Jai McDowall (born 24 July 1986) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, who won the
fifth series of ''
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 June 2011. As the winner, he received £100,000 and performed at the 2011
Royal Variety Performance
The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...
. McDowall was signed to
Syco Music
Syco Music, originally S Records, was a division of Syco Entertainment which operated from 2002 until 2020. The label was founded by British entrepreneur, record executive and media personality Simon Cowell, who was formerly employed at Bertels ...
, a subdivision of record label giant,
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
. His debut album ''
Believe
Believe may refer to:
*Belief, a psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true, with or without proof for such proposition
*Faith, a belief in something which has not been proven
Arts, entertainment, and me ...
'' was released on 9 December 2011. The lead single "
With or Without You
"With or Without You" is a song by Irish rock music, rock band U2. It is the third track on their fifth studio album, ''The Joshua Tree'' (1987), and was released as the album's lead single on 16 March 1987. The song was the group's most succes ...
" was released the same day.
In March 2012, he was dropped by Syco after poor sales of his debut album.
It was reported that the singer claimed that Syco boss, Simon Cowell, was anti-Scottish.
He later released two extended plays, ''Christmas With...'' and ''Cry, Home, Closer'' on digital download format. His 2013 single "Won't Forget", featuring the Clutha Appeal, was released following the
helicopter crash at the Clutha bar in Glasgow, and reaching number seventeen on the
Scottish Singles Charts.
As of 2023, he is the low tenor of the group
G4,
having replaced previous member Lewis Raines.
Early and personal life
McDowall was raised in
Tarbolton
Tarbolton () is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is near Failford, Mauchline, Ayr, and Kilmarnock. The old Fail Monastery was nearby and Robert Burns connections are strong, including the Bachelors' Club museum.
Meaning of place-name
...
in
Ayrshire
Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...
, Scotland where he worked as a support worker prior to winning ''Britain's Got Talent''. He was a member of the Ayr Amateur Opera Company and Loudoun Musical Society. He played roles such as Frank in ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' and Motel in ''Fiddler on the Roof''.
Before his job of looking after young people with disabilities, McDowall spent two years studying Music and Audio Technology (NC & HNC) at Music and Sound Production Dept,
Ayr College, Scotland. In 2012, it was misreported that McDowall called Simon Cowell 'anti-Scottish' in a news article.
Reacting to the story, Cowell defended himself on ''Britain's Got More Talent'' saying that his mother was Scottish and reminded McDowall that he signed and still works with
Susan Boyle
Susan Magdalane Boyle (born 1 April 1961) is a Scottish singer who rose to fame in 2009 after appearing as a contestant on the third series of '' Britain's Got Talent'', singing " I Dreamed a Dream" from '. As of 2021, Boyle has sold 25 ...
who is Scottish.
Music career
2009–2011: ''The American Idol Experience'' & ''The X Factor''
Before ''Britain's Got Talent'', he appeared as a contestant on ''
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 ...
'' and ''
The American Idol Experience
The ''American Idol'' Experience was a theme park attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort. Inspired by the popular American television series ''American Idol'', the attraction invited park guests to audition in ...
''.
McDowall auditioned for ''
The American Idol Experience
The ''American Idol'' Experience was a theme park attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort. Inspired by the popular American television series ''American Idol'', the attraction invited park guests to audition in ...
'' whilst on holiday in the US in 2009, and won.
He also auditioned for ''
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 2010 and reached boot camp but lost out on a place in the live shows.
2011: ''Britain's Got Talent''
McDowall auditioned in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
for the
fifth series of ''
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 ...
'' with "
Anthem
An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...
" from ''
Chess
Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
'', receiving very positive comments from all of the three judges,
Michael McIntyre
Michael Hazen James McIntyre (born 21 February 1976) is a British comedian, writer, and television presenter. In 2012, he was the highest-grossing stand-up comedian in the world. He currently presents the variety and stand-up comedy show '' Mic ...
,
Amanda Holden
Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English media personality, actress and singer. Since 2007, she has been a judge on the television talent competition show '' Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV. She also co-hosts the national ''H ...
and
David Hasselhoff
David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on the soap ...
. He received three yesses and was put through to the next round, and through to the live semi-finals.
