A session singer by trade, X Factor contestant Shan (full name Shan Ako) is a 25-year-old graduate from the prestigious Brit School.

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Shan went on to release an EP, Prisoner of Hope in 2016, a record drawing from Gospel, Soul, Reggae and Folk influences. And outside performing, she also achieved a 1st class degree in 'Music Business and Arts Management at Middlesex University.

Shan’s X Factor journey started with a cover of The Greatest Showman’s Never Enough in her first audition. The singer walked away from the stage with four big yeses and assurances from Simon Cowell she could be a "great role model to young people."

Shan continued to impress Cowell at the Six Chair Challenge round, usurping fellow performer Georgia Burgess with a rendition of Sia's Alive.

At the Judges’ Houses, Shan risked performing original song Get Back in front of the elite of the music industry. Fortunately, the gamble paid off, with the singer winning a hearty round of applause from multi-award-winning American songwriter Diane Warren.

And if that wasn’t enough, Shan also got a shout out from one Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson during her time in Los Angeles, the actor responding to a photo of the singer standing on his Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo1UV2PnO5b/?taken-by=shanofficially

Shan: The Key Facts

Age: 25

From: Croydon, London

Twitter: @ShanOfficially

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Instagram: @shanofficially

Authors

Susanna LazarusAssociate Editor, RadioTimes.com
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