[Red Moon]

Pub Contests Changed X Factor Leon's Life

LEON JACKSON was working quietly in his local Gap store just weeks ago.

But now the X Factor star is a household name with a nationwide army of fans and a record deal on the cards.

And Leon, 18, of Whitburn, West Lothian, says he owes it all to karaoke.

He said: "If it wasn't for karaoke, I wouldn't be singing in front of the X Factor audience.

"I would never have had the confidence to enter. Have a go. It can get you a lot further than you think. Just look at me."

Leon was a shy teenager who loved to sing but only in the privacy of his own home.

Then he tried a karaoke night at a pub. His first song in public was Last Request by Paolo Nutini.

Leon said: "I was hooked. I couldn't stop getting up to sing. I won the £50 prize three times in three months."

A year later, he has made the final stages of X Factor and is coached by Dannii Minogue.

He added: "Karaoke gives you a chance to show off your talent. It has changed my life."

Source: Sunday Mail