McDowall performed for a second time in the semi-final on 2 June 2011, singing "
Bring Me to Life
"Bring Me to Life" is the debut single by American rock band Evanescence from their debut studio album, '' Fallen'' (2003). It was released by Wind-up as the album's lead single on January 13, 2003, following its inclusion in the soundtrack ...
" by
Evanescence
Evanescence is an American Rock music, rock band founded in 1994 by singer and keyboardist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody in Little Rock, Arkansas. After releasing independent extended play, EPs and a Origin (Evanescence demo album), demo ...
. He once again received positive comments from the judges including Cowell. McDowall received the highest number of votes on the night and was automatically put through to the final.
In the final, McDowall performed "
To Where You Are
"To Where You Are" is the debut single by American singer Josh Groban, from his 2001 self-titled debut album. It was written by Richard Marx and Linda Thompson and produced by Marx.
Commercial performance
When released as a single in 2002, the ...
" by
Josh Groban
Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, ...
. He once again received positive comments from all four judges, despite some criticism from 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 ...
, who stated that the vocal was 'monotone'. This comment was acknowledged by McDowall. During the result, Simon later complimented McDowall on his rendition of the song after he had won the top prize of £100,000. McDowall was announced as the winner with 29.1% of the vote, approximately 4.1 million, which proved a shock as he beat bookies' favourite
Ronan Parke
Ronan Parke (born 8 August 1998) is an English people, English singer from Poringland, Norfolk, who came runner-up in the Britain's Got Talent (series 5), fifth series of ITV show ''Britain's Got Talent'' in 2011 at the age of 12, despite bein ...
.
It was later revealed on ''
Britain's Got More Talent'' that there was a margin of 2.4% of the vote, approximately 86,000, between McDowall and runner-up
Ronan Parke
Ronan Parke (born 8 August 1998) is an English people, English singer from Poringland, Norfolk, who came runner-up in the Britain's Got Talent (series 5), fifth series of ITV show ''Britain's Got Talent'' in 2011 at the age of 12, despite bein ...
. He won £100,000 and a spot at the 2011
Royal Variety Performance
The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...
.
Post ''Britain's Got Talent''
After winning ''Britain's Got Talent'', McDowall performed on the Britain's Got Talent Tour. Starting in Newcastle and moving through 3 Scottish cities Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow before heading through England and appearing in the major venues in most major cities. He performed at the 2011 Glasgow Show on Glasgow Green in front of 20,000 people, headlining the Sunday show along with Re-Take That and other guests. In August 2011, he secured a record deal with
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 ...
and
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
to be released in December 2011.
In October 2011, McDowall performed a sell out headline show at the Grand Hall, Kilmarnock.
He also headlined the end of season shows at the main Butlins sites during the October Holiday Break before appearing in the Royal Variety show.
McDowall was also invited to sing with Josh Groban in the Royal Concert Hall in his performance of "To Where You Are" and they both received a standing ovation for their rendition of Groban's hit song.
2011–2019: ''Believe''
On 3 October 2011, it was confirmed that McDowall, as well as
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
and
Syco Music
Syco Music, originally S Records, was a division of Syco Entertainment which operated from 2002 until 2020. The label was founded by British entrepreneur, record executive and media personality Simon Cowell, who was formerly employed at Bertels ...
to promote his debut album, has also hired Soundcheck Entertainment to aid in the promotion of the forthcoming the album which was released in December 2011.
McDowall announced on 26 October that the album would be titled ''Believe'' and would be released on 12 December.
Jai explained: "Being in the studio was everything I hoped it would be and I loved the whole creative process. I like the style of singing I did on Britain's Got Talent – a kind of mix of musical and pop – so we’re working along those lines."
McDowall had a pleasant surprise at the
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall is a concert and arts venue located in Glasgow, Scotland. It is owned by Glasgow City Council and operated by Glasgow Life, an agency of Glasgow City Council, which also runs Glasgow's City Halls and Old Fruitmarket ...
when he was invited by Josh Groban to jointly perform "
To Where You Are
"To Where You Are" is the debut single by American singer Josh Groban, from his 2001 self-titled debut album. It was written by Richard Marx and Linda Thompson and produced by Marx.
Commercial performance
When released as a single in 2002, the ...
" in front of a packed house. The crowd were treated to this impromptu performance which was warmly received by both artists fans.
