Same Difference singer Sean Smith has gone solo.
The star and his sister Sarah Smith shot to fame as a bubblegum pop duo on the fourth series of ITV talent show ‘The X Factor’ in 2007, on which they finished third, but the siblings have gone their separate ways after he signed his first solo record deal with Energise Records.
As well as making a difference from singing with his sister, Sean’s style will be more suave and sophisticated in contrast to the pair’s energetic and catchy tunes on the talent show.
Sean is due to release his first solo single this summer on Energise Records – who also represent Sinitta, Hazell Dean and Rozalla, among other acts – and there is an additional single and an album planned for the future.
While Sarah hasn’t followed Sean into a solo singing career, she is busy being the owner of her own Performance Academy.
As Same Difference, the siblings finished third on ‘The X Factor’ behind winner Leon Jackson and runner-up Rhydian Roberts after an emotional rendition of S Club 7’s ‘Never Had a Dream Come True’ propelled them into the final.
Following their talent show success, the pair signed a one-single deal with Simon Cowell’s label Syco and after working on their intended debut single, ‘Breaking Free’ – a cover from ‘High School Musical’ – in March 2008 they were rumoured to have signed a £1 million album deal with the record label in April 2008.
They went on to release debut single ‘We R One’ – which they performed as guests on ‘The X Factor’ in 2008 – and album ‘Pop’ in December 2008 but less than six months later were reportedly dropped by Syco.
The pair were not deterred, though, and their next album, ‘Shine On Forever (Photo Frame)’, reached the UK Top 100, entering at number 100 in September 2010.
But in December 2014, Same Difference announced they had split.