Support Women Artists Sunday: Rebecca Ferguson

People used to tell Rebecca Ferguson her life was ruined. A teenage mother of two children, dreams of becoming a famous singer seemed far-fetched. Motivated to fulfill her lifelong wish, Rebecca signed up for the tenth season of the UK's X Factor, and pushed through emotional breakdowns to perform almost every week. Adored quickly by harsh critic and judge Simon Cowell, Rebecca wound up being the show's runner-up and began crafting songs for her debut album, Heaven, soon after. Coming from a struggling single-parent household, there wasn't enough money for Rebecca to follow her passion for singing, so at 14 she got a job in a clothes shop to pay for singing lessons. Performing Arts college followed, despite her mother's attempts to keep her from anything but Christian music. "I remember one of her friends who knew I loved singing giving me two tapes -- Cher and Whitney Houston. I'd sit there for hours and hours listening to those two albums on repeat." Having been compared to voices like Aretha Franklyn, Norah Jones, Sade and Macy Gray, the now 25-year-old belle is enchanting people all over the world with her powerful voice and classy demeanor. Attributing her motivational drive to her young children Lillie May and Karl, Rebecca can now proudly shake her fist at the naysayers who told her that motherhood would spoil her dreams instead of pushing her to reach for them.

via You Oughta Know

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Rebecca Ferguson on iTunes: