Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke (born 25 August 1988) is an English singer-songwriter and voice actor. Burke was exposed to music from an early age, with her mother,
Melissa Bell, being the lead singer of
Soul II Soul. Burke rose to fame after winning the
fifth series of British television series
The X Factor in 2008, becoming the first of two winners to be mentored by
Cheryl Cole and also, the second of three people in the girls category to win the series, the first being
Leona Lewis in 2006 and the third being
Louisa Johnson in 2015. Burke currently stands as one of the most successful winners of
The X Factor. She was previously signed to three record labels:
Epic Records,
RCA Records and
Syco Music, until she departed in June 2013 due to creative differences.