The Guardian

Flashback – JLS: ‘X Factor was a crash course in this industry. Zero to hero in 10 weeks’

From left: Marvin Humes, Oritsé Williams, Aston Merrygold and JB Gill in 2008 and 2021
From left: Marvin Humes, Oritsé Williams, Aston Merrygold and JB Gill in 2008 and 2021. Later photograph: Pål Hansen/The Guardian. Styling: Andie Redman. Archive photograph: Shutterstock

Finalists on 2008’s X Factor, – short for Jack the Lad Swing – are one of the show’s most successful acts. Celebrated for their R&B-infused pop and slick dance routines, the band reached No 1 with their first single, Beat Again, while their debut album won multiple Brit and Mobo awards, and went quadruple platinum. They released three more albums and a condom range, before splitting in 2013. Oritsé Williams and Aston Merrygold went on to pursue solo careers in music, Marvin Humes is thriving as a TV and radio host, while JB Gill pivoted to turkey farming in Kent. Their

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