Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Royal Dalton
Harris wins as Robbie wows with Take That pals
DALTON Harris has been crowned winner of The X Factor, beating fellow finalists Scarlett Lee and Anthony Russell.
The Jamaican singer, 24, will sign a “life-changing” record contract following his victory last night.
His first release is a duet with former winner James Arthur, a cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s The Power of Love.
Dalton’s win came as Take
That reunited on the show to mark their 30th anniversary.
X Factor judge Robbie
Williams, who quit the group in 1995 before rejoining for their 2010 reunion, took to the stage to perform with Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald.
Some fans joked the trio appeared to be Robbie’s “backing singers” as he took lead vocals on their 1993 hit Everything Changes, but others posted they were in tears at the reunion.
Robbie had left again in 2014, as did fifth member Jason Orange. Meanwhile X Factor boss Simon Cowell is said to be “deadly serious” about giving his four-yearold son Eric his own record label. He let Eric choose the live final’s opening act, which involved 100 dancers in shark costumes performing to children’s song Baby Shark. Syco boss Simon, who also invited Eric to join him on stage at Wembley Arena in London, said: “This is Eric’s first release on our new Sycids label.”
Sycids is mooted to be Eric’s imprint for children’s tracks at Simon’s label.
A source said: “Simon is deadly serious about this. He has had discussions with his Syco team about starting a children’s label. If Eric is anything like his father, he’ll have an ear for a hit. Who knows? It could really work.”
Simon had earlier teased Eric’s appearance on show and said he had a project in mind for his son. Though he admitted: “A few people have gone, ‘You are actually out of your mind’.”
After the opening act performed, a new version of Baby Shark was released on Syco, credited to The X Factor Bitesize x Pinkfong. Later in the show, before the winner was announced, Dalton and James performed their duet.
Show runner-up Scarlett, 21, was joined by former X Factor winner Leona Lewis while Anthony, 28, who came third, sang with the Kaiser Chiefs.
Another guest performer was Pride of Britain’s Child of Courage winner Ella Chadwick, 11, performing Fight Song.
Ella from Rochdale, Gtr Manchester, had met and won over all four judges at the awards ceremony in September.
Mum Karen, 31, said Ella was not nervous about taking to the stage, and joked: “She doesn’t understand what nervous means. I don’t know where she gets her confidence from.”