Alexandra Burke Wins The X Factor 2008

Alexandra Burke, aged nineteen from North London, has won the X Factor 2008. The singer reached the finals to compete with sixteen-year-old Eoghan Quigg and boy band JLS.

Her final song of the night was a cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ and will be released as her first single this Monday and hope to be the Christmas number one in the UK charts. Alexandra also sang a duet with Beyoncé Knowles during tonight’s show, performing a hair-raising version of the world famous star’s song ‘Listen’.

Burke is not new to the competition, however. Three years ago she auditioned and made it to the stage of the judge’s houses with Louis Walsh as her mentor, but did not make it to his final three. This year the star returned with a single hope of getting further than last time.

With a more developed and experienced voice she sang and impressed judges Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Dannii Minogue and Louis Walsh. Even with this first impression she brought Cole to tears with her strong and emotional voice.

With Cole mentoring the female under 25’s, Burke made it to her final three and the weeks of performing on stage with the public voting to keep the contestants in. Alexandra was a favourite from the beginning, receiving next to no harsh comments from the judges throughout the series and being seen as giving the best performance of the night on more than one occasion.

Cowell also declared on his views that Burke is the best X Factor contestant since Leona Lewis, who won in 2006 and has had a massive hit single with ‘Bleeding Love’ since, arguably the most successful X Factor winner so far. Will Alexandra Burke have a fraction of her success? Only the future and the attention span of the general public will tell.