emerging Latin artist Stephanie Zelaya.
America, say hello to #TheFour: @Sharaya_J, @itsjamesgraham, @cardazzle, @zelayasteph @TheFourOnFox pic.twitter.com/bAQeOaKoGQ
— Talent Recap (@TalentRecap) May 9, 2018
For those of you who are unfamiliar with The Four, let us fill you in. The concept is pretty simple, yet very exciting. The show begins with four ‘finalists’, which this time will be James, Sharaya, Carvena and Stephanie. Each week, new contestants will appear with the aim of taking the seat of one of ‘The Four’ – think singing musical chairs.
Host Fergie will be returning for the second season, as well as the expert panel including Meghan Trainor, DJ Khaled, and Diddy. The first season aired in January and saw Evvie McKinney being crowned as the winner. Baring in mind that Evvie only made her first appearance in episode five, it seems that anything can happen on the show.
The Four: Battle For Stardom returns to Fox on June 7 at 8/7c.