Jedward | |
|---|---|
 John and Edward in Australia in 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | John & Edward |
| Born | (1991-10-16)16 October 1991 (age 34) Dublin, Ireland |
| Genres | Pop |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | |
| Members |
|
| Website | planetjedward |
John andEdward Grimes (born 16 October 1991), collectively known asJedward, are Irish media personalities, entertainers, performers, and singers. They areidentical twins who first appeared asJohn & Edward inthe sixth series ofThe X Factor in 2009, generating a phenomenon of ironic popularity described as "the Jedward paradox".[1] They were the seventh act eliminated and were managed byLouis Walsh, who was their mentor duringThe X Factor.[2][3]
Jedward released four studio albums:Planet Jedward (2010),Victory (2011),Young Love (2012), andVoice of a Rebel (2019). Their first two albums went double platinum in Ireland.[4][5] They have released several singles, including "Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)", "Bad Behaviour", "Lipstick", with which they represented Ireland at theEurovision Song Contest 2011 inDüsseldorf, and "Waterline", with which they represented Ireland at theEurovision Song Contest 2012 inBaku.
Jedward's television work includes starring in the documentary seriesJedward: Let Loose (2010), presenting the children's seriesOMG! Jedward's Dream Factory (2011–2013) andJedward's Big Adventure (2012–2014), and participating in the reality seriesCelebrity Big Brother 8 (2011),[6]Celebrity Big Brother 19 (2017), in which they finished as runners-up, andCelebrity Coach Trip 4 (2019). Jedwards's combined net worth was estimated at €6m in September 2013, and they have been ranked as the fifth most financially successful formerX Factor UK contestants.[7]
Identical twin brothersJohn andEdward Grimes were born inDublin. John and Edward's first school was Scoil BhrídeNational School inRathangan. They then attendedKing's Hospital School for four years before being moved to theDublin Institute of Education.
The twins competed in school talent shows during their school years and were inspired byJustin Timberlake,Britney Spears and theBackstreet Boys. They were also members of the Lucan Harriers Athletic Club and Dundrum South Dublin athletics club and have competed in several Irish athletic tournaments.[8]
They briefly worked as games testers forXbox 360 format holderMicrosoft and supportfootball clubsNewcastle United andCeltic.[9]
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In 2008, John and Edward formed a duo and the following year they auditioned inGlasgow as a group forthe sixth series ofThe X Factor, under the name John & Edward.[10][11] Despite being described by judgeSimon Cowell as "not very good and incredibly annoying", John & Edward were put through to bootcamp, then made it to judges' houses, whereLouis Walsh selected them for the live shows.[12] John & Edward became known for their unpolished but enthusiastic performances,[13] famously including a version ofBritney Spears' "Oops!... I Did It Again", during which they reenacted theTitanic monologue.[14] After their departure fromThe X Factor, Jedward were signed to Modest! Management, however it was later announced that Louis Walsh had reached "an amicable agreement", which allowed him to take the twins on.[15]
From February until April 2010, they performed on theX Factor Live tour, where they were credited with the boost in demand for tickets, that led to an extension in the tour run.[16] Their debut single "Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)" was amashup of "Under Pressure" and "Ice Ice Baby", withVanilla Ice contributing guest vocals. In March Jedward's Sony contract ended, but the following dayUniversal Music Ireland signed them on a three-album contract.[17] In April 2010, Jedward began their first solo tour, a 27-date tour of Ireland called thePlanet Jedward Tour. Due to popular demand, it was extended with a second 43-date leg in the UK and Ireland. TheIrish Independent rated the tour positively, saying that "Jedwardmania is right up there withBeatlemania."[18] Jedward's second single, a cover of theBlink-182 song "All the Small Things", was released in July 2010 and peaked at number 21 on the Irish charts and number 6 on theUK Indie Chart. The same week, Jedward released their debut albumPlanet Jedward, consisting of cover versions. It which went straight to number one on theIrish Albums Chart and number 17 on theUK Albums Chart.[19][20] In August 2010, Jedward appeared in their ownITV2 documentary, entitledJedward: Let Loose, a three-part series in which they moved out of their home for ten days.[21]
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On 12 February 2011, Jedward released their third single and Eurovision Song Contest entry "Lipstick", which peaked at number one in Ireland. Jedward successfully qualified from the second Eurovision Song Contest semi-final, eventually finishing in eighth place. After the Eurovision Song Contest, "Lipstick" was released digitally across Europe, where it charted in many countries such asBelgium, Sweden, Germany and most notablyAustria where it peaked at number three. The song also peaked at number 8 in the South Korea'sinternational artists' chart.[22] "Lipstick" had featured in aHyundai advertising campaign in South East Asia.[23] Shortly after the Eurovision Song Contest, on 23 May, Jedward performed in front of an audience of 60,000 people atCollege Green in Dublin City ahead of a speech by visitingU.S. PresidentBarack Obama.[24] In April 2011, Jedward began their second tour, theBad Behaviour Tour, with a series of dates across Ireland.[25]
Jedward's next single "Bad Behaviour" was released in July and reached number one in the Irish charts.[26] This was followed two weeks later by their second albumVictory, consisting entirely of original tracks. A new version ofPlanet Jedward was released by the German branch of Universal Music in July, featuring a mix of tracks fromPlanet Jedward and new songs fromVictory.[27] On 31 July, the twins began the first leg of their third tour,The Carnival Tour, with 12 shows across Ireland and Northern Ireland.[28] In September Jedward played their first European tour, with dates in Sweden and Germany,[29] followed by a UK tour.[30] Three days after the first leg finished, Jedward entered theCelebrity Big Brother 8 house. They made it to the final, eventually finishing in third place. The third single fromVictory, "Wow Oh Wow" was released in August 2011, with a music video featuring theirCelebrity Big Brother housemateTara Reid. In December, Jedward starred in the pantomimeJedward and the Beanstalk, a musical comedy version of the fairytaleJack and the Beanstalk.
