Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewan Burke (born 25 August 1988 in Islington, Lond… Read Full Bio ↴Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewan Burke (born 25 August 1988 in Islington, London) is an English singer and winner of the fifth series of The X Factor in 2008.

As the winner of The X Factor, Burke released her debut single, "Hallelujah", originally a Leonard Cohen song, that became the current European record holder for single sales over a period of 24 hours: selling 105,000 copies in one day; but also, the top-selling song of the year in the UK as well as becoming the 2008 Christmas number one single in the UK. By January 2009, sales of Burke's version of "Hallelujah" had passed one million copies which made her the first British female soloist to sell that amount of copies in the UK.

Her debut album, Overcome, was released in October 2009 and entered the UK Albums Chart at number one. The album's lead single "Bad Boys" was released a week in advance to the album and debuted at number one in the UK: becoming her second consecutive number-one single and first Brit-nominated single. She has sinced followed "Bad Boys" with singles that have consecutively stole top ten places in the UK Singles Chart. To date, Alexandra has achieved 4 Number one singles across the UK and Ireland: "Hallelujah", "Bad Boys", "All Night Long" and "Start Without You".

Burke has been nominated twice for Brit Awards and has achieved four solo number one singles: her most recent single "Start Without You" became her third solo UK number one hit; as well as two number one singles as a featured artist in charity singles "Hero" and "Everybody Hurts". As of December 2010, Burke has sold over 4 million records in the U.K alone with combined sales of her singles and her debut album Overcome.

Burke auditioned for the second series of The X Factor in 2005 (which was eventually won by Shayne Ward). She made it through to the final seven in Louis Walsh's 16–24 category, effectively the top 21 of the competition; however, Walsh did not choose her for his final four as he felt that she was too young for the competition. Burke however did not give up and went on to seek professional singing lessons over the next three years, proving her dedication and commitment to becoming a pop star. Burke's second bid to win The X Factor came in 2009. Falling into the "Girls" category, she was mentored by Girls Aloud's Cheryl Cole who selected her for the finals—a series of ten weekly live shows in which contestants are progressively eliminated by public vote. On the first live show, Burke performed Whitney Houston's classic "I Wanna Dance with Somebody". For the second live show she covered "I'll Be There" by The Jackson 5. In week three, big band week, Burke performed Christina Aguilera's "Candyman" and received her first standing ovation. For the disco-themed fourth live show, Burke performed Donna Summer's "On the Radio". During Mariah Carey week on 8 November, Burke and the other finalists met Carey for individual masterclasses, with Carey complimenting Burke on her voice. Burke performed "Without You" and received a standing ovation from the judges who all gave her positive comments. Cowell commented that "by any standard, that was just outstanding". Following the show Burke's performance was also praised by Carey who called her rendition of the song "absolutely amazing".

On 13 February 2009 it was reported that Burke signed a £3.5 million, five-album US record deal with Epic Records. Burke's first album was originally scheduled for March 2009, however, Simon Cowell confirmed that her album was scheduled for release later in the year to allow Burke to polish her skills and find the right songs for the album, so that it would not be rushed. The album was released on 19 October 2009 in the UK, titled Overcome.

"Elephant", the lead single off Alexandra Burke's second album finds the Londoner singing of a relationship breaking down and not discussing the "elephant standing in the room." Burke performed the song live for the very first time during her set for Asda's Tickled Pink charity concert on January 12, 2012. It will bereleased on March 11, 2012. (Elephant Songfacts).

Alexandra revealed that her next album will get "down and dirty", promising the record that will take risks. "It’s got to be sexy. So I’m going to get a lot fiercer and sexier. We’re just getting down and dirty with the next album. I’m going to take a lot more risks and it’s going to be insane." She also hinted at any collaborations on the LP, "I can’t say too much because my management will kill me if I let loose. But I have a special duet planned. I have the ideas, the collaborations in my mind - it’s all locked up in my head." The album is confirmed to be "half-way" finished, and revealed that she is planning to go to New York to record some new tracks. Recording is expected to stop from January to March, and then resuming after. Alex confirmed that she has worked with RedOne for a lot of the album, but hopes to work with David Guetta, Bruno Mars, Stargate and Ne-Yo, among others.

