Ronan Parke
{{Short description|English singer}}
{{Cleanup|reason=Hasn't had an update of substance for 7 years|date=February 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2012}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Ronan Parke
| image = File:Ronan Parke at Southmead Festival 2013.jpg
| caption = Ronan Parke at Southmead Festival 2013
| birth_name =
| birth_place = Poringland, Norfolk, England
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1998|8|8|df=y}}
| origin = Norwich, England{{Cite web|url=https://www.itv.com/|title=ITV Hub - The home of ITV|website=Itv.com}}
| genre = Pop
| occupation = Singer
| instrument = Vocals
| years_active = 2011–present
| label = Entertainment Management Limited (2017–2019)
AD Records (2012–14)
Syco, Epic (2011–12)
| instruments = Vocals
| Signature =
}}
Ronan Parke (born 8 August 1998{{cite web|url=http://www.ronanparke.com/biography |title=Ronan Parke – Bio |access-date=11 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015001552/http://www.ronanparke.com/biography |archive-date=15 October 2011 }}) is an English singer from Poringland, Norfolk, who came runner-up in the fifth series of ITV show Britain's Got Talent in 2011 at the age of 12, despite being the bookies' favourite to win. Since appearing on the show, he had signed a joint record deal with Sony Music and released a charted self-titled debut album Ronan Parke on 24 October 2011{{cite web|url=http://www.edp24.co.uk/polopoly_fs/sa_ronan_mall_11_1_1123619!image/3242763465.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_490/3242763465.jpg|title=Album Review:Ronan Parke – Ronan Parke|access-date=26 December 2011|date=22 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213163329/http://www.edp24.co.uk/polopoly_fs/sa_ronan_mall_11_1_1123619%21image/3242763465.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_490/3242763465.jpg|archive-date=13 December 2013|df=dmy-all}} which reached 22 on the Official Chart.{{Cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/ronan%20parke/|title=ronan parke {{!}} full Official Chart History {{!}} Official Charts Company|website=Official Charts |access-date=2018-07-12}} He has also released a number of singles, including a Christmas single{{Citation|title=Not Alone This Christmas - Single by Ronan Parke & Luciel Johns|date=2012-12-17|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/not-alone-this-christmas-single/588342343|access-date=2018-07-12}} in 2012 and a charity single "Defined"{{cite web|title=Defined - Single by Ronan Parke|website=iTunes |date=2014-01-06|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/defined-single/768069688|access-date=2018-07-12}} in 2013 with the anti-bullying organisation Kidscape. In 2018 he released a single titled "No Love (Like First Love)" followed by an original album titled Found My Way and a Christmas single titled "Cheers".
Early and personal life
Ronan Parke was born to Maggie and Trevor Parke in the village of Poringland, Norfolk. His family are close to the family of ex-Norwich City player Bryan Gunn, whose daughter helped Parke submit his application form for Britain's Got Talent.{{Cite news|url=http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/poringland_s_ronan_parke_impresses_judges_on_britain_s_got_talent_1_880559|title=Poringland's Ronan Parke impresses judges on Britain's Got Talent|author=Kim Briscoe|date=1 May 2011|publisher=Norwich Evening News|access-date=5 July 2011}} Parke had been taking singing lessons in his home town before getting the confidence to apply for the show.
Parke attended Framingham Earl High School. He is openly gay.{{Cite web|url=http://attitude.co.uk/article/exclusive-ronan-parke-ive-always-identified-as-gay-and-ive-always-been-proud-to-say-it/20491/|title=Former 'BGT' star Ronan Parke: 'I've always identified as gay - and I've always been proud to say it'|date=2019-03-13|website=Attitude.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-03-13}}
Career
=2011: ''Britain's Got Talent''=
Parke auditioned for Britain's Got Talent in London in front of judges Amanda Holden, Michael McIntyre and Louis Walsh (who was filling in for David Hasselhoff). He performed "Feeling Good" and before the song finished, the entire 2,500-strong audience and three judges gave Parke a standing ovation. He received rave reviews after his performance and received three "yes" votes and advanced to the next round, with Walsh declaring that Parke "is the one to beat." Following the airing of his audition on the third auditions show on 30 April 2011, Parke quickly became the bookies' favourite to win the show. Parke advanced to the semi-finals a few weeks later.
