Ronan Parke (born 8 August 1998[2]) is an English singer from Poringland, Norfolk, UK who came runner-up in the fifth series of ITV show Britain's Got Talent in 2011 when he was 12 despite being the bookies' favourite to win.

[8] Parke auditioned for Britain's Got Talent in London in front of judges Amanda Holden, Michael McIntyre and Louis Walsh (who was filling in for David Hasselhoff.)

[9] In the final on 4 June, Parke performed "Because of You" by Kelly Clarkson and received a standing ovation from the audience and judges, who once again gave him praise for his powerful rendition of the song.

Louis Walsh, who was in the audience for the final, was referred to by Cowell and also praised Parke saying, "He's made the hairs stand on the back of my neck".

[10] Two days after the final, it was reported that Sony Music were keen to offer Parke a recording contract worth £1 million.

[citation needed] The same day, it was also reported that Cowell had hoped for Ronan to duet with Jackie Evancho, although no plans were completed for this to occur.

During the tour, Parke sang all three of the songs that he performed on the show, collaborating with pianist Paul Gbegbaje for "Make You Feel My Love".

On 28 July 2011, Parke uploaded a video to YouTube of him performing an acoustic cover of Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory", which has attracted media attention.

Amazon also showed an exclusive video on the pre-order page of Parke's debut album of him performing an acoustic cover of "Forget You".

He also announced his first gig in his home county of Norfolk, and performed at Potters Leisure Resort, Hopton-on-Sea, for two nights, 22/23 October 2011.

[20] Parke performed "Forget You", "Ben" and "Smile" at the Michael Jackson tribute show on 28 August 2011 at Blackpool Opera House.

Parke announced on Facebook that "A Thousand Miles", originally by Vanessa Carlton, would be the first single from the album and the music video released on 14 September 2011.

[29] On his first theatre experience, Parke played the title role of Aladdin in a pantomime produced by Anton Benson Productions at the Northwich Memorial Court Cheshire along with Vicki Michelle and Charles Lawson from 9 December 2017 to 1 January 2018.