Oliver Stanley "Olly" Murs (born 14 May 1984 in Witham, Essex, England) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and TV presenter. Murs rose to fame after finishing as the runner-up in the sixth series of The X Factor in 2009. He is currently signed to Epic Records and Syco Music.
In late August 2010, Murs released his debut single "Please Don't Let Me Go", which debuted at number one on the UK Singles Charts, becoming Murs' second number one single after releasing "You Are Not Alone" with the other series 6 finalists. "Please Don't Let Me Go" received a Silver certification by the BPI. He released his second single from his debut album "Thinking of Me" which charted at number four on the UK Singles Charts, however the single also got a Silver certification by the BPI. "Heart Skips a Beat" was released and became his third number-one hit. Murs' first single from his follow up album In Case You Didn't Know, "Dance with Me Tonight", became his fourth to reach number one.
In November 2010, Murs released his self-titled debut album, which entered the UK Albums Chart at number two, with the biggest week one album sales for a debut album in 2010, with over 108,000 albums sold. The album went on to sell over 600,000 copies, and was certificated double platinum by the BPI. In November 2011, Murs released his second album, In Case You Didn't Know. The album entered the charts at number one, and has spawned two number one singles. In May 2011, it was announced that Murs would return to The X Factor to co-present spin-off show The Xtra Factor with Caroline Flack. It was also confirmed that Murs would present a Celebrity Club Classic show on Heart FM. He also has an active Twitter account with over 2 million followers as of June 2012.
Murs was born to Vicki-Lynn and Peter Murs. He has a twin brother, Ben Murs (Olly is the older twin) and a sister, Emily Murs and is of Latvian descent. He attended Howbridge Junior School in Witham and Notley High School in Braintree, Essex where he was a striker in the school's football team. He is a supporter of Manchester United, and played semi-professionally for Witham Town. He gave up his football career following an injury. Prior to The X Factor, Murs worked as a recruitment consultant at Prime Appointments in Witham. He also appeared on the game show Deal or No Deal in 2007, where he won Â£10. Murs later appeared on a celebrity special of Deal or No Deal in 2012, and he won 50p for the charity he is a patron of, Brainwave. Murs has played in Soccer Aid for charity early in 2010, and played again in May 2012, before heading off to the U.S. where he is currently supporting One Direction in the U.S. leg of their Up All Night Tour.