Leon Jackson is best remembered as the cheesy X Factor winner with a penchant for swing music and tuxedos, however it would appear that his career has gone in a whole new direction in recent times.

The former winner of the ITV talent show has revealed that he was one of the writers on a raunchy new tune by his pal Vince Kidd, titled ‘Sick Love’ and even he confessed that it is a million miles away from the music which helped shoot him to the spotlight.

Leon told The Daily Record:

“The sex theme of the song and the genre of music shows elements of Lady Gaga and Rihanna and is different territory for me.

“I can imagine the response to it is quite varied. As with everything in life, some people can be quite prudish.

“The lyrics are quite risque but Vince is pretty out there and when you have someone like Rihanna singing about ‘whips and chains’ it puts it all into context.”

Jackson confessed that he has been investing more time in songwriting in the last year and though he tends to write mostly for himself, penning tunes for other artists is an area which he is keen to move into.

Leon revealed that he finds it ‘exciting’ to be able to ‘step back from the song’ and look at it from a completely creative point of view, than having to worry about how to perform it vocally.

Watch the video for ‘Sick Love’ below and tell us, is it what you would have expected from the Scottish star?

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OK so this is how we remember Leon Jackson, the weedy little Scottish singer who won The X Factor back in 2007.

He had greasy looking hair, was skinny with funny teeth and the charisma of a wet cloth.

How things change!

This week, to celebrate his 23rd birthday the failed X Factor winner posted a picture of himself on Twitter in which he looked really quite buff. He had his shirt wide open and boasted a rippling six pack, designer boxers and looked more the Hollywod movie star than an easy listening crooner who is fast fading into obscurity.

With the picture, Leon posted a caption saying:

‘My birthday suit ’

Jackson’s début album, Right Now was released in October 2008 and peaked at number 4 in the UK album chart. It finished the year as the 75th best-selling album in the UK, and included the singles, “Don’t Call This Love”, “Creative” and “Stargazing”.

Due to it’s poor sales, Leon was dropped by his label SYCO / Sony BMG in March 2009 and later admitted that he was ‘crushed’ by the fact that he found out about his departure from the label via a newspaper story.

Jackson is currently working on his second album and if he includes in it a booklet containing shots of himself like the ones below, we think it will sell much better than the first!

View the original post X Factor: Hey Leon Jackson got hot! (PHOTOS) on Unreality TV

Leon Jackson has revealed that he struggled to understand why he was dropped by his record label in 2009.

The 2007 X Factor winner was dropped by Sony BMG after his album ‘Right Now’ failed to reach number one in the charts but Jackson reveals that he sold more copies than Oasis that month, so thinks their decision to axe him was unfair.

Jackson told Reveal: “It was a crushing moment especially when, to my eyes, I hadn’t done anything wrong.”

He added: “It was higher than Oasis and only behind Kings Of Leon, Kaiser Chiefs and AC/DC.

“It sold 150,000 copies and went gold but to Sony it wasn’t good enough. You receive an advance and it’s up to you how far you make it go.”

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Former X Factor winner Leon Jackson is ready to make his return to the world of music and has posted a video of him singing the Ernie Halter song ‘Lighthouse.’

After teaching himself to play the piano for the last few months, Leon accompanied himself while he sang and after the session at Db studios in Lincoln he said:

“We decided to record a bare-bones, live acoustic session, at the end of a long day of writing,”

Let us know what you think of the tune in the comments box below. Is it enough to make Simon Cowell sit up and take notice once more?

View the original post X Factor’s Leon Jackson posts ‘Lighthouse’ video on Unreality TV

Former X Factor winner Leon Jackson has vowed that he will never perform his winners single ‘Believe’ again and said he was never comfortable with the image that was portrayed of him on the TV talent show.

The 21 year old singer won the 2007 series of the ITV show but was later dropped by his record label, after his debut album flopped the following autumn.

Claiming that the boy we saw on our TV screens was never really him, Leon told The Daily Record:

“There was a false perception that I was this guy in a shiny suit singing jazz like Michael Buble.

