Olly Murs

Oliver Stanley "Olly" Murs (born 14 May 1984) is an English singer-songwriter, television presenter and actor. He rose to fame after finishing as the runner-up in the sixth series of The X Factor in 2009. He is currently signed to Epic Records in the United Kingdom, Columbia Records in the United States, and Syco Music.

In 2010, Murs released his debut single "Please Don't Let Me Go", which debuted at number one on the UK Singles Charts and received a Gold certification by the BPI. It was Murs' first number one single after "You Are Not Alone" with the other series 6 finalists. His second single from debut album "Thinking of Me" charted at number four on the UK Singles Charts and received a Silver certification by the BPI. "Heart Skips a Beat" was his second number-one single. Murs' second single from his next album In Case You Didn't Know, "Dance with Me Tonight", became his third to reach number one.

In November 2010, Murs released his self-titled debut album, which entered the UK Albums Chart at number two, with the biggest week one album sales for a debut album in 2010, with over 108,000 albums sold. The album went on to sell over 600,000 copies, and was certified double platinum by the BPI. In November 2011, Murs' released his second album, In Case You Didn't Know, entered the charts at number one and resulted in two number-one singles. As of December 2014 Murs has sold over 10 million records worldwide.

Olly Murs (album)

Olly Murs is the self-titled debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Olly Murs. It was released on 26 November 2010 in the United Kingdom.

The album's lead single, "Please Don't Let Me Go", was released on 27 August 2010. The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart. The second single from the album, "Thinking of Me", was released on 22 November 2010, and debuted at number four. The third single "Heart on My Sleeve" was released in March 2011 and peaked at number 20. The song was written by James Morrison and John Shanks. The fourth and final release from the album, "Busy" was released in May 2011 and peaked at number 44. In October 2011, nearly a year after the album's release, BBC Radio 1 listeners voted Olly Murs as "Album of the Year" in the annual Radio 1 Teen Awards.

Background and production

The possibility of an album was first rumoured when Murs finished second place on the sixth series of ITV talent competition, The X Factor. In February 2010, it was announced that Murs had been signed to a 50/50 record deal between Epic Records and Syco Music. Murs has collaborated with John Shanks, Ed Sheeran, Eg White, Roy Stride, Trevor Horn, Wayne Hector, Matty Benbrook,Phil Thornalley, Martin Brammer, Preston, Mark Taylor and Chris Difford on the album. Professor Green was due to appear on the album, however, the duet fell through before recording was completed. "Heart on My Sleeve" is a cover of the song originally recorded by American Idol finalist Michael Johns. Murs performed "Thinking of Me" live on The X Factor on 21 November 2010.