Collabro

Collabro

Collabro in April 2014
(L-R: Lambert, Hadfield, Pagan, Auger and Redgrave)
Background information
Origin England
Genres Musical theatre
Years active 2014–present
Labels Syco Music
Members Michael Auger
Jamie Lambert
Matt Pagan
Thomas J Redgrave
Past members Richard Hadfield

Collabro are an English musical theatre boy band who won the eighth series of Britain's Got Talent in 2014. Specialising in musical theatre, the group consists of Michael Auger, Jamie Lambert, Matthew Pagan and Thomas J Redgrave, and previously, Richard Hadfield until his departure from the band in June 2016.

The band have an enthusiastic following who they refer to as their "Collaborators" and famous fans include Jade Thirlwall from Little Mix.[1] Their debut album Stars was released on 18 August 2014 and debuted at number one in the UK.

Career

2014: Formation, Britain's Got Talent and Stars

Collabro formed in January 2014. Pagan and Lambert knew each other already, and used social media to find three additional singers to complete the band's line-up. Pagan and Lambert held auditions where they found Auger and Redgrave. They found Hadfield on YouTube singing "Bring Him Home".[2] They sang together for the first time at the Miller pub in London Bridge. It was not long after this that they decided to audition for Britain's Got Talent, as they had 'nothing to lose'.

In February 2014, only a month after forming, Collabro auditioned in London for the eighth series of Britain's Got Talent. They received a standing ovation from both the audience and judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams for their rendition of the song "Stars" from the musical Les Misérables. The judges were initially seen to have low expectations due to their styling and the fact that they had only been together for a month at the time. Cowell claimed that "Britain really has got talent" (a comment he repeated in the live semi-final) and they received a unanimous "yes" verdict from the judging panel, with Cowell also describing their performance as a "hit record", while Holden was reduced to tears.

On 25 May, it was announced that the band had been chosen by the judges to progress to the live semi-finals. They competed in the first semi-final on 26 May, performing the song "Bring Him Home" from Les Misérables. The performance was praised by all four judges, again receiving a standing ovation, and they received the highest number of votes from the public (receiving 62.3% of the total votes cast), ensuring their automatic progression to the final.[3]

During the live final on 7 June, Collabro performed a different arrangement of their audition song "Stars" for which they received 26.5% of the vote, winning the competition by a wide margin.[4]

It was confirmed on 12 June 2014 that Collabro had signed a record deal with Cowell's record label Syco Music and would be releasing their debut album on 28 July.[5] On 17 June, they announced that they would be going on their first ever tour, along with runner-up Lucy Kay, in 2015.[6]

The group's debut album Stars, which includes cover versions of songs such as "All of Me" and "Let It Go", was released on 18 August and debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart.[7] On 31 October, it was announced that the album would be re-released as a special edition. The re-released version features the seasonal "White Christmas" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" as well as "Falling Slowly" from the musical Once and "Say Something".[8]

2015: Act Two

On 22 April 2015, Collabro revealed they had signed a record deal with Sony Masterworks in the US for £1 million.[9] The following week, they announced that their second album would be called Act Two and would be released on 1 June.[10] It debuted at #2 in the UK Albums Chart.[11]

Tours

In 2016 the group did their second tour around the UK (Act Two) after the massive success of their last tour. They have finished their first official tour in Japan and also been touring around the US as well as Canada.

2017: Home

On the 12 November 2016 the band announced the name for their third album, Home, which will be released in early 2017.

Other public appearances

On 25 April 2014, the group appeared on the ITV television programme This Morning to discuss their appearance on Britain's Got Talent[12] and they performed the song "Let It Go" on the show on 11 July. On 18 May 2014, Collabro (excluding Hadfield) appeared at the Soccer Six charity football tournament at The Valley, home ground of Charlton Athletic F.C..[13] They made appearances on QVC and Weekend to further promote the album.

They also performed at the 2014 Royal Variety Performance in front of the Royal Family, which is part of the prize for winning Britain's Got Talent. On 9 May 2015, they performed at VE Day 70: A Party to Remember in Horse Guards Parade, London.

Members

Michael David Auger

Michael Auger (born 6 March 1990) lives in Petersfield. At the time of Collabro's BGT audition, he was working at a petrol station.

He attended Churcher's College in Hampshire before moving to Alton College where he studied A Levels in Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry, Biology and Geography.[14] He later attended the University of Bath to study Accounting and Finance. Also attended London Academy of Musical Theatre

Jamie Alexander Lambert

Jamie Lambert (born 19 June 1990), was raised in Washington, Tyne and Wear and studied at Dame Allan's School, Newcastle. At the time of Collabro's BGT audition, he was working part-time in the finance department of Barts Health NHS Trust in London. He previously worked at the South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust of which his mother, Lorraine Lambert, is the chief executive. He also has a sister called Caytee.[15]

Lambert has performed solo at a number of events including mayoral charity events, the South Tyneside Summer Festival, and Cancer Connections in South Shields. He has also won regional talent competitions Open Zone Idol and Talent on the Tyne.[16] He came out in the press as gay.[17]

Matt Paul Pagan

Matthew "Matt" Pagan (born 25 July 1993) was raised in Carlisle, Cumbria. At the time of Collabro's BGT audition, he was working as a kitchen salesman.