Perfect
Alexandra Burke Lyrics

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Oh, I was perfect for the circus
If he dared me, I'd do it
Love makes you stupid
I gave it up but I guess it was not enough
'Cause he never seemed satisfied

I know I'm not perfect
But at the end of the day, who is?

He wanted someone that's perfect
Well okay, but can you tell me who is?

He set the bar just above the stars
A rocket couldn't reach it
But I still kept on reaching
Watched me try at least a thousand times
If he loved me, he'd stop me, but no

I know I'm not perfect
But at the end of the day, who is?
He wanted someone that's perfect
Well okay, but can you tell me who is?

I saw my future in his eyes
So wrong, so wrong
Guess I was destined for more in my life
'Cause he didn't break me down, he made me strong, oh!

I know I'm not perfect
But at the end of the day, who is?

He wanted someone that's perfect
Well okay, but can you tell me who is?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Perfect" by Alexandra Burke reflect on the pressure that can come with trying to be what someone else considers "perfect." The first verse, "Oh, I was perfect for the circus / If he dared me, I'd do it / Love makes you stupid / I gave it up but I guess it was not enough / 'Cause he never seemed satisfied," suggests that the singer was willing to do anything to please her partner, but it was never enough for him. The chorus, "I know I'm not perfect / But at the end of the day, who is? / He wanted someone that's perfect / Well okay, but can you tell me who is?" highlights the overarching theme of the song - that perfection is unattainable and unrealistic.

The second verse continues with the theme of setting impossible standards when the singer sings, "He set the bar just above the stars / A rocket couldn't reach it / But I still kept on reaching / Watched me try at least a thousand times / If he loved me, he'd stop me, but no." This can be interpreted as the singer feeling as though she was constantly trying to reach impossible standards set by her partner, and he did nothing to stop her from continuously failing.

The bridge, "I saw my future in his eyes / So wrong, so wrong / Guess I was destined for more in my life / 'Cause he didn't break me down, he made me strong, oh!" suggests that while the relationship may not have been healthy, the singer was able to learn from it and become stronger as a result.

Overall, "Perfect" is a commentary on the unrealistic expectations placed on individuals in relationships, and serves as a reminder that striving for perfection is futile.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, I was perfect for the circus
I was great at performing and entertaining people, but it was not enough to satisfy my partner.

If he dared me, I'd do it
I was willing to do anything to please my partner.

Love makes you stupid
Being in love can make you blind and ignorant of your own worth.

I gave it up but I guess it was not enough
I sacrificed a lot for my partner's expectations, but it still didn't meet his demands.

'Cause he never seemed satisfied
My partner was always looking for perfection and never content with what I could offer.

He set the bar just above the stars
His expectations were impossibly high, unreachable like the stars to a rocket.

A rocket couldn't reach it
Even if I tried my best and reached for the stars, his expectations were simply too high to meet.

But I still kept on reaching
I refused to give up and kept trying to meet his high expectations.

Watched me try at least a thousand times
My attempts to be perfect were countless and repetitive, but still they were never enough.

If he loved me, he'd stop me, but no
If my partner truly loved me, he'd understand that I couldn't meet his unrealistic expectations and lower the bar for me.

I saw my future in his eyes
I thought he was the one and could envision a future together, but I was wrong.

So wrong, so wrong
Realizing my mistake hurt, but it was necessary for me to move on.

Guess I was destined for more in my life
I had a greater purpose and worth than being someone's unattainable idea of perfection.

'Cause he didn't break me down, he made me strong, oh!
Instead of crushing me with his unrealistic expectations, he helped me see my strength and worth beyond his standards.

I know I'm not perfect
I am not perfect and that's okay.

But at the end of the day, who is?
No one is perfect and holding onto such an idea only leads to disappointment and frustration.

He wanted someone that's perfect
My partner wanted someone who didn't exist, and it was not fair for him to place such expectations on me.

Well okay, but can you tell me who is?
No one is perfect, and we should love and accept each other as we are.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: JAMES EDWARD FAUNTLEROY II, PETER GENE HERNANDEZ, PHILIP MARTIN II LAWRENCE, ARI LEVINE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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