Union J - The Story. Tina Campanella
declaring undying love for the instant heartthrobs.
But that was just the beginning. No one could anticipate the transformation that these three boys would undergo.
By contrast, Bristol teen George Shelley was alone when he took to the stage for his X Factor audition. He had no one to share a nervous smile with, or to sneak him a comforting wink if the judges were a little harsh on him. Prompted to audition by his good friend Emily Tollner, he didn’t even tell his mum that he was going until the last possible moment. And so it was probably a shock to everyone who knew him when he casually walked out to take his spot in front of the judges.
Wearing a hoodie and jeans, with a guitar slung across his front, the first thing anyone noticed was his mop of perfectly constructed, immaculately messed up curls. Then he flashed his killer smile at the audience and got himself an instant fan base. With his peachy skin and fresh-faced good looks it was obvious he was going to be a firm favourite with the girls.
His grin was definitely verging on cheeky as he stood in front of the judges. Tulisa looked stern as she asked his name.
‘I’m George Shelley,’ he replied, without a hint of nerves.
The audience cheered and made a mental note to themselves to remember that name. If he could actually play the guitar he was clutching, and even half hold a tune, then surely this gorgeous boy was going to go far.
‘How old are you?’ Tulisa continued, still refusing to smile.
‘I’m 18,’ he said, prompting a wave of ‘Awww’s.
And the questions kept coming.
‘What are you doing with yourself at the moment?’ asked another judge.
George explained that he worked in a coffee shop, before he began chuckling to himself – making a few hundred more audience members fall hopelessly in love with him in the process. ‘I’m going to sing ‘Toxic’ by Britney Spears,’ he added.
It was a brilliant song choice – so different to what everyone was expecting from the teen dream standing in front of them. Tulisa suddenly took notice and cracked a smile.
‘Hmm… Interesting choice,’ she said. ‘Go for it…’
Both guitar and voice sprang to life, surprising everyone in the room. The girls in the audience were transfixed by his sweet voice and Louis looked totally overjoyed at the package of talent in front of him. Especially as he sure could play the guitar!
‘I’m addicted to you…’ he sang, and surely half the audience was already starting to think the same thing.
When he finished the audience moved as one to stand up and applaud the talented teen in front of them.
Louis could hardly contain his excitement as he managed: ‘Great look, great vocal!’
Gary instantly agreed. ‘It’s a yes from me.’
‘And a massive yes from me,’ said Tulisa, who by now had definitely been won over.
George put his hands to his face in shock. He couldn’t believe the reaction he had got. He gave the audience one last smile, along with a casual wave, before walking off stage.
All four boys had never felt so excited in all their lives. It takes guts to stand up on stage and sing in front of famous and talented stars, but for them the bold gamble had paid off. They all went back to their respective homes, buzzing with excitement. They told family and friends, and even their local newspapers about their experience. Then they had to wait for Bootcamp to begin.
Triple J member Jamie – known as ‘JJ’ – excitedly told his local paper, the Newmarket Journal: ‘I have always loved singing but never had the bottle. Singing is something I’ve always wanted to do and I’m grateful that I’m doing something I’ve always wanted to do.’
It was a sentiment that all four boys shared. Triple J and George Shelley were off to Bootcamp to begin their musical journey. There would be heartache ahead before their rebirth as the band we all love today – Union J.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. So let’s go back, before we go forward…
DID YOU KNOW?
Glamour model Bianca Gascoigne and former Popstars and Pop Idol contestant, Hayley Evetts, auditioned for the judges this season, too. Hayley made it as far as Bootcamp, but Bianca didn’t get past the auditions.
The Union J Boys – Humble Beginnings
JAMIE ‘JJ’ HAMBLETT
QUICK FACTS
DATE OF BIRTH: 25/3/88
BORN: Newmarket, Cambridgeshire
PARENTS: Paul and Karin Hamblett
SIBLINGS: Ashley, 26; Otea, 7
GREW UP: Newmarket, Suffolk
SCHOOLS: Scaltback Middle School, Soham Village College
For someone so clearly at home in one of the biggest boybands in Britain, Jamie Hamblett had an unusual start to his singing career. But when you look at the family he comes from, it was hardly surprising that his first line of work would be working as a jockey – riding racehorses. Maybe he should be called ‘GG’ instead of ‘JJ’!
Jamie comes from a place called Newmarket, which is at the very centre of the British horseracing world and many people in the town rely on the sport for work. His father Paul was a jockey, who later moved into training horses – work that requires getting up early every single day to muck out the horses’ stables and take them for their exercise.
Not long before he himself started racing professionally, Jamie’s brother Ashley had worked at one of the top stables in the family’s hometown and had won a series of races. As well as Ashley and JJ’s father, Paul, his uncle Martin also trained horses in Germany. And another distant cousin, Liam Heard, was a rider who helped improve horses’ fitness. Horses were very much a part of JJ’s life from the moment he was born, so it was no surprise when at the age of 14, he followed his father and brother into the horseracing industry.
With his dad’s help he was apprenticed to the world-famous racehorse trainer, Sir Michael Stoute. Soon after that, he started competing as a jockey. It wasn’t long before he had won his first race, and by early in his second racing season – at the age of only 16 – he had won four races.
It seems that winning is something JJ is very good at. Despite being nearly four years younger than Ashley, by 2006 he was winning just as many races as his brother and had made a big impression on the horseracing world. During his four-year career in the saddle, he took part in 270 races and won 24 of them. Part of his success may have been down to having a dad who was ambitious. It was this ambition that would later propel him to X Factor fame.
Jamie said his dad was strict about the need to work hard when he was young. Whenever Jamie looked like he didn’t have anything to do, his dad would say: ‘Why haven’t you got a ride today? Phone your agent and ask why you don’t have a ride.’
Paul would tell his sons to go for a run or something, to get them out of the house. He liked the boys to be busy, and this work ethic was great preparation for the X Factor competition – which is toughgoing!
It wasn’t only his dad who used to offer him advice, though. Both Jamie and his brother would receive help and words of encouragement from racing stars like Kieren Fallon and Frankie Dettori.
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