Parke performed for a second time during the semi-final on 30 May 2011, performing "Make You Feel My Love" by Bob Dylan. After his performance, he received praise from all four judges; David Hasselhoff (who was not present at Parke's audition), McIntyre, Holden and Simon Cowell, who was only judging the live finals. Parke received the highest public vote of the night and was automatically sent through to the final.{{Cite news|url=http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/norfolk_s_ronan_parke_makes_it_to_the_final_of_britain_s_got_talent_1_907488|title=Norfolk's Ronan Parke makes it to the final of Britain's Got Talent|author=Lucy Wright|date=31 May 2011|publisher=Norwich Evening News|access-date=5 July 2011}}
In the final on 4 June, Parke performed "Because of You" by Kelly Clarkson and received a standing ovation from the audience and judges, who once again gave him praise for his powerful rendition of the song. Louis Walsh, who was in the audience for the final, was referred to by Cowell and also praised Parke saying, "He's made the hairs stand on the back of my neck". However, Parke lost to eventual winner Jai McDowall by a margin of 2.6% of the vote.{{Cite news|url=http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/norfolk_s_ronan_parke_pipped_to_the_post_in_britain_s_got_talent_final_1_912147|title=Norfolk's Ronan Parke pipped to the post in Britain's Got Talent final|author=Lucy Wright|date=5 June 2011|publisher=Norwich Evening News|access-date=5 July 2011}}
=2011: Debut album=
{{Main|Ronan Parke (album)}}
Two days after the final, it was reported that Sony Music were keen to offer Parke a recording contract worth £1 million.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}} The same day, it was also reported that Cowell had hoped for Ronan to duet with Jackie Evancho, although no plans were completed for this to occur.{{Cite news|url=http://entertainment.stv.tv/tv/255438-bgt-star-ronan-parke-and-jackie-evancho-a-duet-made-in-heaven/|title=BGT star Ronan Parke and Jackie Evancho: a duet made in heaven|date=7 June 2011|publisher=STV|access-date=4 July 2011}}
Parke performed in the Britain's Got Talent Live Tour 2011, making appearances all throughout the UK. The tour opened on 12 June 2011 at Newcastle Metro Radio Arena and finished on 26 June at Bournemouth BIC. During the tour, Parke sang all three of the songs that he performed on the show, collaborating with pianist Paul Gbegbaje for "Make You Feel My Love".{{cite news|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2011/06/13/ronan-parke-is-star-of-the-show-as-britain-s-got-talent-tour-launches-115875-23197692/|title=Ronan Parke is star of the show as Britain's Got Talent tour launches|author=Simon Boyle|date=13 June 2011|newspaper=Daily Mirror|access-date=4 July 2011}}
Parke appeared at the Royal Norfolk Show on 30 June to greet fans and sign autographs.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-13949345|title=Royal Norfolk Show manager vows 'special' two-day event|date=28 June 2011|work=BBC News|access-date=4 July 2011}} Parke also performed at the Hamilton Park Racecourse family night on 9 July, filling in for Joe McElderry, who was forced to pull out.{{cite news|url=http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/ronan-lands-racecourse-concert-spot-1.1109757|title=Ronan lands racecourse concert spot|author=Sarah Swain|date=1 July 2011|newspaper=Evening Times|access-date=7 July 2011}} Parke performed for an audience of over 50,000 at T4 on the Beach on 10 July,{{cite news|url=http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Stage-set-T4-spectacular/story-12889681-detail/story.html|title=Stage set for T4 spectacular|date=1 July 2011|newspaper=Bristol Evening Post|access-date=7 July 2011}} singing Cee Lo Green's "Forget You". He was introduced onto the stage by David Hasselhoff.{{Cite news|url=http://www.unrealitytv.co.uk/britains-got-talent/britains-got-talent-news-ronan-parke-struts-his-stuff-at-t4-in-the-park-video/|title=Britain's Got Talent News: Ronan Parke struts his stuff at T4 In The Park! (VIDEO)|date=11 July 2011|publisher=UnrealityTV|access-date=17 July 2011}}
Parke signed to Sony Music and Syco as a joint contract in 2011.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-14166831|title=Ronan Parke releasing music 'this year' after Syco deal|author=David Keller|date=15 July 2011|publisher=BBC Norfolk|access-date=17 July 2011}} The album, Ronan Parke, was released in the UK on 24 October 2011.
