[14] Mentored by Cheryl Cole, he made it through to the live finals and was announced the winner on 13 December 2009,[1][15] beating runner-up Olly Murs with his version of "The Climb".

According to industry sources, approximately 100,000 copies of the single were sold on the day of its release but it was not enough to knock Rage Against The Machine off the spot in the UK in its opening week.

[24] McElderry's single sold 450,000 compared to Rage Against the Machine's 502,000 after a Facebook-based campaign was started in protest of The X Factor's dominance of the Christmas number one title.

"The Climb" was nominated in the British Single category at the 2010 BRIT Awards but lost out to fellow X Factor contestants JLS.

[33][better source needed] The first single released from Wide Awake was "Ambitions", a cover of a song by Norwegian band Donkeyboy.

[45] McElderry told Terry Wogan in an interview on BBC Radio 2 that he had parted ways with Syco in February 2011.

"[50] He told Capital FM on 19 August 2011 that he was "forever thankful" to Syco and Simon Cowell for the opportunity they gave him.

[55] In late January or early February 2011, ITV approached McElderry's management about his being a contestant on the upcoming second series of Popstar to Operastar.

[58] On 24 July 2011, he headlined a free homecoming gig at Bents Park as part of South Tyneside Summer Festival 2011, singing a set list of 20 songs, with over 20,000 people in the audience- the biggest turnout the event has ever had.

[65] On 8 December, he performed at Durham Cathedral to an audience of 1,500, singing, "In the Bleak Midwinter" and David Essex's "A Winter's Tale", with a new verse written by Tim Rice.

[67] During the recording of his fourth studio album, he performed at The Royal Albert Hall in support of The Hunger Project, singing "Don't Stop Believin'", "Nessun Dorma" and a duet with Dionne Warwick, "One World, One Song".

[69] On 3 June 2012, he performed at the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, he sang for guests on board a Dunkirk ship, The Viscount.

[70] McElderry's fourth album, Here's What I Believe, includes collaborations with Beth Nielsen Chapman, Marcella Detroit and Ludovico Einaudi.

[72] McElderry made a cameo appearance in a musical version of Dirty Dancing at the Sunderland Empire on Tuesday 25 September.

In March 2013, he appeared as a celebrity guest judge during the audition stages on the third series of Comic Relief does Glee Club.

In December 2013 and January 2014, he played the starring role of Prince Charming in Qdos Entertainment Pantomimes Cinderella at The Beck Theatre, Hayes.

[78] In January 2014, while on a skiing holiday, McElderry entered Channel 4 series hosted by Davina McCall, The Jump, as a last-minute replacement to Henry Conway who was injured on the show.

After finishing the Set Your Soul Alive tour, he appeared on Kerry Ellis's self-titled album in a cover of "(I've Had) The Time of My Life".

[citation needed] In September 2015, McElderry again played the lead role in the rock musical The Who's Tommy, this time in a two-week run at the Opera House Theatre in Blackpool.

[84] Janet Tansley of the Liverpool Echo wrote that McElderry "breathed new life into this middle-aged musical", adding: "His voice was solid and silken and, simply, faultless, rendering 'Close Every Door' possibly the best version I have ever heard".

"[87] Saturday Night at the Movies, McElderry's fifth studio album, features a collection of songs from films and musicals.

[89] McElderry promoted the album with a "Saturday Night at the Movies" national tour throughout July and August 2017, featuring Lloyd Daniels from the sixth series of The X Factor and Keith Jack and Ben James-Ellis from Any Dream Will Do.

[90][better source needed] In 2023/24, Joe appeared in a Panto version of Pinocchio at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle as Jiminy Cricket.

McElderry took part in the Great North Run half marathon 13.1 mile race on 19 September 2010 raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust,[91][better source needed] a charity for which he is also an ambassador.

[93] Two days later, he performed at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle to help raise money for Josie's Dragonfly trust.

He also took part in a Comic Relief campaign, where celebrities and prolific Twitter users auctioned off the chance to be followed by a star; it raised £560.