Isaac Waddington (born 9 August 1999) is an English singer and pianist, who came to national attention when he appeared as a contestant on the TV programme ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global '' Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquial ...

'' in 2015.

Early life and education

Waddington's singing career began as a chorister at

Chichester Cathedral Chichester Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in West Sussex, England. It was founded as a cathedral in 1075, when the seat of th ...

, during which time he also attended

The Prebendal School The Prebendal School is a private preparatory school in Chichester, situated adjacent to the Chichester Cathedral precinct. It is a boarding and day school educating the cathedral choristers. The school has ancient origins as the medieval cat ...

. He went on to become Head Chorister of the cathedral choir and studied at The Portsmouth Grammar School. In 2012, he won the

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

Chorister of the Year competition, leading to an appearance on ''

Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns, worship songs and inspirational performances in churches of varying denominations from around the UK alongside interviews and stories reflecting how Ch ...

''.

Career

2015: ''Britain's Got Talent''

On 25 April 2015, Waddington's audition for the ninth series of ''

'' was broadcast on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

. The cover of " She's Always a Woman" by

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...

, was met with 'four yeses' from the judge panel and received a generally positive response from the press. Waddington was chosen to go through to the live semi-finals of the competition, performing on the fourth night (28 May). His rendition of

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her Bonnie Raitt (album), self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed Americana (mu ...

's song, "

I Can't Make You Love Me "I Can't Make You Love Me" is a song written by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin and recorded by American singer Bonnie Raitt for her eleventh studio album, '' Luck of the Draw'' (1991). Released as the album's second single in 1991, "I Can't Ma ...

" resulted in a standing ovation throughout the stadium. He won the semi-final, going through to the finals. Following his success in the semi-final, Waddington's odds for winning the finals were slashed by betting agencies, with

Ladbrokes Ladbrokes Coral is a British gambling company. Its product offering includes sports betting, online casino, online poker, and online bingo. The Ladbrokes portion of the group was established in 1886, and Coral in 1926. In November 2016, th ...

putting his chances on 9/1. Isaac was unaware of this the whole time. For the finals, on 31 May, Waddington sang his audition piece, ''She's Always a Woman'', again. It garnered another positive reaction. Head judge

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 ...

commented on how "little changes" had made a big difference, developing his performance since his initial appearance. Despite finishing fifth overall, with 9.7% of the public vote, he was signed by Cowell's label,

Syco Syco Entertainment is a British media entertainment and production company, headquartered in London, founded and owned by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell. The company focuses on TV production. The company was formed in 2 ...

, within a week.

2018-present: Singles and EP releases

Waddington released his debut single, 'Nothing's Changed', in February 2018. In 2019, he released one song a week for five weeks, beginning with the song 'Make It Better'. In September 2020, he released a new EP, “Dirty Mile”, named after the titular track. The EP was preceded by the single "Bright Skies", which was praised by ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'', opining that the song, "with its euphoric melodies and dramatic, soul-laced vocals, sa gorgeous song brimming with optimism." In 2022, Waddington released his third EP, ''Still Not Over You''.

Personal life

In September 2020, Waddington announced that he would be cycling that month to raise money for the

British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society () is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with 1 ...

"Miles For Refugees" appeal. He was a dear friend of Alex 'Chipmunk' Butler.https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Alexander-A-Butler-2219571206

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Waddington, Isaac 1999 births English male singers Living people Musicians from Portsmouth People educated at The Prebendal School People educated at The Portsmouth Grammar School Britain's Got Talent contestants 21st-century English singers 21st-century British male singers