Another Barbadian has shown he has the “X” factor to succeed at the highest levels.
Singer/songwriter Jamaal Shurland, lead singer of the four-member R&B boy band Rak-Su, made history on Saturday night when they won the 2017 United Kingdom The X Factor.
Shurland, originally from Spooners Hill, St Michael, before relocating to England when he was 12, was basking in the glory along with band members in rapper, songwriter and poet Ashley Fongho, rapper and producer Myles Stephenson, and DJ, dancer and beat boxer Mustafa Rahimtulla. They became the first band to win the competition since 2011, as well as winning with an original song – Dimelo – beating out talented songstress Grace Davies to secure the top spot.
Rak-Su is now only the second band to win the show overall in its 14 series run. It will now release Dimelo alongside veteran entertainer Wyclef Jean and DJ Naughty Boy, and has been signed to show boss Simon Cowell’s record label Syco.
After the win, Shurland expressed his thanks for all the support the group had received over the months of competing.
“I just want to thank everyone at home, everyone here, all my friends and family who made this special; I’m speechless,” he said.
Interestingly enough, the other band to ever win the competition, Little Mix, also boasted a member with Barbadian/Jamaican heritage in Leigh-Anne Pinnock. This trailblazing all-girl group also performed Saturday night.
In the last WEEKEND NATION, Shurland’s father Emmerson said he had been sent a ticket by his son’s fellow band members to surprise Jamaal before the finals. He said his son was always a talented performer and he felt sure they would go all the way. The elder Shurland was up front and centre for his son’s big victory.
Here at home, Emmerson’s wife Heather, Jamaal’s stepmother, was anxiously watching the boys perform on television. She said Davies had a strong performance so she was not sure what the result was going to be, but was overjoyed when the young man she said was like a born son to her, made history. (CA)