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Andy Abraham
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Andrew 'Andy' Abraham (born 17 July 1964, London) is an English vocalist. He was runner-up in the second UK series of The X Factor and also represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.
Before applying for The X Factor, Abraham was a refuse collector. Prior to this he worked as a bus driver for Arriva London North based at Palmers Green bus garage. Abraham has two children by his wife Denise, a daughter called Tara and a son called Jacob.
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Encyclopedia
Andrew 'Andy' Abraham (born 17 July 1964, London) is an English vocalist. He was runner-up in the second UK series of The X Factor and also represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.
Before applying for The X Factor, Abraham was a refuse collector. Prior to this he worked as a bus driver for Arriva London North based at Palmers Green bus garage. Abraham has two children by his wife Denise, a daughter called Tara and a son called Jacob. He is of Grenadian descent.
Abraham was beaten to the top spot on The X Factor by Shayne Ward by 1.2% of the national public vote. Abraham was mentored throughout the competition by Sharon Osbourne although fellow judges Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh also praised the singer throughout the competition. Other performers who came to prominence in the same series of The X Factor were finalists Journey South and quarter-finalist Chico Slimani.
On 26 March 2006, Abraham's debut album entered the UK album chart at number two, selling 176,000 copies in its first week and being beaten to the top spot by Journey South.
In 2006, Abraham's debut album was the twelfth highest selling album of the year with total sales of around 300,000.
Abraham's second album Soul Man was not as popular yet it still managed to make the Top 20 in the UK Charts. The album included the Christmas song "December Brings Me Back To You", a duet with television presenter Michael Underwood.
His third studio album, Even If, was released in 2008.
On 3 August 2008, it was reported in The Daily Star Sunday newspaper that Abraham had told friends that he would not release any further material, and instead he would concentrate on becoming a property developer. However on 6 August 2008, Abraham announced on his website that this was not true and said he is very much staying in the music industry.
It is rumoured that Abraham will participate in a celebrity boxing match for charity against Mark Rhodes who was also a talent show runner-up – in Pop Idol, the predecessor to The X Factor. The Daily Mail broke the story on 19 September 2008 but it is yet to be confirmed by either party.
Eurovision 2008
On 2008-03-01, Abraham won Eurovision - Your Decision 2008, the UK selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, held on 24 May 2008, with his song "Even If". He was selected as a wild card in Eurovision - Your Decision by Terry Wogan and won the contest in a sing-off with favourite Michelle Gayle through a public vote. Both Gayle and Abraham made the final two.
In the final, Abraham finished last of the 25 entires, sharing 14 points (obtained from San Marino and Ireland) alongside Germany and Poland. Under EBU rules introduced in 2003, there are no shared placings in Eurovision and the placing of countries with shared scores is determined by which got the higher mark. Andy Abraham's highest mark was 8, whereas Poland scored a 10, placing them 24th and Germany scored a 12, placing them 23rd. . In addition to becoming only the second UK act ever to come last in Eurovision, Andy also became the first since 1989 not to hit the top 40 singles chart, peaking at number 67. Of all the UK entries that have made the singles chart (only 3 did not), it is the second least successful ever. Both his 'Best Of' & 'Even If' albums released in May & June 2008 have failed to chart.
Discography
Albums
| Statistics | Singles |
|---|
The Impossible Dream
- Released: March 20, 2006
- Peak chart positions:
- BPI certification: Platinum
- Sales: 300,000
| "Hang Up" | | Soul ManReleased: November 13, 2006Peak chart positions:BPI certification: n/aSales: 50,000 | "December Brings Me Back To You" | | Even IfReleased: June 02, 2008Peak chart positions: Failed To ChartBPI certification: n/aSales: | " Even If" | | Very Best OfReleased: May 19, 2008Peak chart positions: Failed To ChartBPI certification: n/aSales: | " Hang Up" |
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart positions | Album |
|---|
| UK | Ireland |
|---|
| 2006 | "Hang Up" | 65 | 14 | The Impossible Dream | | "December Brings Me Back to You" | 18 | - | Soul Man | | 2008 | "Even If" | 67 | - | Even If |
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