Jedward won the Irish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest again in 2012, this time with their song "Waterline". In May, Jedward performed "Waterline" at theEurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan. After qualifying from their semi-final, they eventually came in 19th place in the grand final.[31] "Waterline" was also the lead single on the twins' third albumYoung Love, released in June. The tracks "Young Love" and "Luminous" were also released as singles. Jedward released the charity single and "unofficial" IrishUEFA Euro 2012 song "Put the Green Cape On", a reworking of "Lipstick".[32] The duo embarked on the European leg of theirVictory Tour in January, playing in Austria, Germany, Sweden, Finland and Estonia. This was followed by theYoung Love Tour in Ireland in August.[33][34] They also visited Singapore, where the new album had enjoyed popular success.[35]
In June they ran as part of the2012 Summer Olympics torch relay inDublin on day 19 of the relay.[36][37] The twins starred in their own TV seriesJedward's Weird Wild World on UK TV channel5*, with John and Edward humorously presenting a selection of popular internet videos.[38] Over the Christmas and New Year periodRTÉ broadcast the second series of their showOMG! Jedward's Dream Factory,[39] and the second season of their BBC seriesJedward's Big Adventure screened in early 2013.[40] Over the festive season, Jedward starred in their third annualpantomime,Jedward & the Magic Lamp.[41] In January 2013, the twins made a promotional visit toToronto,Ontario, Canada, appearing twice onMuchMusic'sNew Music Live show[42] and also made an appearance onCanada AM.[43] While in Toronto, Jedward also filmed a promotional video for theYoung Love album track "Happens in the Dark" and previewed a clip from the video onNew Music Live.[44] Later in the month, it was announced that Jedward's three-album contract with Universal Music Ireland would not be renewed.[45]
The music video for "Happens in the Dark" was premiered onMuch Music in March, with the video having been shot inToronto earlier in the year.[46] In April the twins filmed a video for the song "What's Your Number?" inNew York City.[47] Later in the month they made a promotional visit to Australia, including radio and television appearances.[48] In June, Jedward joined the line-up of A Night for Christy, a gala concert in aid ofAslan frontmanChristy Dignam. The twins performed Aslan's song "She's So Beautiful" with the band.[49] In July the twins performed live shows in Cork and Limerick, with a UK live tour scheduled for September.[50][51] In November the twins toured Australia, with performances in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. While in Australia they also released the music video forYoung Love album track "Can't Forget You".[52] The video for "Can't Forget You"[53] was shot at and around El Mirage Lake, in San Bernardino County, Los Angeles, California, United States..
In January 2014, the third series of theirCBBC television programmeJedward's Big Adventure was broadcast. Due to its popularity, the series run was doubled to 10 episodes.[54] They also provided weekly style commentary of the contestants in Sweden'sMelodifestivalen competition and made a guest performance at the Melodifestivalen Second Chance show in early March.[55] In April 2014, Jedward debuted their new single "Free Spirit" on Australian radio stationKIIS 106.5. This was followed by news of the duo's fourth studio album to be released later in the year. The album will contain songs written and produced by Jedward.[56] The duo's follow-up single "Ferocious"[57] was released in November 2014, charting at No.15 on the Irish singles chart.[58] In November 2014 it was announced that John and Edward would join the cast ofITV's new circus reality showGet Your Act Together in 2015.[59]
Between 2014 and 2018, they released several new self-penned singles and directed the accompanying music videos. The twins appeared onThe Ray D'arcy Show in February 2017 and confirmed that they were working on their fourth studio album. They signed to Universal Music Singapore in April 2019, and released their fourth studio album, and first with UMSG,Voice of a Rebel[citation needed] on 20 June 2019 across Asia, followed by the rest of the world on 27 June.[60]
Jedward were one of the highest rated charity ambassadors in Ireland for 2011.[61] Jedward are ambassadors for the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) and have fronted an ISPCC poster campaign.[62] The proceeds of their Euro 2012 charity single "Put the Green Cape On" also went to the ISPCC. From 2010 to 2013 Jedward performed annually at theChildLine Concert, which benefits the ISPCC's ChildLine service.[63][64] Also in Ireland, Jedward have been involved with theISPCA's My Dog Ate It campaign,[65] and promote theConcern Worldwide Fast fundraiser.[66] Jedward have also been involved withComic Relief,[67]Sport Relief[68] andChildren in Need,[69] in the UK, as well as giving their time to visit children in hospitals.[70]