On 28 July 2011, Parke uploaded a video to YouTube of him performing an acoustic cover of Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory", which attracted media attention.{{Cite news|url=http://popcrush.com/ronan-parke-lady-gaga-the-edge-of-glory/|title=British Justin Bieber Look-Alike Ronan Parke Performs Lady GaGa's The Edge of Glory|author=Amy Sciarretto|date=3 August 2011|publisher=popcrush.com|access-date=6 August 2011}} His Facebook page stated that a new video of him singing an acoustic cover would be released every week as part of a three-part series called Ronan Sings. The second video was an acoustic cover of "Make You Feel My Love" by Bob Dylan, which was uploaded on 10 August. Amazon also showed an exclusive video on the pre-order page of Parke's debut album of him performing an acoustic cover of "Forget You". A new video of Parke singing "Jar of Hearts", by Christina Perri, was released on 6 September 2011.
He also announced his first gig in his home county of Norfolk, and performed at Potters Leisure Resort, Hopton-on-Sea, on 22 and 23 October 2011.{{Cite news|url=http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/ronan_parke_announces_first_norfolk_gig_1_983856|title=Ronan Parke announces first Norfolk gig|author=Lucy Wright|date=4 August 2011|publisher=Norwich Evening News|access-date=6 August 2011}} Parke also performed at Xscape in Castleford, West Yorkshire in August.{{cite news|url=http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/central-leeds/video_ronan_parke_visits_castleford_interview_1_3699725|title=Ronan Parke visits Castleford|author=Aisha Iqbal|date=22 August 2011|newspaper=Yorkshire Evening Post|access-date=26 August 2011}} Parke performed "Forget You", "Ben" and "Smile" at the Michael Jackson tribute show on 28 August 2011 at Blackpool Opera House.
Parke announced on Facebook that "A Thousand Miles", originally by Vanessa Carlton, would be the first single from the album and the music video released on 14 September 2011. The lyric video was posted onto YouTube on 2 September 2011.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RAGd8bh628|publisher=YouTube|title=Thousand Miles Lyrics Video|date=2 September 2011 }}
=2012–2014=
On 3 May 2012, according to several reports, Parke was dropped by Epic records and Syco.{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/s107/britains-got-talent/news/a379733/britains-got-talent-ronan-parke-dropped-by-epic.html|title='Britain's Got Talent' Ronan Parke 'dropped by Epic'|website=Digital Spy |date=2012-05-03|access-date=20 May 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/74999/Britains-Got-Talent-Star-Gets-The-Chop-|title=2011 favourite Ronan Parke loses £1m deal|access-date=20 May 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://trashlounge.co.uk/11408/britains-got-talent-ronan-parke-dropped-by-record-label/|title=Britain's Got Talent: Ronan Parke dropped by record label|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622022548/http://trashlounge.co.uk/11408/britains-got-talent-ronan-parke-dropped-by-record-label/|archive-date=22 June 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=20 May 2012|df=dmy-all}} Parke's official website issued a statement denying he was "dumped", but confirmed that he had "left Sony".{{cite web|last=Parke|first=Ronan|url=http://ronanparke.com/?p=712|title=Official Website|publisher=Ronan Parke|date=3 May 2012|access-date=9 April 2013}} On 19 May, his mother, Maggie Parke, revealed that he was collaborating with writers on an EP which was due to be released in the summer.{{cite news|title=Sam Kelly: Britain's Got Talent finalist to "pay back" fans|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-18099837|access-date=20 May 2012|work=BBC News|date=2012-05-19|last1=Barber|first1=Martin}} On 6 August, Parke officially released his new single "We Are Shooting Stars". This was followed by four other versions of the song. In December, Parke released a collaborative EP with Britain's Got Talent contestant Luciel Johns. The EP included a brand new single "Not Alone This Christmas", plus a cover from each of the two boys. The EP was released digitally and physically through an independent website.
Parke performed Feeling Good at the CCTV New Year's Gala in Beijing on 31 December 2012.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMIYFNEnRnE|title=Ronan Parke singing "Feeling Good" at Beijing New Year's Eve Gala|publisher=YouTube|date=31 December 2012|access-date=9 April 2013}}[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBVZSkmvHY4 "Announcement Time!"] Retrieved 16 June 2013. A single titled "Move", was released on iTunes in July 2013 and another single titled "Defined", was released on iTunes in January 2014.
