I blacked out after The X Factor final
How do you top winning The X Factor? Dalton Harris tells MARION MCMULLEN what he’s been up to since then
MORE than five million viewers watched Dalton Harris crowned The X Factor champ last year. His coach, former One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson, was so excited he jumped on stage and later declared: “He’s been a pleasure to work with. A true gentleman.”
He previously told his 33 million Twitter followers: “Dalton can do craaaazy s**t with his voice!!!”
Dalton proved him right with a stunning duet with 2012 X Factor winner James Arthur of Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s song The Power Of Love.
Their performance in the final was staged in front of flaming blue and red hearts and had all the judges, including Simon Cowell and Robbie Williams, on their feet. It helped him pip fellow finalists Anthony Russell and Scarlett Lee.
But the 25-year-old Jamaican admits most of that night is a blur. “I don’t remember much of the night of the final to be honest. I know I blacked out. I remember the day after the final better. The day itself I just remember walking into the arena with my vocal coach and just looking at all the weird stuff going on.
“I remember being in Louis’ dressing room afterwards and he was pumped.” He laughs: “I was like ‘What’s happening around me?’ I was very confused in my head. It’s all really blotchy and I don’t remember it. The most I celebrated was when I went out with my sister and brother-in-law for my birthday on December 29 and we just ate food and hung out.”
He adds with a chuckle: “I had a couple of glasses of wine two days after winning the X Factor, so I suppose that was kind of my celebration. I didn’t do anything big or nothing, but it’s sinking in now.”
Dalton had many of his performances enter the iTunes chart during the live shows including renditions of I Have Nothing, Creep, California Dreamin’ and Beyoncé’s Listen.
The soulful singer is now reuniting with his fellow X Factor contestants Scarlett Lee, Anthony Russell, Danny Tetley, Acacia & Aaliyah, Brendan Murray, Shan Ako and Bella Penfold for the live tour.
“Everyone is so pumped and excited and we are going to have fun,” says Dalton. “I just want to get out there and sing and I get to be with these people again.”
Dalton grew up in poverty in a one-room house without electricity or water. Things started to change when he enjoyed success in his native Jamaica, winning TV talent show Digicel Rising Stars in 2010 when he was just 16.
His 2014 single Pauper was number one in the Jamaican dancehall charts and he had three albums under his belt before X Factor came along.
“I listened to everything growing up,” he says, “everything from jazz and R‘n’B to soul and pop, Celine Dion to Whitney. When I was young I listened to as much as I could and tried to do as much as I could with my voice.
“With The X Factor I feel that I have validated myself. I’m working with Louis now. I recently came back from Malta and he called me as soon as I landed to talk about writing songs. Louis once told me ‘Your voice is your power and you have to stand behind that.’ It’s like a responsibility, something that you can do, and I’ve learned to appreciate myself. I’ve always been hard on myself in the past. I was taught that way, but now that is all changing.”
Dalton hosted his own two-hour BBC radio show this month when he stepped in for David Rodigan and made the studio his own.
“I was very nervous when I went in. I was thinking ‘What do I do?’ ‘How do I do it?’ But I went from zero to 100 real quick,” he laughs. “I had everyone in the studio dancing, the producer was dancing, and it was real fun. I’d love to do more radio and TV. It feels good and I really enjoy it a lot.”
Dalton says he gets recognised a lot since his X Factor win, but normally keeps a low profile, only occasionally going out to see a film at the cinema with his manager.
Instead, he has been pouring all his energies into working on his first album. “I’m relearning,” he says. “I have the same name, but nothing in my life is the same any more... and that’s not a bad thing. Everything has changed and the biggest thing is I believe in myself a lot more. I’m stronger. My life is different.
“I’ve always been fearless when it comes to music. I’ve have been in the studio writing and recording. I’d love to work with Ariana Grande – she’s top of my list – but I also want to work with the greats like Stevie Wonder. I just want to work. I’ve been recording and recording and I have some songs and the record company, Syco, are excited. I’m ready.”
■ The X Factor Live Tour 2019 begins on Friday and runs until March 6. Go to gigsandtours.com/ ticketmaster.co.uk for ticket details.