Rak-Su are a four-piece group consisting of childhood friends Ashley Fongho, Jamaal Shurland, Myles Stephenson and Mustafa Rahimtulla, from Watford.
[4] In 2017, Rak-Su auditioned for The X Factor in front of judges Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne and Nicole Scherzinger.
Following producers' earlier advice against singing their original material, they began performing "Señorita" by Justin Timberlake until they were stopped by Cowell, who was unimpressed and requested a different song.
During the live shows, they continued to perform mainly original material, with two cover versions with additional raps by Fongho and Stephenson.
With the eliminations of Jack & Joel in week 3, Sean and Conor Price in the quarter-final and The Cutkelvins in the semi-final, Rak-Su became Cowell's remaining act in the competition.
On 3 December 2017, their winners' single was added to streaming services as well as being available for download immediately after the final, with profits going towards the charities Together for Short Lives and Shooting Star Chase.
On 16 February 2018, they released a self-titled EP including the songs "Mamacita", "Dimelo", "Mona Lisa" and "I'm Feeling You".
On 10 November 2018 it was announced that both Rak-Su and Little Mix parted ways with Syco Music, with the label stating that they would no longer work with Modest!
On 29 August 2019, it was reported that Rak-Su had been dropped from RCA due to lack of mainstream chart success.
[citation needed] On 8 November 2019, Rak-Su released their first single as independent artists, "La Bomba".
On 20 November 2020, Fongho, Shurland and Stephenson announced that Rahimtulla would be taking a hiatus from the group as a result of his mental health struggles.
On 25 March 2022, Rak-Su provided vocals for the song "Just a Friend" with British DJ AJ Moreno.
However, it was unclear whether they would finish their gig as there was high possibility of police attending, clearing the venue, and arresting suspects of the prior night's serious incident, which resulted in a death.
[10] On 14 January 2023, it was announced that Fongho would face British YouTuber King Kenny on X Series 005 in Milton Keynes, England on 25 February.
[13] On 30 August, it was announced that Fongho would face YouTuber Halal Ham on X Series 009 at the Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
[14] X Series 009 was originally scheduled to take place on 22 July in Berlin, Germany but was delayed for an unknown reason.
[13] On 20 December, it was announced that Fongho would face professional boxer OJ Rosé on X Series 12 at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England.
[‡ 2] Originally, it was announced that X Series 12 would take place on 4 November 2023 in Austin, Texas, but was delayed for an unknown reason.
[17] On 20 August 2024, it was announced that Fongho would face Tristan Hamm on X Series 18 at the Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.