Rebecca Caroline Ferguson MBE (born 21 July 1986)[1] is an English soul singer and songwriter.

Rebecca Ferguson was born on 21 July 1986 at Mill Road Hospital in Liverpool to a father of Jamaican descent and a white British mother.

Ferguson revealed that she always wanted to become a pop star when she was young and said that her family fully supported her passion of becoming a professional singer, helping her through two previous X Factor auditions.

Despite having a difficult start in life, Ferguson insisted that she wanted people to focus solely on her talent.

[6] She sang "Fireflies" in the Judges' Houses round and was sent through to the live shows by mentor Cheryl in her Girls category (solo females aged 16–27).

In the fifth live show, Ferguson received a standing ovation from Cowell and Cheryl following her performance of "Make You Feel My Love".

In the following episode, Ferguson received another standing ovation from Dannii Minogue and Cheryl after singing "Candle in the Wind".

She avoided the final showdown every week and finished second to Matt Cardle, making her the first female runner-up on The X Factor.

The album features Ferguson collaborating with Eg White, Steve Booker, Fraser T Smith, Xenomania, Paul Barry, Mark Taylor and Brian Higgins.

On 18 November 2011, Ferguson announced her first headlining UK and Ireland Tour, spanning 14 dates from 20 February to 13 March 2012.

[citation needed] Ferguson confirmed on her official website that the second single to be released from the album will be "Too Good to Lose".

Starting in February 2012, an excerpt from Ferguson's "Nothing's Real but Love" was used in a television advertisement campaign for Nescafé Gold Blend coffee.

In April 2012, Ferguson broke her left leg during a night out, which kept her wearing a cast for several weeks.

On 29 May 2012, Ferguson made her American television debut when she sang "Nothing's Real but Love" on The Today Show.

On 13 July, Ferguson revealed via Twitter that she would be taking her management team to court, after they made her work until she collapsed.

[11] The relationship deteriorated further in September 2012 with the former management company filing a High Court writ, asking for a declaration that the star unlawfully ended her contract and seeking 20% of her future earnings.

Ferguson features on the charity record He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother including other singers such as Paloma Faith, Paul McCartney and Robbie Williams.

In July 2013, Ferguson revealed she was in the stages of finishing up her second album, also saying that it "has been hard to make" and that she was writing about her babies.

The album includes a duet with US soul star John Legend and production/songwriting from Jarrad Rogers, Toby Gad and Eg White.

On 9 May 2015 Ferguson performed at VE Day 70: A Party to Remember in Horse Guards Parade, London.

[citation needed] The first single from the album was announced on 30 August and was called "Bones", a cover of a 2013 track by NZ artist Ginny Blackmore, and was released on 2 September 2016.

On 2 October of that year she announced through her Facebook page that she was no longer with her management company but was working on new projects and touring in 2018.

[citation needed] She released the first single "Uncrazy" from the album on 1 December 2017, a dance song, which moves away from Ferguson's usual style of music.

[citation needed] On 11 February 2022, Ferguson premiered the track "I'm Going to Love You" on BBC Concert Orchestra, thought to be the lead single from her final studio album.

Ferguson previously dated fellow The X Factor contestant and former One Direction member Zayn Malik.

"[29] Ferguson was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2024 Birthday Honours for services to the music industry.