Union J

Union J
Contestant Profile
9
Category	Groups
Mentor	Louis Walsh
Placement	4/13
Gallery

Union J are a British all-male pop group who finished in 4th place on Series 9 of The X Factor. Their mentor was Louis Walsh.

The current line up consists of Josh Cuthbert, JJ Hamlet and Jaymi Hensley. During their time on the show singer George Shelley was a part of the group but he announced his departure in March 2016.  He was replaced by Casey Johnson, a former member of Stereo Kicks, who announced his departure from the group in April 2017.

The X Factor

Union J originally auditioned as a trio called Triple J with just Cuthbert, Hamblett and Hensley while Shelley auditioned for the show as a solo artist. Both acts didn't make it to judges' homes, but they were given an offer to continue on with the show if Shelley joined the group, which he did, resulting in the guys changing their group name to Union J.

At judges' homes, the guys impressed their mentor Louis Walsh and his guest advisor, Sharon Osbourne, with their version of the Carly Rae Jepsen hit "Call Me Maybe", which got them chosen to go to the live shows, where they did good for the first three weeks. In week 4, however, the guys were in the bottom 2 but survived to sing another week. Union J wound up in the bottom again in week 6 but got saved by the judges. After reviving their judges' home performance of "Call Me Maybe" in week 7, group member Jaymi Henlsey publically came out as gay, admitting that his reason for doing so was that if his group were eliminated, he wanted to leave the show "honest and himself." It turned out his admittance to his sexuality had no effect on them for they ended up not in the bottom 2 that week. Hensley admitted to being overwhelmed by the outpouring of support he had gotten for coming out. In week 8, however, Union J ended up in the bottom 2 but got saved over fan favorite Rylan Clark.

Despite being popular and wowing fans with their vocal harmonies, Union J were eliminated on at the semi final stage, finishing in 4th place.

Post The X Factor

On December 15, 2012 at a show in Cardiff, Wales, Union J announced to the crowd that they had signed a record deal with RCA Records. Their first single,"Carry You", was released on June 3, 2013. The song proved to be a hit, peaking at number 6 on the UK Singles chart. Their second single, "Beautiful Life", was released on October 21, 2013.

The group's self-titled debut album was released on October 28, 2013. Their autobiography was published on September 26, 2013.

Label change

On April 5, 2014, the guys announced that they had left RCA Records for Epic Records, which released their second album, You Got It All - The Album, on December 8, 2014. It features the hit single, "Tonight (We Live Forever)".

Tour

In June 2013, the guys announced that they would be embarking on thier first major concert tour. The 18-date tour, called "Magazines and TV Screens", kicked off in December 2013 and went until January 2014

2016; Third Album, Shelley's Departure

On March 4, 2016, George Shelley was confirmed his departure from the group, and was rumoured to have been 'kicked out' of the group, due to his lack of commitment, and other personal ambitions. The boys confirmed that they would stay together as a trio, and continue work on their third album, and that they may get a replacement for Shelley eventually. Member Jaymi Hensley later said on Twitter that Shelley had made the decision to leave the group himself, and that the other members supported his decision.

New Member

In May 2016, the band confirmed that ex Stereo Kicks member Casey Johnson had replaced Shelley in the group.

Johnson's Departure

In April 2017, it was annuounced that Casey Johnson had departed the group leaving them as their original line up.

Discography

Singles:

• "Carry You" (2013)
• "Beautiful Life" (2013)
• "Loving You Is Easy" (2013)
• "Tonight (We Live Forever)" (2014)
• "You Got It All" (2014)

Albums:

• Union J (2013)
• You Got It All - The Album (2014)

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