“Yet when I first started singing, I appreciated people like Gavin De-Graw and Paolo Nutini or Buble’s more contemporary songs such as Home or Lost.

“My number one song, When You Believe, was never me and I didn’t feel comfortable with it in the first place. I was singing songs that weren’t really me and doing things I had to do.

“I was not comfortable and it was not appealing to people my age.”

However, unlike former winners who were chewed up and spat out by the show and it’s stars, Leon refuses to criticise Simon Cowell. He said:

“It’s not like I won’t speak to Simon now. I’m not annoyed like that. It was part of my cliched ‘journey’ and it was meant to land me here.

“Some of my new songs maybe reflect the journey I’ve been on.

“I had to go through what I did to be where I am now. I had to start over and feel happier and it helped me to understand and learn the things I needed to be liberated and fulfilled.

“It’s all about personal fulfilment for me as an artist – like Will Young after Pop Idol. Musical integrity has led him to have a career.”

View the original post Leon Jackson ‘didn’t feel comfortable’ with his X Factor image on Unreality TV

Michael Bublé has admitted that he is still in touch with former X Factor winner, Leon Jackson and says life has been hard for him since the show.

Leon managed to score a UK number one with his debut single, ‘When You Believe’. However low ticket sales led to the axe of many of his live shows and he was subsequently dropped by his record label, Sony.

“A great singer does not always equate to being a star. You’ve got to work really hard at it,” Bublé told the Daily Star.

“I’m still in touch with Leon and it’s been tough for him since leaving the show.”

Bublé will performonce more on X Factor this Sunday night.

View the original post Michael Bublé says post X Factor has been ‘tough’ for Leon Jackson on Unreality TV

X Factor 2007winner, Leon Jackson, has admitted he is backing fellow Scot, Rikki Loney in this years series. leon says that he remembers Rikki from last year’s bootcamp stage.

Jackson told Scotland’s Daily Record, “I’ve always thought he had a good voice, a good modern image and a nice tone to his voice.

“I don’t think he has anything to worry about right now and I’d like to see him stay in for as long as possible and progress.

“The support Scotland can give him can help him. It’s good to have the Scottish vote because we are patriotic and like to see people doing well.

View the original post X Factor: Leon Jackson backs Rikki Loney to win on Unreality TV

Leon Jackson has revealed plans to move away from his jazz type music and try a more singer songwriter approach.

The former X Factor winner told the Daily Record that he is happy to be working with “amazing” musicians, including Paolo Nutini co-writer Jim Duguid.

Jackson said: “I’ve been developing myself as a musician. I’m keen to show the transition and let everyone see that this is Leon Jackson now.

“I am switching genres a bit and moving from old-fashioned jazz to the singer-songwriter I love.”

He added: “I love to sing in a style that’s raw and bare. When I create a song on the guitar, it is honest and real.

“I wasn’t able to show these songs after winning X Factor because they were not well enough known.”

View the original post Leon Jackson Switches To Singer Songwriter Mode on Unreality TV

Speculation is rife that Leon Jackson is about to cancel his UK tour after he drops out of two shows in Manchester and Blackburn.

The former X Factor winner was supposed to kick off his 16-date ‘Right Now’ tour at Blackburn’s King Georges Hall on May 5, but the gig has now been cancelled.

The second show at Manchester Apollo on May 13 has also been cancelled, and Ticketmaster is no longer offering tickets to any more of Leon’s shows.

Jackson was dropped by his record label last month and heard about the company’s decision through the newspapers. This recent news must have come as a blow to the young Scot.

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Following the news that former X Factor winner Leon Jackson has been dropped by his record label Sony, New magazine is reporting that his mentor on the show, Dannii Minogue, “has been in touch to offer support and career advice”.

Leon said of Dannii, “I adore her. She’s so nice and caring” while Danni said, “I care about these kids. Being a mentor shouldn’t just stop when the show ends…

“I’ll do all I can to help.”

Rhydian Roberts – who lost out on the title of winner to Leon – told the magazine that Leon was “a gent” and added that he was “convinced” that Jackson “would do well in the future”.

View the original post Dannii Minogue offers Leon Jackson support on Unreality TV