Benjamin Collett Mills is a British singer who was the last contestant eliminated on the

third series Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...

of ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

'' in 2006. After the show, Mills signed a five-album record deal with

SonyBMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

. His debut album, '' Picture of You'', was released on 12 March 2007. His debut single was advertised as "Beside You" and set to be released on 5 March 2007, but it was pulled by the record company at the last minute. The reason given was to concentrate on album sales. The album achieved the BPI Gold status award.

Early life and career

Mills was a co-director of a marquee hire company in his home town of

Whitstable Whitstable () is a town on the north coast of Kent, England, at the convergence of the The Swale, Swale and the Greater Thames Estuary, north of Canterbury and west of Herne Bay, Kent, Herne Bay. The town, formerly known as Whitstable-on-Se ...

before appearing on ''The X Factor''. He gained a diploma in music from the

Academy of Contemporary Music The Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) is a music academy in with campuses in Guildford, Surrey, Birmingham, and London, England providing contemporary music-based courses. The school of music has a focus on rock, pop music, electronic da ...

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

and has been singing since he was a child. He also plays piano and guitar. He was also a keyboard player in the tribute band to

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

called The L.A. Doors and toured the pub and club circuit with his own band called Benzego. Mills' audition song for ''The X Factor'' was "

Bring It On Home To Me "Bring It On Home to Me" is a song by the American soul singer Sam Cooke, released on May 8, 1962, by RCA Victor. Produced by Hugo & Luigi, and arranged and conducted by René Hall, the song was the B-side to " Having a Party". The song peaked ...

" by

Sam Cooke Samuel Cooke (; January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distin ...

, which impressed the panel of judges;

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003), ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK ...

thought he sounded like a young

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances featuring expressive body movements. Most of his best-known singles, such as "Feelin' Alright ...

, whom, incidentally, Ben names as one of his musical influences along with

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...

and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

. During his time on ''The X Factor'' he was mentored by

Sharon Osbourne Sharon Rachel Osbourne (; born 9 October 1952) is an English-American television personality, music manager, and author. She is married to heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne and came to prominence while appearing on '' The Osbournes'' (2002–2 ...

. He performed at

Pontins Pontins is a British company operating holiday parks in the UK, founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. It was acquired by Britannia Hotels in 2011. Pontins specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays featuring entertainment at reso ...

Holiday Camp in

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

, England in Oct 2008. He performed at Pontins Holiday Camp in

Prestatyn Prestatyn (; ) is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Historically a part of Flintshire, it is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. Prestatyn has a population of 19,085. Origin of name The name Prestatyn d ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

in May 2009. His second album, ''Freedom'', was released on 8 March 2010, and launched on 13 March 2010 at the Gulbenkian Theatre in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

Personal life

Mills announced his engagement to longtime girlfriend, Melissa, in April 2009. They were married at Blean Church in July 2009. In June 2011, Ben performed at the Music on the Hill festival at

West Malling West Malling ( , historically Town Malling) is a market town in the Tonbridge and Malling district of Kent, England. It has a population of 2,590. Landmarks West Malling contains several historic buildings, including St Leonard's Tower, West ...

in Kent, on behalf of Demelza Hospice Care for Children, together with

Katherine Jenkins Katherine Jenkins (born 29 June 1980) is a Welsh singer. She is a mezzo-soprano and performs operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre, and hymns.McFly McFly are a British pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the ''Back to the Future (franchise), Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Da ...

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

, and

Björn Again Björn Again is an ABBA-inspired tribute act, tribute band from Australia, consisting of performers from various countries. The name is a reference to ABBA guitarist and vocalist Björn Ulvaeus. The band has performed worldwide since it was fo ...

. In October 2011 Ben teamed up with

Jim Cregan James Cregan (born 9 March 1946) is an English rock guitarist and bassist, best known for his associations with Family, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, and Rod Stewart. Cregan is a former husband of the singer Linda Lewis and worked with her a ...

and his band "Apart from Rod" as lead vocalist performing many of the hits that Jim had played on during his years as

’s guitarist. The band later became Cregan and co. In 2016 Ben and Melissa were amicably divorced. On 14 September 2019 Ben performed a charity concert at Wentworth golf club alongside Sir

Ronnie Wood Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as a member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, and a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. Wood began his career in 1964, playing lead guitar with several Brit ...

Kenney Jones Kenneth Thomas Jones (born 16 September 1948) is an English drummer best known for his work in the groups Small Faces, Faces and the Who. Jones was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Small Faces/Faces. Biograp ...

and members of Cregan and co at an event to raise funds for The Prostate Project. On 2 April 2021 Mills and his long-term partner Layla King announced the birth of their first child, a son called Frederick King Collett-Mills. On 6 September 2022 Ben and Layla announced the birth of their second child, a daughter called Penelope Rose Collett-Mills.

Discography

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Ben Living people The X Factor (British TV series) contestants English male singers English rock singers English rock guitarists English rock pianists English keyboardists People from Chatham, Kent Sony BMG artists Musicians from Kent English male guitarists British male pianists 21st-century British pianists 21st-century British male musicians Year of birth missing (living people)