2009–2011: Beginnings and The X Factor (pictured) during her time on
The X Factor. Ferguson had previously unsuccessfully auditioned for
The X Factor and for ''
P. Diddy's Starmaker in New York. She later commented "I went to other auditions, I was invited to New York to audition for P.Diddy's Starmaker
and I was told ‘no’. It was really upsetting because I spent money to get there. I also tried out for The X Factor'' but it did not turn out too well." She sang "
Fireflies" in the Judges' Houses round and was sent through to the live shows by mentor
Cheryl in her Girls category (solo females aged 16–27). For the first live show she sang "
Teardrops" and in the second live show she sang "
Feeling Good". In the third live show she sang "
Why Don't You Do Right?" and in the fourth live show she sang "
Wicked Game". In the fifth live show, Ferguson received a standing ovation from Cowell and Cheryl following her performance of "
Make You Feel My Love". In the following episode, Ferguson received another standing ovation from
Dannii Minogue and Cheryl after singing "
Candle in the Wind". In the final, she performed a duet with
Christina Aguilera, performing Aguilera's hit single "
Beautiful". Ferguson's winner's song was a cover of
Duffy's "
Distant Dreamer". She avoided the final showdown every week and finished second to
Matt Cardle, making her the first female runner-up on
The X Factor. After the finale, it was announced that Ferguson had been signed by
Syco Music. In January 2011, it was reported that Ferguson had signed a joint record deal between Syco Records and
Epic Records. Ferguson and nine other contestants from the series participated in the
X Factor Live Tour from February to April 2011. The tour saw Ferguson performing for 500,000 people throughout the UK.
2011–2012: Heaven Ferguson released her debut single "
Nothing's Real but Love" on 20 November 2011, which was written by Ferguson and
Eg White. The single peaked at number ten on the
UK Singles Chart. Her debut album
Heaven followed and was released 5 December 2011 in the UK. The album features Ferguson collaborating with
Eg White,
Steve Booker,
Fraser T Smith,
Xenomania,
Paul Barry,
Mark Taylor and
Brian Higgins. Ferguson later revealed that she would be
co-writing the whole of her album for her to "connect" with the songs. The album would feature genres like
Soul,
Pop and
Blues. The album was certified platinum for shipments of 300,000 units by the
British Phonographic Industry in its first two weeks of release. On 18 November 2011, Ferguson announced her first headlining UK and Ireland Tour, spanning 14 dates from 20 February to 13 March 2012. Due to high demand, Ferguson had to add more dates to her tour, all of which sold out. Ferguson confirmed on her official website that the second single to be released from the album will be "
Too Good to Lose". The single was originally meant to be released on 26 February but later pushed back to 4 March. The official video premiered on Ferguson's website on 2 February. The single release was edited and shortened for radio. Ferguson performed "
Endless Love" with
Lionel Richie on an
ITV1 special entitled
This Is Lionel Richie. Starting in February 2012, an excerpt from Ferguson's "
Nothing's Real but Love" was used in a television advertisement campaign for
Nescafé Gold Blend coffee. "
Glitter & Gold" was confirmed via Ferguson's official website to be the third single taken from the album which was released on 29 April 2012. In April 2012, Ferguson broke her left leg during a night out, which kept her wearing a cast for several weeks. During performances on ''
Britain's Got Talent and Alan Carr: Chatty Man'', she performed while sitting on a stool. On 29 May 2012, Ferguson made her American television debut when she sang "Nothing's Real but Love" on
The Today Show. She also performed the song on
The View. On 13 July, Ferguson revealed via Twitter that she would be taking her management team to court, after they made her work until she collapsed. The relationship deteriorated further in September 2012 with the former management company filing a High Court writ, asking for a declaration that the star unlawfully ended her contract and seeking 20% of her future earnings. In an interview in March 2012, Ferguson stated that she expected to release her second studio album in 2014, that she would start writing the album in 2013 once promotion for
Heaven had finished, and that she expected to take a more up-beat approach to the album. On 23 August 2012, Ferguson announced she would release a deluxe version of
Heaven on 15 October 2012, and she would also release her fourth single "
Backtrack" the day before. Ferguson performed Backtrack on the second
The X Factor results show on 14 October. On 16 September, Ferguson released an EP of live tracks from the
2012 iTunes Festival, which featured five tracks including "Nothing's Real but Love". During an interview with
Chart Show TV, Ferguson confirmed that "
Shoulder to Shoulder" would be released on 9 December 2012 as the final single from
Heaven before starting work on her second studio album. Ferguson performed the single on
Chatty Man on 14 December. However, "
Teach Me How to Be Loved" was released as the album's final single in Germany. Ferguson features on the charity record
He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother including other singers such as
Paloma Faith,
Paul McCartney and
Robbie Williams. The single was to raise money for various charities associated with the
Hillsborough disaster. On 29 November 2012, Ferguson confirmed her plans to tour in the US and said she would release her second album late next year, stating, "I'm going back to touring the US more early in the new year and then I am getting stuck into writing the new album which should be out later in 2013 or 2014." She began work on her second studio album on 18 February 2013 after a month hiatus and completed the album in mid-August. In July 2013, Ferguson revealed she was in the stages of finishing up her second album, also saying that it "has been hard to make" and that she was writing about her babies. On 22 August 2013 she revealed on Facebook that her new album would be called
Freedom and would be released on 2 December 2013 along with putting up pre-order links to the album. The lead single, "I Hope", was uploaded to Ferguson's
YouTube channel on 12 October 2013 and was released on 1 December 2013, entering the UK singles chart at number 15; in mainland Europe "Light On" was released as the lead single from the album.
Freedom was released the following day and entered the charts at number 6 and has since been certified Gold by the
BPI.
Freedom was met with generally positive reviews from critics. The album includes a duet with US soul star
John Legend and production/songwriting from
Jarrad Rogers,
Toby Gad and
Eg White. On 7 August 2014 Ferguson tweeted that she was back in the studio confirming the work of a third studio album stating "amazing day at the studio working with the same musicians that Frank Sinatra used and so many other greats feeling very blessed". On 13 January 2015 Ferguson revealed the album title, artwork and release date via her
Vevo channel.
Lady Sings the Blues was released on 9 March 2015 via RCA Records. The album charted at number 7 on the
UK Albums Chart.
2015–2016: Superwoman On 9 May 2015 Ferguson performed at
VE Day 70: A Party to Remember in
Horse Guards Parade, London. On 4 October 2015 Ferguson confirmed the creation of a new studio album by posting on Twitter that she is "busy recording" and "the next album sounds good already". The first single from the album was announced on 30 August and was called "Bones", a cover of a 2013 track by NZ artist
Ginny Blackmore, and was released on 2 September 2016. The album "
Superwoman" was released on 7 October. Ferguson toured from 23 October to 15 November across the UK. In December 2016 she was on
Fern Britton Meets. In the interview Ferguson revealed how her Christian faith got her through troubled times, both on
The X Factor and in the years that followed. On 6 June 2023, Ferguson confirmed that her fifth studio album,
Heaven Part II, will be released in December. She performed in her hometown at the
Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, on 18 November 2023, just weeks before the album's release. On 6 November, Ferguson announced her nationwide tour in support of the album which began in April 2024. On 19 February 2025 Ferguson announced her Tour
15 Years Stripped Back a string of intimate acoustic shows across the UK. ==Personal life==