VietNamNet Bridge – Famous British singer Shayne Ward won the hearts of Vietnamese fans at a press conference in Hanoi yesterday, September 29.

Shayne Ward (white) and members of Until June and The D.E.Y in Hanoi

The singer came in early and appeared very natural and casual in jeans, a T-shirt and sports shoes.

Shayne Ward arrived in Hanoi at noon September 28 to prepare for the Hennessy Artistry at the National Convention Centre on October 1. He said he was very surprised about Vietnamese fans’ warm welcome.

“Though this is my first time in Vietnam I saw many fans holding my photos and calling my name at the airport. That was a memorable moment!” he said.

Shayne Thomas Ward, 24, is an English pop singer who rose to prominence in the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as Asia, after winning the second series of The X Factor.

In 2002, he reached the final thirty of Popstars: The Rivals, the television show that created the massively successful British girl band Girls Aloud.

In early 2005, Ward auditioned for the second series of The X Factor. He impressed all three judges (Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh) and passed through to the next round. His group (16 to 24 year-olds) was then mentored by Louis, and Ward was chosen to be among Louis’s top 4 contestants and perform on the live shows. Ward quickly became the bookmakers’ favourite to win the show, and after making it to the grand final, he defeated Simon Cowell’s duo Journey South and Sharon Osbourne’s over-25 singer Andy Abraham and was crowned the winner of The X Factor 2005.

Immediately after his victory on The X Factor, Ward signed a recording contract with Sony BMG and his first single, “That’s My Goal”, was rush-released in the UK on Wednesday, December 21, 2005. After selling a massive 742,000 copies (including 313,000 on its first day), it became the Christmas number one single of 2005, held the top spot for four weeks and stayed in the top 75 until June 2006, a huge 21-week run.

Ward’s second single, “No Promises”, was released on 10 April 2006, and peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart. Shayne Ward, his self-titled debut album, was released on Monday, April 17 and sold over 95,000 copies on the first two days of release. By the end of the week, the album had sold 201,266 copies and hit the albums chart at number one. To date, the album has sold 520,000 copies in the UK and a further 200,000 worldwide, hitting number one in eight other countries.

After the completion of his successful debut tour, Ward’s fourth single and first from his sophomore album (”If That’s OK with You”) was given a release date of August 20, 2007, but was then delayed and became a double A-side single with “No U Hang Up”. It was finally released on September 24, 2007, and charted at number two in the UK. “No U Hang Up” and “If That’s OK with You” charted separately in Ireland, the former reaching number eleven and the latter entering at number one.

Ward’s second album, Breathless, was released on November 26 2007, and after selling over 95,000 copies in its first week, debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart. In the UK the album has been certified platinum with sales of over 450,000.

The next album is expected towards the end of 2008 or in the first quarter of 2009. Not much information about the content of the new album has been given except that it will be very different from his two previous efforts.

Shayne Ward signed for Vietnamese fans

Bich Hanh