In 2009 Jedward were the subject of a Tourism Ireland radio campaign, which made a tongue-in-cheek apology to the UK for Jedward's antics onThe X Factor.[71] In 2010, Jedward fronted an advertising campaign for Irishfast food chainAbrakebabra.[72] Jedward have also fronted advertising campaigns forEast Midlands Trains,[73] Rowntree's Randoms,[74] Disney Universe[75] and aTravel Supermarket commercial with comedianOmid Djalili. The last was later banned after the UK Advertising Standards Authority ruled that the advert was misleading.[76] In 2011, they fronted an advertising campaign for mobile network3 Ireland, including their own Jedward-brandedmobile phone.[77]
Between 2010 and 2013, Jedward performed in an annual pantomime over the Christmas and New Year period. Based at theOlympia Theatre, Dublin, the pantomimes also starredLinda Martin. John and Edward played themselves and the shows featured Jedward songs. The twins' first show wasCinderella in 2010, where they played the fairy godbrothers.[citation needed] They returned in 2011 with a sell-out season ofJedward and the Beanstalk,[78] and again in 2012 withJedward and the Magic Lamp.[79] In 2013 their fourth and last pantomime wasJedward in Beauty and the Beast.[80]
Whilst onThe X Factor, Jedward's fans includedPixie Lott andRobbie Williams.[81]TaoiseachBrian Cowen also backed the singers,[82] whileLeona Lewis said that she worried about them.[83][84] Two leading British political parties,Labour and theConservatives, each released campaign postersparodying the twins.[85][86] FormerPrime MinisterGordon Brown came under fire in November 2009 for describing Jedward as "not very good" and later apologised for doing so.[87][88] Following this, Walsh stated "So Gordon Brown and Simon Cowell both have something in common: neither of them know what the public want." Brown's successor,David Cameron, admitted that he enjoyed watchingThe X Factor and that Jedward were his favourite act. Cameron also bought a T-shirt with their faces on it.[87][89][90][91]The Irish Independent called Jedward "tone-deaf twins", even though the pair were voted more popular thanThe Beatles in a teenage poll.[92] ComedianOliver Callan has parodied them on hisRTÉ 2 showNob Nation.[93] Their 2017 court case on merchandise rights was later the subject of a stage musical starring comediansKevin McGahern andTony Cantwell.[94][95]
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Keith Lemon: The Film | Themselves |
| 2015 | Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! | Themselves |
| 2016 | Sharknado: The 4th Awakens | Astro Techs |
| 2017 | Sharknado 5: Global Swarming | Mick and Cameron |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The X Factor | Themselves / Contestant | Series 6 |
| 2010 | Jedward: Let Loose | Themselves | Television documentary |
| Never Mind the Buzzcocks | Panelists | ||
| OMG It's Jedward | Themselves | Television documentary | |
| 2011 | Anonymous | Themselves | Episode: "Seanie and Edwina" |
| Celebrity Big Brother | Themselves / Contestant | Series 8 | |
| Britain's Got Talent | Themselves / Backing Singers | Series 5 | |
| 2011 | 8 Out of 10 Cats | Panelists | 2 episodes |
| 2011–12 | Eurovision Song Contest | Themselves / Contestant | 56th and57th edition |
| 2011–13 | OMG! Jedward's Dream Factory | Themselves | Reality television |
| 2012 | Jedward's Weird Wild World | Themselves | Television documentary |
| 2012–2014 | Jedward's Big Adventure | Hosts | |
| 2013 | Dani's Castle | Themselves | Episode: "Bogmoor Rocks" |
| 2015 | Get Your Act Together | Themselves / Contestant | |
| 2016 | Livin' with Lucy | Themselves | Series 4 |
| 2017 | Celebrity Big Brother | Themselves / Contestant | Series 19 Runners-up |
| Single AF | Themselves / Contestant | ||
| Jedward's Xmas House Party | Hosts | ||
| 2018 | Celebrity 100% Hotter | Themselves | |
| 2021 | The Big Deal | Themselves / Judges | |
| 2025 | Silence Is Golden | Themselves | Series 1, Episode 3 |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Loaded Laftas Awards | Funniest Double Act | Jedward | Nominated | [96] |
| 2010 | Sony Radio Academy Awards | Best Promotion | Won | [97] | |
| 2011 | Loaded Laftas Awards | Funniest TV Personality | Nominated | [98] | |
| Marcel Bezençon Award | Best song | "Lipstick" | Won | [99] | |
| 2012 | IFTA Awards | Best Children's/Youth Programme | OMG! Jedward's Dream Factory | Nominated | [100] |
| Bord Gais Energy Social Media Awards | Best Online Program | Won | [101] | ||
| 2013 | IFTA Awards | Best Children's/Youth Programme | Nominated | [102] |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, 2012 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
