Olly Murs has become one of the most successfulĀ X FactorĀ contestants to date since his stint on the show in 2009. Despite coming runner-up to Joe McElderry, Olly has racked up the success with his 2010 debut self-titled album and 2011ās follow-upĀ In Case You Didnāt KnowĀ both being certified double platinum in the UK. Heās also found success back in his old stomping ground by presentingĀ X FactorĀ spin-offĀ The Xtra FactorĀ with Caroline Flack which heās currently doing for the second year. As he prepares to release new singleĀ TroublemakerĀ featuring Flo Rida and third albumĀ Right Place, Right TimeĀ Olly has released his first bookĀ Happy Days.
Happy DaysĀ is an autobiography of sorts, despite Olly saying contrary in recent press interviews. The hardback book contains around 100 pages of text with the remainder of the book a compilation of photos by renowned photographer Dean Freeman. The book opens with Ollyās recollectons of waiting to hear his fate at the judgesā houses stage ofĀ The X FactorĀ in 2009. He describes being stood outside Simon Cowellās house in L.A. anxious as he was the last in his category to find out if heād made it through to the live shows or not.
From that point the book rewinds to the start as Olly talks about his childhood, growing up and his love of football. He recounts his first disastrous appearance onĀ Deal Or No DealĀ before he became a successful singer before swiftly moving on to his beginnings in music. The details of his time withĀ The X FactorĀ will likely be what most fans will be interested in. He gives plenty of insight into his experience from his multiple auditions right through to coming second.
The experiences afterĀ The X FactorĀ are what we found most interesting. Olly describes his journey fromĀ X FactorĀ star to recording artist admitting he didnāt feel confident in the beginning as a songwriter after being thrown together with some of the biggest songwriters in the world. He goes on to talk about his success but also the decline in his happiness as his work schedule and pressures of fame began to take hold of him. There are some great celebrity stories in there too like Olly being speechless after Cheryl Cole complimented his live return toĀ The X FactorĀ and Michael Buble calling him to congratulate him on getting a number one.
The second half of the book is a collection of unseen photographs of Olly on and off stage. Photographer Dean Freeman catches Olly at his finest but manages to get some candid shots that show him being more reflective and contained. The photos also serve to document Ollyās travels around the world and changing style over the past few years (we think heās getting more and more suave!).
Ollyās personality shines through the book and he still seems to be the same down-to-earth, cheeky chappy that the nation fell in love with in 2009.Ā Happy DaysĀ is a surprisingly frank and honest book that combines fantastic photos making it the perfect gift for any Olly fan this Christmas. Whilst never being a fan of Olly onĀ The X FactorĀ weāve grown really fond of him in the past couple of years and heās a great live entertainer.Ā Happy DaysĀ has made us like him even more.