One of the most memorable X Factor seasons of all time was in 2018 when Alexandra Burke took to the stage and gave the performance of her life to a sold-out crowd with the hope of changing her life forever. Not only was she about to achieve exactly that, but she was also about to share the stage with someone very special, very close to her own heart, and very famous: the one and only R&B icon Beyoncé. This would create one of the most iconic X-Factor duets in the competition’s history.
The X Factor has created some of the UK’s most loved modern music stars and changed the lives of otherwise ordinary people with a dream in the process. For Alexandra Burke, her final performance of Beyonce’s “Listen” would have been daunting enough to perform with so much on the line, let alone with her idol singing alongside her. Despite all the nerves and the pressure of such an important performance, she gave it her all and delivered an exceptional cover of this classic ballad. Watch below:
At the beginning of her performance, Alexandra Burke held herself with infectious charisma and confidence, which translated into her vocals being incredibly impressive that night. However, as she began to introduce Beyonce to join in on the song and begin her part of the duet, Burke was clearly taken aback. As her idol stood next to her and sang by her side, Burke held back tears of both disbelief and excitement; thankfully, she pushed through and finished off the song beautifully.
After her performance and an intense wait while audience votes rolled in, Alexandra Burke was crowned the winner of 2008’s X Factor competition. This life-changing event got her signed to Syco Records, and she also released her cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” which sold an impressive 105,000 copies in one day, becoming the UK’s top-selling single in 2008. This showed that she truly had what it took to be a star, as well as the love from the public that could take her to the highest heights.
Beyoncé is an artist who truly needs little to no introduction. Dubbed “Queen Bey”, she has earned the admiration and respect of countless fans and acquaintances the world over for her consistently impressive and successful music career. She has been lauded as one of the greatest vocalists of all time. Her success is almost unparalleled in her genre, and from both her time in Destiny’s Child and her solo career, she has become a true tour de force of the R&B scene.
In addition to experiencing success in the music world since her appearance on The X Factor, Alexandra Burke has been performing roles in musicals since 2014. She played Rachel Marron in a West End adaptation of The Bodyguard from 2015 to 2019, with a brief hiatus in 2017.