Samantha Florence Bailey (born 29 June 1977) is an English pop singer who won the tenth series of The X Factor in 2013.

[10] In 1996, then 18-year-old Bailey formed the ska duo Girls Next Door with her friend Julie Nunney and they recorded a song called "Too Late", which was produced by Right Said Fred bassist Clyde Ward.

It was reported that Simon Cowell heard the song when he was shopping at his local Asda, but turned the duo down because they were not on television,[11] but Bailey later said that this story was not true.

[12] She sang "Who's Lovin' You" and "Run To You" at the arena, gaining another standing ovation from the audience and bringing Scherzinger to tears.

She successfully made it through to "judges' houses" and was later chosen by Osbourne for the live shows, along with Lorna Simpson and Shelley Smith.

[citation needed] The following night, she sang her winner's single, a cover of "Skyscraper" by Demi Lovato.

[14] As the winner, she received a £1 million recording contract with Syco Music and the opportunity to support Beyoncé on the UK leg of The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in February 2014.

[15] A report by The Sun claimed that Bailey had "misled the public" by stating she had no previous singing experience, when in fact she had been performing on cruise ships, in clubs and at music festivals for several years.

Bailey defended herself in an interview with the Leicester Mercury, stating: "I have been totally honest that I have sang [sic] for 20 years but never made it.

[16] Bailey's winner's single "Skyscraper" was released via digital download on 16 December 2013, the day after she won the show.

[18] On 22 December, the song debuted atop the UK Singles Chart after selling 149,000 copies in its first week and became the Christmas number one.

[citation needed] It was later revealed that the album would be released on 24 March 2014, and contain both cover versions and original material.

In 2016 she was cast as Mamma Morton in the UK tour of the musical Chicago alongside John Partridge and Hayley Tamaddon.

She has been working, among others, with Steve Dorff,[29] writing new songs for an album titled Sing My Heart Out, released on 16 September.

[31] Bailey took centre stage at De Montfort Hall as Queen of the Flower of Fairies in Jack and the Beanstalk at the 2016 Christmas pantomime, next to Jon Clegg.

[33] Bailey then joined the charitable music project "Stronger Together" to support of LGBTI people living in fear in Chechnya.

[37] In 2020, amid the COVID-19 crisis Sam joined a supergroup of celebrities called The Celebs, the group included Frank Bruno, Kellie Shirley and Toby Anstis to raise money for both Alzheimer's Society and Action for Children.

lives in Leicester with her husband Craig Pearson,[43] their three children—Tommy, Brooke, and Miley, and their deaf Springer Spaniel, Molly.