Rebecca Ferguson is a singer and songwriter from Liverpool, England. Born in 1986 in Anfield, she studies at Hugh Baird College in Bootle and qualifies as a legal secretary before beginning her music career.

Career

Ferguson comes to wider attention in 2010 as runner-up in the seventh series of the UK television contest The X Factor. She is mentored by Cheryl Cole and reaches the final, where she performs “Beautiful” as a duet with Christina Aguilera. She finishes second behind Matt Cardle and is signed to Syco Music in the same period.

During the competition she performs songs including “A Change Is Gonna Come” for her first audition, “Like a Star” at bootcamp, “Fireflies” at judges’ houses, and “Teardrops”, “Feeling Good”, “Why Don’t You Do Right?”, “Make You Feel My Love” and “Candle in the Wind” in the live shows. She receives standing ovations for “Make You Feel My Love” and “Candle in the Wind”.

Recordings

Ferguson’s debut single, “Nothing’s Real But Love”, is released in 2011, shortly before her first album Heaven. Her second album, Freedom, follows in 2013. In 2015 she releases Lady Sings the Blues, an album of jazz standards associated with Billie Holiday. She also releases the dance single “Uncrazy” in 2017 and “Nothing Left But Family” in 2020, featuring Nile Rodgers.

Style and collaborations

Her work is associated with soul, pop, jazz and R&B. She is also linked with the groups The X Factor Finalists 2010 and The Justice Collective. Among her notable collaborations is her final performance on The X Factor with Christina Aguilera, and the 2020 single with Nile Rodgers.