Who is Jai McDowall, when was the Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions singer the winner of the show and what has he done since?
JAI McDowall came to fame after winning Britain’s Got Talent back in 2011 with his rendition of a Josh Groban classic.
He returned to the stage that made him famous on September 7 to take part in the epic showdown on Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions. Find out more about the Scotsman below.
Who is Jai McDowall?
Jai McDowall is a Scottish singer-songwriter born on July 24, 1986, in North Ayrshire.
He studied at Music and Audio Technology (NC & HNC) at Music and Sound Production Dept, Ayr College, Scotland.
Before auditioning for BGT he worked as a support worker for children with disabilities.
He was also a member of the Ayr Amateur Opera Company and Loudoun Musical Society.
The singer had starring roles in multiple productions including Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Fiddler on the Roof.
When was Jai McDowall on Britain’s Got Talent?
Jai won Britain’s Got Talent in 2011 with a cover of Josh Groban’s hit To Where You Are.
His first audition in Liverpool won him three yeses and positive feedback from judges Michael McIntyre, Amanda Holden and David Hasselhoff.
And during the semi-final, his performance of Evanescence’s Bring Me To Life garnered him the most public votes on the night.
But it was his rendition of Josh Groban’s classic that won him the competition and the £100k prize money in the final.
What has Jai McDowall done since winning the show?
After winning the show and performing at the Royal Variety Performance, Jai went on the Britain’s Got Talent Tour throughout 2011 as well as headlining at numerous Butlins across the country.
Jai was signed to Simon Cowell’s label SyCo after winning the show but was dropped less than a year later after poor sales of his debut album Believe.
In April 2017, Jai went under the knife for a “deviated” septum, and was forced to deny claims he had a cocaine addiction after curious fans suggested that was the reason behind his op.
He said: “The amount of times I’ve been asked if I have a cocaine habit and that’s why I have a deviated septum in the first place has been unreal.
“I don’t have a cocaine habit just in case anyone is wondering.”
On July 25, 2019, The Sun exclusively revealed that Jai would be replacing Susan Boyle in Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions.
An ITV source said: “They didn’t want to be short of contestants and SuBo was looking unlikely to confirm her appearance.
“ was ecstatic and will be putting his heart into the show, in the hope of making it right to the end.”
In 2019, Jai is taking his Les Musicals tour on the road around the UK.
The tour with Jonathan Ansell takes a break after the October dates then returns in May 2020.
What happened to Jai on Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions?
Jai took part in Champions on week two – Saturday, September 7, 2019.
The forgotten man of BGT thrilled the audience with his rendition of I’ll Never Love Again.
And afterwards Simon Cowell apologised for dropping him from his record label.
Simon said: “I owe you an apology for not giving you the support I should have given you at the time.
“But I also respect the fact that you’ve come back to make me look an idiot, you’ve looked fantastic and I could not be more thrilled.”
A tearful Jai thanked Simon for what the show had given him.
Does this mean the Scot will now be given a new deal?
Unfortunately he failed to make the final after losing out to the MerseyGirls in the superfan vote and Alex Lauenburger and her dogs who got the Golden Buzzer from Ant and Dec.