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Celebrity

29th Jan 2016

Ben Haenow Becomes The Latest XFactor Winner To Get The Chop

The former XFactor contestant released his debut album in November.

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XFactor winner Ben Haenow has been axed from Simon Cowell’s record label, just months after releasing his debut album.

The 2014 winner of the reality show shot to the top spot with his first single – a cover of One Republic’s ‘Something I Need’ – with his self-titled album peaking at number 10 in the UK charts.

The 31-year old’s second single failed to place in the charts though, and this morning, Haenow announced the end of his contract with the record label via an open letter to his fans:

The letter in full reads:

Hey guys, 

Sorry I’ve been a bit quiet on here recently, been a crazy few weeks! 

So I wanted to let you all know directly from me, that after what has been the most incredible experience working on my debut album, myself and Syco entertainment have decided to part ways.

Working with The X Factor and Syco has been the most amazing time of my life and has given me the best possible platform for the start of my career. I have the utmost respect for them both and cannot thank them enough for all the help and everything they have done for me this past year.

I have had the privilege of working with some incredible people, making some great friends and making a great record which I am still extremely proud of. (Which, thanks to you lot has gone on to sell over 100,000 copies and still going.) 

However, after discussions with the Syco team we both felt it was the right time to move on.

I am very excited about this next chapter. I’m already writing and in talks about the next album. There are going to be a few changes to my upcoming tour dates, but I’ll let you know all the details very soon.

Most importantly I would like to say the biggest thank you to all of you! You have all made my dreams come true and I owe you everything. None of this would have been possible without you guys! The ongoing loyalty, love and support you have shown me this past year and beyond has made me the proudest and luckiest person alive.

You are the best fans anyone could ask for and I mean it when I say I really do love you all.

I cannot wait to see you all on the tour! 

Stay tuned!

Ben 

Haenow is now the quickest winner to be dropped by Syco since the show’s first winner, and XFactor critic, Steve Brookstein won the show in 2004.