Rylan Clark’s secret music success with fake name 12 years after X Factor-Ruth Lawes-Entertainment – Metro

Rylan Clark has been writing music under a pseudonym (Picture: Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/Shutterstock)

It’s hard to imagine Rylan Clark as anything other than the UK’s hunniest TV presenter but 12 years ago he tried to become a popstar on The X Factor.

But while the 35-year-old has not pursued a career as a singer, he has been secretly working behind the scenes in the music industry.

The This Morning presenter revealed he has written songs that have been released and ‘done well’ but under a pseudonym.

He refused to name the songs as he was concerned that if listeners knew he was behind them he would be ‘pre-judged’.

Rylan made the revelation on podcast Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware when the Wildest Moments singer, 39, asked if he wrote.

He responded: ‘I write music. I’ve done quite a lot of songs for myself. Some have been released, but not under “Rylan”, and they’ve done well, which is fun.

Rylan first soared to fame as a contestant on the X Factor(Picture: Ken McKay/Thames/REX/Shutterstock)

Rylan said he was not ‘ready’ to release music under his own name (Picture: Ken McKay/Thames/REX)

‘I’ve released a couple of tracks that have done well and I’m happy with.’

When asked if he would be tempted to release music under his own name, Rylan said: ‘I’m not ready for that yet.

‘When I started out on X Factor I had a very easy role to play on that show, and that was to be the one that everyone talks about and my job wasn’t to sing onX Factor.

‘I think if Joe Public read tomorrow, “Rylan’s bringing out a CD”, people would go, “Shut up”, and it would already be pre-judged.

‘I’ve been really lucky over the last 12 years. I’ve been successful in my career and I’ve done really, really well.

Rylan said he had written a ‘couple of tracks’ that had ‘done well’ (Picture: S Meddle/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

He is now better known for being a TV presenter on shows like BBC’s Grand Tour with Rob (Picture: BBC/Rex TV/Zinc Media/Lana Salah)

‘And this hand is telling me, “Don’t tell people it’s you because they’ll pre-judge”.’

‘But there’s this curiosity killed the cat hand going, “Could you do it all again from scratch? Could you replicate what you’ve done for yourself again?”‘

Despite his reluctance, Rylan admitted he ‘badly’ needed to ‘scratch an itch’ as a performer.

Rylan shot to fame on The X Factor in 2012 and finished in fifth place after being mentored by Nicole Scherzinger.

He previously said he was aware he was ‘the joke’ at the start of his career.

Rylan told the i: ‘I was the joke, but I knew I was the joke.

‘Listen, I’m not claiming to be Celine Dion or Mariah, but I can sing. But I weren’t supposed to sing on The X Factor. There is a box for every single person on there, and I ticked the “gay stereotype joke” box.

‘I could either stand there and sing and hope to get through, along with a million other auditionees, or I could play the game and put on a feather boa and a light-up outfit and have an argument with Gary Barlow.’

Rylan’s since gone on to make quite the name for himself, appearing on the likes of Celebrity Big Brother, which he won in 2012, presenting Big Brother’s Bit on the Side and The Xtra Factor, as well as Strictly’s It Takes Two and This Morning.

He’s elsewhere made appearances on Celebrity Gogglebox with his mum Linda, and hosted a BBC Radio 2 show.

Rylan is currently starring on BBC Italy travel show, Rob & Rylan’s Grand Tour, with Rob Rinder.

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