Born in Leeds in 1996 but raised in Teignmouth in Devon, 17 year old Luke Friend shot to prominence when he appeared on the 2013 series of The X Factor.
Citing artists such as Bob Dylan, Ben Howard, Ed Sheeran, The Rolling Stones, Taylor Swift and Queen as influences, Luke began busking at an early age, whilst also starting to write his own songs.
It would be his unique talent both as an accomplished musician and singer that would go on to wow The X Factor judges - with Louis Walsh commenting, after Luke’s first audition in which he performed ‘Stand By Me,’: "You have your own style, your own finish, love your voice. You're different” – but also Adele, who showed her support for him on Twitter. Luke would go all the way to final, where he performed ‘Anything Can Happen’ with Ellie Goulding, eventually finishing third.
In 2014 Luke was personally handpicked by London Mayor Boris Johnson to become an official ambassador for the Busking For London campaign. Says Luke: "It's always important to find ways of expressing yourself and busking for some people is the main way of doing this. No-one should be afraid to show their talent"
Luke is currently in the recording studio and will be playing live throughout the summer.
