Whatever Happened to ‘X Factor UK’ Alum Joseph Whelan?
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Known as the “Hot Dad” of his series, contestant Joseph Whelan melted the hearts of everyone during his X Factor UK audition. These days, his family has expanded quite a bit. When he’s not making music or performing on stage, this rockstar is being the best dad he can be to his family at home.
Joseph Whelan on X Factor UK
In 2013, contestant Joseph Whelan took to the X Factor UK stage with an emotional backstory. At the time, the 26-year-old rocker spoke fondly of his young son, Kian. Accompanying him in his X Factor audition, he refers to his son as the “light of his life.”
In his pre-performance interview, he shared that he lives as a single father, and does not get to see his son as often as he would like. Before taking to the stage he expresses that his sole purpose for auditioning is to make his child happy.
Standing before the judges, he took on a powerful rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” Following his performance, Joseph received a plethora of positive comments before receiving yeses across the panel. In a touching moment, he shared the special moment with his son on stage before walking off.
The powerhouse vocalist remained in the competition until Boot Camp week. At this stage, he was dubbed to be an “emotional wreck” while battling toward the Judges’ Houses. Here, the judges had to select six contestants to move on to the next round as they performed for a live studio audience. Deemed one to look out for early on, it was a shock when Joseph did not progress past this point.
“I nailed all three of my performances and didn’t get one negative comment from the judges, so I was in complete shock when they kicked me out,” he said.
The Rockstar Post-X Factor UK
Since his elimination from the X Factor UK, the powerhouse vocalists continues to rock out on stage. He has also taken his love of fatherhood up a few notches and now has four adorable children.
In addition to that, Joseph has also released several original tracks since his appearance on the show. His most popular single remains his 2016 track “Open Your Eyes.” The song came part of his debut EP from that same year.
Recently, he posted a short Instagram video of his insane guitar skills. Here, you can watch Joseph absolutely shredding it in electric guitar at Maspalomas Pride in 2019. He has also performed quite a few gigs alongside the Tenors of Rock, a UK-based male vocal group.
The singer continues to posts covers of hit songs on his platforms. While he is not signed to a label, he seems to have the perfect work/life balance in his music career. Joseph continues to live life as a low key rockstar while also providing his family with the life they deserve. It seems his dream has come full circle since his days on the X Factor UK.
TALENT!