Parke announced via Facebook he was leaving AD Records on 13 March 2014.{{cite web|last=Parke|first=Ronan|title=Facebook Announcement|website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/RonanParke/posts/642914402412475?stream_ref=10|access-date=17 April 2014|date=13 March 2014}}
=2017=
On his first theatre experience, Parke played the title role of Aladdin in a pantomime produced by Anton Benson Productions at the Northwich Memorial Court Cheshire along with Vicki Michelle and Charles Lawson from 9 December 2017 to 1 January 2018.{{cite web|last=Parke|first=Ronan|title=Anton Benson Productions|url=https://www.antonbensonproductions.com|access-date=13 November 2017}}{{cite web|last=Parke|first=Ronan|title=Twitter Announcement|url=https://twitter.com/abpantos/status/888335076580372481|access-date=21 July 2017}} Parke was nominated for Best Newcomer by The Great British Pantomime Awards on 11 February 2018.{{cite web|last=Parke|first=Ronan|title=Great British Pantomime Awards|url=https://twitter.com/GBPantoAwards/status/962766688423960579|access-date=11 February 2018}}
Parke announced via Twitter in 2017 that he would be represented by Entertainment Management Limited.{{cite web|last=Parke|first=Ronan|title=Twitter Announcement|url=https://twitter.com/RonanParke/status/923937388765892608|access-date=13 November 2017|date=27 October 2017}}
=2018: New album and Christmas single=
Parke announced he was working with songwriters around the world on an album of original songs. On 27 July 2018, Parke released a single titled "No Love (Like First Love)" on digital platforms, together with a music video filmed by LiveUP Media{{Cite web |title=Ronan Parke, Official Music Video - No Love (Like first Love) |url=https://www.liveupmedia.co.uk/ronan-parke-no-love-music-video |access-date=2023-02-17 |website=LiveUP Media |language=en-US}} that released on 3 August 2018.{{Citation|last=Ronan Parke|title=Ronan Parke - No Love (Like First Love) [Official Music Video]|date=3 August 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GALu3VyUhl0|access-date=2018-12-05}}
He performed "No Love (Like First Love)", Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory", Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" and Prince's "Purple Rain" at the Sundown Festival in Norwich on 1 September 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/RonanParke/status/1031212928840724481|title=Twitter Announcement|last=Parke|first=Ronan|date=2018-08-19|website=Twitter|access-date=2018-12-05}}
On 30 October 2018 Parke announced the title of his album Found My Way to be released on 9 November 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/RonanParke/status/1057340895882813440|title=Twitter Announcement|last=Parke|first=Ronan|date=2018-10-30|website=Twitter|access-date=2018-12-05}} The album was first released only on digital platforms, the CD album was released later on 26 November 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/RonanParke/status/1067126253499629572|title=Twitter Announcement|last=Parke|first=Ronan|date=2018-11-26|website=Twitter|access-date=2018-12-05}} CelebMix had an exclusive review of the album and labelled it "a triumphant coming of age for the pop-star".{{Cite web|url=https://celebmix.com/exclusive-album-review-ronan-parkes-found-my-way/|title=Exclusive Album Review: Ronan Parke's 'Found My Way'|date=2018-11-08|website=CelebMix.com|access-date=2019-01-07}}
Parke also debut live an original Christmas single titled "Cheers" at the Stockport Christmas lights switch on at Merseyway Shopping Centre on 14 November 2018. The original Christmas single titled "Cheers" was released on 23 November 2018{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/RonanParke/status/1065900366838022144|title=Twitter Announcement|last=Parke|first=Ronan|date=2018-11-23|website=Twitter|access-date=2018-12-05}} and the music video release on 3 December 2018.{{Citation|last=Ronan Parke|title=Ronan Parke - Cheers [Official Music Video]|date=3 December 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f40wMOMXXV0|access-date=2018-12-05}}
Discography
=Studio albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Details ! scope="col"| Peak chart positions |
|---|
| scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| UK |
| scope="row"| Ronan Parke
|
| 22 |
| scope="row"| Found My Way
|
| — |
=EPs=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col" rowspan="1"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="1"| Details |
|---|
| scope="row"| No Love (Like First Love)
|
|
=Singles=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col" rowspan="1"| Year
! scope="col" rowspan="1"| Single ! scope="col" rowspan="1"| Album |
|---|
| 2011
! scope="row"| "A Thousand Miles" | Ronan Parke |
| rowspan="2"| 2012
! scope="row"| "We Are Shooting Stars" | rowspan="4" {{n/a|Non-album singles}} |
| scope="row"| "Not Alone This Christmas" (feat. Luciel Johns) |
| 2013
! scope="row"| "Move" |
| 2014
! scope="row"| "Defined" |
| rowspan="2"| 2018
! scope="row"| "No Love (Like First Love)" | Found My Way |
| scope="row"| "Cheers"
| Non-Album Single |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
{{Britain's Got Talent}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parke, Ronan}}
Category:Britain's Got Talent contestants
Category:English child singers
Category:English gay musicians
Category:English LGBTQ singers
Category:People from South Norfolk (district)
Category:21st-century English singers