Thomas Jamie Redgrave

Thomas J Redgrave (born Thomas Leak on 28 August 1989 in Grimsby) is from Saltfleetby. He chose his stage surname from a theatre poster.[18]

He studied at Monks' Dyke Tennyson College. He performed in St James' Choir for seven years and was also part of the Louth Playgoers Group.[19] At the time of Collabro's BGT audition, he was working in a Japanese restaurant.

Past members

Richard Hadfield

Richard Lester Hadfield (born 1 December 1993) lives in Portslade, East Sussex. At the time of Collabro's BGT audition, he was working as a labourer.

Hadfield attended Hurstpierpoint College in West Sussex, busking during the school holidays to earn money to pay the school's fees.[20]

It was announced in June 2016 that Hadfield had parted ways with Collabro, stating they "wish each other continued success and support for each other's future careers." Hadfield had reportedly made the decision to leave the group after the Britain's Got Talent final. A source close to him admitted he had been 'unhappy for a long time.'[21][22]

Discography

Albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
UK
[23]		 IRE
[24]		 NL
[25]		 NZ
[26]		 SCO
[27]
Stars 1 8 33 4 2
Act Two
  • Released: 1 June 2015
  • Label: Syco Music
  • Format: Digital download, CD
 2 36 84 — 3

References

  1. ↑ Dickinson, Natalie (13 April 2014). "Who are Collabro? Find out everything you need to know about the Britain's Got Talent band". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "This Morning". This Morning. Series 27. Episode 145. 10 June 2014. ITV.
  3. ↑ McGrath, Rachel (27 May 2014). "'Britain's Got Talent' 2014 Semi-Final: Collabro And Darcy Oake Are First Acts Through To The Final". The Huffington Post. AOL. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  4. ↑ Percival, Ash (7 June 2014). "Collabro win Britain's Got Talent 2014: 'We thank all of our fans'". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  5. ↑ Harp, Justin (13 June 2014). "Britain's Got Talent winners Collabro sign with Simon Cowell label". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  6. ↑ "Britains Got Talent Collabro announce UK tour with Lucy Kay - Metro News". Metro.
  7. ↑ Copsey, Rob (24 August 2014). "Collabro hit Number 1 with debut album Stars". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  8. ↑ Corner, Lewis (31 October 2014). "Exclusive: Premiere: Collabro unveil 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas'". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  9. ↑ Wooton, Dan (22 April 2015). "Colla'd by Sony Collabro sign £1 million contract with Sony Masterworks". The Sun. News UK. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  10. ↑ Moss, Liv (28 April 2015). "Collabro announce new album Act Two – see tracklisting, artwork". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  11. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100: 07 June 2015 - 13 June 2015". Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  12. ↑ "Britain's Got Talent: Collabro chat about their 'fantastic collaborators'". STV website. 25 April 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  13. ↑ "Soccer Six website".
  14. ↑ "AC Alumnus' Got Talent!". Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  15. ↑ "Tonight's the night for Collabro singer Jamie". Shields Gazette. Johnston Press. 7 June 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  16. ↑ "Jamie and band have TV talent!". Sunderland Echo. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  17. ↑ "Collabro star Jamie Lambert opens up about sexuality". Digital Spy.
  18. ↑ "Grimsby-born singer Thomas Leak shines on Britain's Got Talent". Grimsby Telegraph. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  19. ↑ "Britain's Got Talent final: Collabro's Thomas Leak speaks to the Telegraph ahead of Saturday's showdown". Grimsby Telegraph. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  20. ↑ "Portslade fees busker is a favourite for BGT". The Argus. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  21. ↑ "Collabro - Statement. | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
  22. ↑ Lewis, Rebecca (2016-05-30). "Collabro singer Richard Hadfield dramatically quits moments after BGT final". Metro. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
  23. ↑ Peak positions for albums in the UK:
  24. ↑ Hung, Steffen. "Discography Collabro". Irish Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
  25. ↑ Hung, Steffen. "Discografie Collabro". Dutch Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
  26. ↑ Hung, Steffen. "Discography Collabro". New Zealand Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
  27. ↑ Peak positions for albums in Scotland:
  28. ↑ "Certified Awards" (Enter Stars in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go). British Phonographic Industry.
  29. ↑ "Certified Awards" (Enter Act Two in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go). British Phonographic Industry.
Preceded by
Attraction		 Winner of Britain's Got Talent
2014 		Succeeded by
Jules O'Dwyer & Matisse
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