Raymond is 18 years of age and comes from Liverpool. Raymond lives with his parents and his two older brothers own a carpet warehouse. Raymond is studying Performing Arts at The Merseyside Dance and Drama College. He has had some vocal training and has good dancing skills. Raymond will be famously known for playing the part of Anthony in ther Channel 4 drama, Brookside. This role led him to win awards including ‘Best Dramatic Performance’ in 2002 at the Soap Awards and the storyline he was part of won Best storyline of 2003. His proudest moments is winning £5,000 in Manchester's talent competition ‘Search for a Star’ and performing in Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall for a Tsunami Aid concert. Raymond took part in the open auditions in Manchester and performed ‘Ain’t That A Kick In The Head’by Dean Martin. This led him onto the Boot Camp where he sang ‘Devil in Disguise’ by Elvis Presley on Day 1 and then 'Easy' by the Commodores where he almost missed a chance to appear in the Judges' Homes stage when Simon changed his mind. During the Judges' Homes stage, Raymond performed two more songs including ‘She’s The One’ by Robbie Williams and ‘Smile’ by Robert Downey Jr.
Q&As
What would winning The X Factor mean to you?
‘’Winning The X Factor would change my life completely. It’d be a dream come true to become a recording artist. The first thing I would buy if I won the show would be a car or a house, but I’m most looking forward to having fun, enjoying the experience and performing on stage. Obviously I’ll miss my family and friends but I’ll be pursuing my dream so I don’t really mind.’
Where did you go to school and how did it feel getting an acting job at such a young age?
Ray went to Gateacre Comprehensive in Liverpool where his favourite subject was art. Whilst still at school he won a part in the soap Brookside. “Winning a Soap Award was amazing” he says. “To win that accolade at such a young age was an amazing experience. Being in Brookside was the only job I’ve ever had and it was the best one. I never really knew what I wanted to do so two years ago, started singing lessons and really enjoyed it. I did a gig for my Nan’s 80th and really enjoyed it and I knew then it was all I wanted to do. I’ve always wanted to be a star!”
What are your musical influences?
He cites his musical influences as Robbie Williams, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davies. “To really wow the Judges I’d sing Ain’t That A Kick In The Head – with a big band.”
What do you do to relax?
When he’s not singing, Raymond likes nothing better than extreme skating around Liverpool on his rollerblades. “And I love being on holiday in America. Everything is cheap and big” he laughs.
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