Matt Cardle (born 15.4.1983) Matt Cardle is a British singer-songwriter, who rose to fame after entering the seventh series of The X Factor, which he eventually went on to win. After winning the series, he landed a £1 million recording with Syco Music, Simon Cowell's record label.
Childhood: Matt Cardle was born in Southampton, Hampshire, to David Cardle and Jennifer Cardle (previously Horner). At the age of two, he was diagnosed with Wilms' tumour but he recovered after having a kidney removed.
Before finding fame on The X factor, Matt Cardle had a number of jobs, including a bricklayer, postman and milkman. At the point at which he joined The X Factor, Matt had most recently been working as a painter and decorator. He had, at that point, been a member of the indie rock band Darwyn and another band, Seven Summers. The latter released a self-titled album in January 2010 and performed live on Sue Marchant's BBC radio program the previous December.
X Factor and beyond: Matt Cardle auditioned for the seventh series of The X factor in 2010, singing 'You Know I'm No Good', by Amy Winehouse. He was put through to the bootcamp stage and was then put through to the judges' houses, where his mentor, Dannii Minogue put him through to the live shows, after he performed a version of 'If I Were a Boy', by Beyonce Knowles.
On the first of the live shows, Matt sang 'When Love Takes Over', originally recorded by David Guetta and Kelly Rowland. Other songs that he sang on the show include '.Baby One More Time' by Britney Spears, Leona Lewis' 'Bleeding Love', 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' by Elton John and 'Come Together' by The Beatles.
In week 10, the show's final, Matt Cardle duetted with Rihanna, performing 'Unfaithful'. The following evening, he won the show, with 44.6 percent of the votes, performing 'Firework'.
After the show, Matt Cardle released his version of 'When We Collide', by Scottish band Biffy Clyro. The song was the Christmas number one in the UK, despite several internet-based campaigns to keep it from the top spot. The final contestants of the show also released a cover of David Bowie's 'Heroes', in aid of the charity Hope for Heroes.
Biography by Contactmusic.com