Rak-Su
| Rak-Su | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Watford, Hertfordshire, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Labels | Syco |
| Website | http://www.raksu-official.com |
| Members |
|
Rak-Su are a British boy band, formed in Watford. The band's name is a shortening of "Tracks v. Suits", i.e. "music and fun vs. adult life."[1] They rose to fame when they won the fourteenth series of The X Factor in 2017 mentored by Simon Cowell.[2] The group is made up of Ashley Fongho, Jamaal Shurland, Mustafa Rahimtulla and Myles Stephenson. "Dimelo", which featured Naughty Boy and Wyclef Jean, was released as their winner's single; its release marked the first time a winner's single was written by the winning competitor. It entered the UK Singles Chart at number two, behind Ed Sheeran's "Perfect". Their self-titled debut extended play, Rak-Su, was released on 16 February 2018 and features four songs performed on The X Factor, "I'm Feeling You", "Mamacita", "Mona Lisa" and "Dimelo".
Career
2017: The X Factor
Rak-Su are a four-piece group consisting of childhood friends Ashley, Jamaal, Myles, and Mustafa, from Watford.[3] In 2017 they auditioned for The X Factor, they performed an original song called "I'm Feeling You", and received four yes votes from the judges. The group were mentored by Simon Cowell on The X Factor, along with fellow acts Jack & Joel, The Cutkelvins and Sean and Connor Price. They were voted winners of the Prize Fight in week 4 against Grace Davies, leading to a songwriting session with American songwriter Ali Tamposi. Following the eliminations of Jack and Joel in week 3, Sean and Conor Price in Week 4 and The Cutkelvins in Week 5, Rak-Su became Cowell's last remaining act in the competition. They made the final on the weekend of 2 December 2017, alongside Kevin Davy White and Grace Davies. After the former was eliminated on Saturday's show, they were in the top two with Grace and finished as the winners with over 50% of the public vote.
Rak-Su are the second group to win the show after Little Mix, and the first male group to win the show. On 3 December 2017, their winners single was added to streaming services as well as being available for download immediately after the final, with profits going towards the charities Together for Short Lives and Shooting Star Chase. It placed at number 6 on the Official Singles Chart Update two days after the final. Four of their songs topped the iTunes chart during their run on the X Factor — "Mamacita", "Dimelo", "Mona Lisa" and "I'm Feeling You" - but were ineligible for the Official Chart and were not available on streaming services at that time. after the voting stats were revealed Rak-Su were the clear winners they won almost every week except for week 3 on Saturday where they came 2nd where Kevin Davy White overtook them by a margin of 1% percent of the votes.
| The X Factor performances and results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Show | Song choice | Theme | Result | |
| Auditions | "I'm Feeling You" – Original song | N/A | Through to bootcamp round 1 | |
| Bootcamp Round 1 | "24K Magic" – Bruno Mars (with Charlie Cammish, Riley Peters, Jack Morgan & New Dynamixx) | Through to bootcamp round 2 | ||
| Bootcamp Round 2 | "Knock, Knock" – Original song | Through to six-chair challenge | ||
| Six-chair challenge | "Change Your Mind" - Original Song[4] | Through to judges' houses | ||
| Judges' houses | "Palm Tree" – Original song | Through to live shows | ||
| Live show 1 | "Mamacita" – Original song | Express Yourself | Safe (1st) | |
| Live show 2 | "Dimelo" – Original song | Viva Latino | Safe (1st) | |
| Live show 3 | "Faith" – George Michael | George Michael | Safe (2nd) | |
| Live show 4 | "Mona Lisa" – Original song | Crazy in Love | Safe (1st) | |
| Semi-final | "Flowers" – Sweet Female Attitude | Cool Britannia | Safe (1st) | |
| "I'm Feeling You" – Original song | Get Me to the Final | Safe (1st) | ||
| Final | "Mamacita" – Original song | No Theme | Safe (1st) | |
| "Dimelo" – Original song (with Naughty Boy & Wyclef Jean) | Celebrity Duet/ Winners Single | |||
| "Touché" – Original song | Song to Win | Winners (51.7%) | ||
| "Mona Lisa" – Original song | Song of the Series | |||
2018-present: Rak-Su EP and upcoming debut studio album
On 16 February 2018, they released a self-tilted EP including the songs - "Mamacita", "Dimelo", "Mona Lisa" and "I'm Feeling You"
On 30 March 2018 they performed live on Danish The X Factor with their single "Dimelo"[5]
On 23 May 2018, it was announced that Rak-Su will support Little Mix on their Summer Hits Tour 2018.
On 29 June 2018, they released "Pyro Ting" with Banx & Ranx.
On 28 September 2018, Rak-Su released their new single "I Want You To Freak".
Discography
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Rak-Su |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [6] |
IRE [7] |
SCO [8] | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Flights" | 2016 | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||||||||||||||||
| "Last Night" (with Charles Dixon) |
— | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Dimelo" (featuring Wyclef Jean and Naughty Boy) |
2017 | 2 | 29 | 2 |
|
TBA | |||||||||||||||
| "Pyro Ting" (with Banx & Ranx) |
2018 | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
| "I Want You to Freak" | 58 | — | 28 | ||||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released. | |||||||||||||||||||||
Concert tours
Supporting
- The X Factor Live Tour (2018)
- Little Mix - Summer Hits Tour 2018 (2018)[10]
- Olly Murs - You Know I Know Tour (2019)[11]
References
- ↑ https://www.raksumusic.com/about/
- ↑ "Rak-Su: Boy band beat Grace Davies to win X Factor 2017". BBC News. 3 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
- ↑ Bley Griffiths, Eleanor. "Who are Rak-Su? Meet The X Factor 2017 group who are killing it with their original songs". Radio Times. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ↑ http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/the-x-factor/news/a840636/x-factor-2017-six-chair-challenge-groups/
- ↑ "De hitter verden over: X Factor får besøg af britiske superstjerner".
- ↑ "Rak-Su | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ↑ "IRMA – Irish Charts, Week Ending 15 Dec 2017". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- ↑ Peak chart positions for singles in Scotland:
- For "Dimelo": "2017 Top 100 Scottish Singles Archive (8 December 2017)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
- For "I Want You to Freak": "2018 Top 100 Scottish Singles Archive (5 October 2018)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ↑ Rak-Su Ft Wyclef/Naughty Boy, Single: "Dimelo". Syco Music / Sony Music
- ↑ Houghton, Rianne (5 March 2018). "X Factor Winners Rak-Su Will Support Little Mix On Their Summer Hits Tour Later This Year". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ↑ https://twitter.com/ollyofficial/status/1050679841341808640
External links
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Matt Terry |
Winner of The X Factor 2017 |
Succeeded by TBA |
| Preceded by When Christmas Comes Around |
Winner's singles of The X Factor Dimelo |
Succeeded by TBA |