X-factor finalist Olly Murrs is taking the pop world by storm with his brand of catchy Regae and soul-inspired music. Since finishing as runner-up on the X-factor in 2009, the one-time office worker was quickly snapped up by Sony Music and has released a top 5 album. Hit singles Please Don't Let Me Go and Thinking Of Me stormed the charts and made the Essex boy a household name. Olly has gone on to perform at festivals such as Radio 1's Big Weekend and on television shows across the UK and Europe. In 2011 Olly was named as the new co-host for ITV2's partner show, The Xtra Factor along with fellow presenter, Caroline Flack.

Olly Stanley Murs (born 28 May 1984) is from Essex, England. He attended Notley High School where he was a star striker in the school’s football team. He also played semi-professionally for Witham Town. He works as an energy advisor in a call centre. He has previously appeared on the TV show Deal or No Deal, where he won £10.

He performed “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder in his first audition and Simon Cowell said it was “the easiest yes I have ever given”. On the first live show he sang Robbie Williams’ “She’s the One” and on the second, Tina Turner’s “Fool in Love,” a performance which Cowell described as being “in a different league.” For week three he took on “Bewitched” by Steve Lawrence. Walsh commented that he was the “dark horse of the competition,” and Cole said he was “coming into his own each week.” He has frequently employed dance moves in his performance including his trademark “Olly wiggle.” In week 4 he sang “Come Together” by The Beatles and again received positive comments, with Walsh predicting, “I think you’re in the final three,” and Cowell saying he was “progressing better than just about everybody.” In week 5 he performed “Twist and Shout” and in week 6 “Don’t Stop Me Now” after which he was labelled by Minogue as, “absolutely the best performer we have on the show by far.”

After a performance of “Fastlove”, he was in the bottom two in week 7, with John & Edward, but was saved when Minogue, Cole and Cowell decided to send John & Edward home. When the voting statistics were later released on The X Factor website, they revealed that had the judges’ vote gone into deadlock, Murs would have been sent home on popular vote, as John and Edward gained 10.7% of the popular vote against just 9.8% to Murs. In the semi-finals Murs had to miss the wedding of his brother. The ceremony took place just 16 miles from the show’s studio, but Cowell, his mentor, had great reservations about letting him off for a few hours on this crucial semi-final day. He sang The Jacksons’ “Can You Feel It” and the John Lennon/Paul McCartney composition “We Can Work It Out” in the semi-final and ended up as one of the three finalists, breaking down in tears upon hearing the result.

In the final on 12 December 2009, he repeated his audition song, Stevie Wonder’s “Supersition”, following which Cowell said putting him in the final 12 was “the best risk I have ever taken in my life”. Murs then sang with Robbie Williams on a duet of “Angels”. Williams fluffed his lines as he walked on stage to join Murs and came in at the wrong time, singing the second line of the song, but was helped by Murs to find the right spot. There was then a repeat performance of his week 2 song “Fool in Love.” Murs qualified for the final two and first sang a repeat performance of “Twist and Shout”, following which Louis Walsh commented, “You’re a born, born showman and no matter what happens tonight you’re going to have a great career in music.” In his final performance on the show he performed the winner’s song, the “The Climb”, finishing it in tears. He was told by Cole, “You absolutely tore it from your soul. I’ve never heard you sing like that. I thought it was a beautiful version of the song.” He lost the final to Joe McElderry on December 13, 2009 and finished as the runner-up.

Since finishing as runner-up on the X-factor in 2009, the one-time office worker was quickly snapped up by Sony Music and has released a top 5 album. Hit singles Please Don't Let Me Go and Thinking Of Me stormed the charts and made the Essex boy a household name. Olly has gone on to perform at festivals such as Radio 1's Big Weekend and on television shows across the UK and Europe. In 2011 Olly was named as the new co-host for ITV2's partner show, The Xtra Factor along with fellow presenter, Caroline Flack.