Career and Life

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Rebecca Caroline Ferguson is a British singer and songwriter. She came to prominence in 2010 when she became the runner-up of the seventh series of The X Factor, losing to the winner that year, Matt Cardle. She subsequently signed a joint record deal with Syco Music and Epic Records in the UK. She later signed to Columbia Records in the US.

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Ferguson's debut album, Heaven, was released in December 2011 to commercial and critical success. The album sold 128k in its first week and peaked at No. 3 in the UK Official Charts, making Ferguson the fastest-selling debut solo artist of the decade between the years of 2007 - 2017. Co-written by Ferguson, it was certified two times platinum in the UK and platinum in Ireland. The album yielded six singles including lead single "Nothing's Real but Love", which enjoyed commercial success throughout much of Europe and Oceania, entering the UK Singles Chart at number 10. A deluxe version of the album included the single "Backtrack", which entered the charts in October 2012 at number 15, giving Ferguson her second Top 20 hit. Ferguson's second studio album, Freedom, was released in December 2013. It met with positive reviews from critics and commercial success in the UK where it charted at number 6 and has since been certified Gold by the BPI. The album's lead single, "I Hope", peaked at number 15 in the UK. In 2012, she was nominated for two MOBO Awards and one MTV Europe Music Award.

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In 2015 Ferguson released her third studio album Lady Sings the Blues covering a number of jazz classics made famous by Billie Holiday. The lead single "Get Happy" was added to BBC Radio 2's playlist and the album charted at number 7, becoming Ferguson's third consecutive Top Ten charted album in the UK charts. The following year, Ferguson released her fourth studio album "Superwoman". The album reached number 7 on the UK charts, and gained Ferguson her fourth consecutive Top Ten album on the UK charts. She cites Aretha Franklin, Kings of Leon, Christina Aguilera and Amy Winehouse among her influences.

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Ferguson met the father to her two oldest children, Karl Dures, on holiday in Tenerife, but had previously met and known each other for some years. Ferguson and Dures dated for four years and had two children named Lillie May and Karl. She also has a daughter named Arabella, born in 2014, from a later relationship.

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Ferguson previously dated fellow The X Factor contestant and former One Direction member Zayn Malik, which caused controversy due to the six-year age difference. The relationship ended after four months together. In November 2011, Ferguson addressed the media interest, saying: "When I was in a relationship with Zayn it was quite hard, but it comes with it. Me and Zayn just grew apart. I wish him all the best." In 2011, Malik also commented, "Even though it was a mutual decision, when you have a proper heartache like that, I don't think you fully get over it. We're still friends and talk all the time."

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