Here at CelebMix, we love a throwback and this week we are throwing it back to the debut number one hit single from Diana Vickers, ‘Once’ which was released in 2010.
Who is Diana Vickers?
Diana Vickers is a singer-songwriter, actress and fashion designer from Blackburn, England. She caught attention in the public eye when she auditioned for the fifth series of The X Factor UK in 2008 at the age of 16. She was an instant favourite with the judges and public, with long-serving judge Louis Walsh describing Vickers as, ‘a little hippie’ during her audition.
Vickers then worked her way through the competition, passing both Boot Camp and Judges Houses. Vickers was then selected as one of the final three acts in the Girls category to advance to the live shows by one of the judges, Cheryl Cole. She was in the same category as fellow contestants Laura White and Alexandra Burke, who was the series winner.
Diana Vickers increasingly became a fan-favourite with the general public as the live shows progressed; they had fallen in love with her and found their latest and greatest singing sweetheart. Her performance choices were deemed as versatile with Vickers performing a diverse plethora of songs throughout her time on The X Factor in 2008. From Michael Jackson’s ‘Man In The Mirror’ to Avril Lavigne’s ‘Girlfriend’, her innovative song choices were off the scale. Vickers was also set to perform Mariah Carey’s ‘Always Be My Baby’ for her Week 6 performance but was infamously diagnosed with laryngitis we later discovered during the live shows that week. She was advised to not perform as it could’ve permanently damaged her vocal chords; she became the first live act in the show’s history to not perform and advance to the next week automatically.
Vickers reached the semi-finals, where she finished in fourth place. This accomplishment then allowed her to join a select few other acts on The X Factor Live tour, which hinted towards a record deal with Simon Cowell’s label, Syco. However, this was not the case and the rumour was put to bed when Vickers signed with Sony / RCA Records in 2009. She instantly worked on her debut album with industry insiders and released her debut single, ‘Once’ as the lead single from her eventual debut album titled, ‘Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree’.
‘Once’ was an instant debut hit single for Diana Vickers, entering at number one on the UK Singles Chart; the debut single has since been certified gold by BPI. ‘Once’ also charted in other countries including Scotland and Ireland. The debut single also managed to chart in South Korea, where it peaked at number 39. Vickers later followed through with the singles, ‘The Boy Who Murdered Love’ and ‘My Wicked Heart’ which received moderate chart success and gave her debut album further promotion.
How successful was Diana Vickers’ career after the throwback hit?
Following her throwback hit and successful debut album, Vickers released a fashion line for online retailer Very titled, ‘Dee V’. She also started to work on her sophomore album after just finishing her debut headline tour. However, in June 2010, it was announced Vickers had left her record label due to ‘creative differences’ with the singer-songwriter wanting to pursue a more ‘indie’ image and be less commercial. Her relationship with RCA was also broken by this point due to Craig Logan, who signed Vickers, leaving the label shortly before her departure.
Nevertheless, Vickers still went to work on a follow-up album and independently released two new tracks, ‘Music To Make Boys Cry’ and ‘Kiss of a Bullet’ as a free digital download in December 2011. The ‘Once’ singer-songwriter eventually signed to a worldwide label known as So Recordings in early 2013. Vickers eventually followed through with a sophomore album titled after the previous single, ‘Music To Make Boys Cry’ in September 2013. ‘Music To Make Boys Cry’ debuted at number ten on the UK Indie Album Chart.
The album’s lead single, ‘Cinderella’ peaked within the top 20 of the UK Indie Singles Chart. To promote the lead single and entire album, Vickers performed at various UK music festivals in the summer of 2013, including T in The Park and V Festival.
In 2014, Diana Vickers made her acting debut by performing as the role of Kim in the 2014 South African drama film, ‘The Perfect Wave’. Other notable acting gigs include the lead role as Gemma in 2014 TV Series, ‘Give Out Girls’ and she also portrayed herself in an episode of the BBC Three comedy series, ‘Josh’. Vickers was also featured covering a classic song from the musical Sound of The Music, ‘My Favourite Things’ for the TV advert of One Direction’s debut fragrance, ‘Our Moment’.
What is the ‘Once’ hitmaker up to now?
In more present times, Diana Vickers hasn’t released much music since her second album, ‘Music To Make Boys Cry’. Although, she did release a single titled, ‘Chains’ in August 2015 which was used to promote a film, ‘Awaiting’ which she landed the lead role in as Lauren.
During 2015/2016, Vickers toured as the role of Jane in a Broadway production of Rocky Horror Show UK. Most recently, Vickers has been low-key acting and keeping her social media updated, she has included a link to her own page of a talent agency she is signed to called Independent Talent onto her Instagram bio. Vickers was also recently announced as the role of Eurydice in a musical titled Myth.
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