He told STV, in reference to
Susan Boyle
Susan Magdalane Boyle (born 1 April 1961) is a Scottish singer who rose to fame in 2009 after appearing as a contestant on the third series of '' Britain's Got Talent'', singing " I Dreamed a Dream" from '. As of 2021, Boyle has sold 25 ...
: "I think it's a fantastic thing. If I get even half of her success it's going to be absolutely amazing for me. It's dead funny cause people are calling me Jai-Bo!"
In 2012, McDowall sang his album lead track, "
With or Without You
"With or Without You" is a song by Irish rock music, rock band U2. It is the third track on their fifth studio album, ''The Joshua Tree'' (1987), and was released as the album's lead single on 16 March 1987. The song was the group's most succes ...
" on ''
China's Got Talent
''China's Got Talent ''() was a Chinese reality television series on Dragon Television, Dragon TV and a part of the ''Got Talent'' franchise, hosted by Cheng Lei. It is a talent show that features all different kinds of performances of all ages ...
'' although oddly enough, no license was applied for to sell his single or album in China.
It was confirmed by Sony in March 2012 that, after fulfilling his one-album contract, McDowall's deal will not be renewed.
In 2013, McDowall was asked to and agreed to perform at the March & Rally for Scottish Independence.
2019–2021: ''The Champions'' and ''Cry, Home, Closer''
In September 2019, McDowall returned to prime time television performing on Series 1 of ''
Britain's Got Talent: The Champions''. Whilst McDowall did not progress to the final stages of the competition, his performance was well received by the judges and viewers, with many citing McDowall's on stage persona and vocal abilities maturing since his original win in 2011. Since winning the show in 2011, and the lack of promotion of his debut album and a lack of support from
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 ...
following his win and towards the release of his debut album, Cowell issued a public apology to McDowall immediately after his performance. Cowell admitted that the lack of support McDowall received from him was "unfair" and ended in McDowall receiving a standing ovation from Cowell (who immediately after his ''Champions'' performance did not stand alongside fellow judges
David Walliams
David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams (), is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series '' Little ...
,
Alesha Dixon
Alesha Anjanette Dixon (born 7 October 1978) is an English singer, rapper, dancer, television personality, and author. She rose to prominence in the early 2000s as a member of the R&B / UK Garage group Mis-Teeq, who had seven UK top 10 hits, ...
and
Amanda Holden
Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English media personality, actress and singer. Since 2007, she has been a judge on the television talent competition show '' Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV. She also co-hosts the national ''H ...
).
In 2019, McDowall released a three track extended play entitled ''Cry, Home, Closer''. McDowall supported singer
Susan Boyle
Susan Magdalane Boyle (born 1 April 1961) is a Scottish singer who rose to fame in 2009 after appearing as a contestant on the third series of '' Britain's Got Talent'', singing " I Dreamed a Dream" from '. As of 2021, Boyle has sold 25 ...
on her 2020 UK arena tour.
2021–present: Single release and joining G4
In 2021, McDowall released a new single entitled "
All of Me", a cover of the song released by
John Legend
John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Every ...
to mark ten years since his appearance on ''Britain's Got Talent'' in 2011.
The song made an appearance on the UK iTunes Charts, debuting at number 91 where it remained in its second week before falling out of the top 100. McDowall featured and performed in a UK musical production of ''Come What May'' which began in late 2021.
He also performed two tours with
Jonathan Ansell
Jonathan Mark Ansell (born 10 March 1982) is an English singer, best known as the high tenor of the vocal group G4.
Early life
Influenced by his mother's tapes of Pavarotti and the Three Tenors, Ansell joined the West Sussex Boys' Choir condu ...
of Les Musicals.
In 2023, McDowall joined the vocal troupe
G4, replacing original member Lewis Raines.
In December 2023, McDowall featured in a
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, employing approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. BBC Scotla ...
documentary hosted by
Michelle McManus
Michelle McManus (born 8 May 1980) is a Scottish singer, columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter who won the second and final series of the UK talent show ''Pop Idol'' in 2003. She currently presents the ''Afternoon'' radio show ...
entitled ''Michelle McManus: Talent Show Winners'', where McDowall spoke about his subsequent career following his win on ''Britain's Got Talent'' and joining G4 earlier in the year.
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
References
External links
Crossfire Talent
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDowall, Jai
21st-century Scottish male singers
Britain's Got Talent winners
Living people
People from Tarbolton
1986 births