No matter who it was, if there was a public appearance by a recording artist at HMV on Dublin’s Grafton Street, John and Edward Grimes were there. The twins with the outrageous hairdos — who have become the biggest story on this year’s X Factor — often turned up in their school uniforms and would stand at the front, singing along.
In April, it was Mundy they came to see, complete with red stripes on their faces. While they queued to have their photographs taken with bands such as Snow Patrol, Stereophonics and even the Priests, the Grimes weren’t just standing idly by. They were watching how the stars acted, quizzing staff about the music industry and observing the shots being taken by photographers.
It was all part of project pop star — the dream these 18-year-olds have harboured since they were young and watching boy bands such as Backstreet Boys and Blue on television. It seems to have paid off. In two weeks it will be their faces on a CD single in HMV. The Grimes will feature along with the 11 other final X Factor acts on a charity single to be released on November 15. Whether or not they win the show, music experts are predicting John and Edward will soon be back in Grafton Street on the other side of the signing table.
Love them or hate them — most profess to do the latter — the twins are the most talked-about stars of X Factor. They are generating more column inches and television coverage than the rest of the finalists combined. Like Brangelina, they’ve already landed a pithy moniker combining their names — Jedward. Other less complimentary tags have been used by those who think their tuneless singing and out-of-synch dancing block others’ talent. After initially being dismissed as a joke, they have emerged as serious contenders. Last week, after another outrageous performance got them through the show, bookies dropped the odds on them winning from 50-1 to 16-1.
Defying the odds is something the twins know all about. They were born three months premature on October 16, 1991 to John and Susanna Grimes — a computer expert and a secondary school teacher. Weighing only 2lb each, they were given a 50% chance of survival and spent weeks in an incubator. John said: “I think we’re pretty lucky to be here. We were born too young and it was touch and go. We were in the same incubator and probably even then the bond between us was growing strong.” Raised in the village of Rathangan, Co Kildare, with older brother Kevin, they moved to Lucan several years ago.
At their first X Factor audition, the twins acted as though they were a platinum-selling success rather than teenage upstarts, urging on the audience in fake American accents. Asked by Louis Walsh why they wanted to be pop stars, they replied: “Who wouldn’t want girls shouting your name all over the place?” One shaky rendition of a Backstreet Boys tune later and Simon Cowell was unequivocal: they weren’t getting his vote. Dannii Minogue declared them the cockiest act without a record deal she’d encountered but allowed them through to the next stage.
The Grimeses’ progress has prompted Facebook campaigns — pro and anti — with thousands of members. Walsh had little choice but to champion them because his only alternative were girl groups — never popular with the voting public. Walsh recognised that while they couldn’t dance or sing, the twins didn’t look awful. In fact, they looked like a young version of the 1980s pop stars Bros.
After three live shows they have yet to be in the bottom two, while Danyl Johnson — one of Cowell’s acts and considered a strong singer — polled second lowest last week. Apparently rattled, Cowell held talks with the other judges after the show.
Last week, the X Factor creator had to arrange for bodyguards to accompany the twins, such was the level of hysteria they were generating outside the north London house where the contestants live. Teenage girls were flashing at the boys as they stood at a window.
Heat magazine has launched a campaign: “Why John & Edward MUST win the X Factor, even if they still can’t actually sing. Or dance”. Boyd Hilton, the magazine’s television editor, said: “It challenges the ethos of the show being a singing competition. It’s clearly an entertainment show on TV. They make the show more interesting with absurd, demented, camp routines which are hilarious and entertaining.
“I’ve had people on Twitter having a go at me saying it’s ruining the show and not fair on the other acts. But they’ve been put through, haven’t broken any rules and, far from ruining it, they are making it brilliantly entertaining and funny. They are a pop cultural phenomenon. It’s the whole package: the hair, the fact they’re twins, that they’re from Ireland. It all contributes to the phenomenon.”
This weekend many children dressed up as Jedward for Hallowe’en, with trademark high hairdos and red PVC outfits like the ones they wore when performing Britney Spears’s Oops! I Did it Again. Heat got the boys’ hairdresser from the Grafton Barber to recreate their signature hairstyle on models. The barber has been inundated with requests for a “Jedward” since.
The twins, who go to the Institute of Education on Leeson Street in the centre of Dublin, have always had a distinctive style, wearing matching blazers in different colours or metallic-coloured shoes. Schoolmates describe them as outgoing, with boundless energy. “They are talkative and sing everywhere,” said one. “They are confident people who love attention from girls. They are friends with everyone, and they remember everyone’s name and always acknowledge them passing through the halls.”
The twins are also talented athletes. Members of Dundrum South Dublin Athletic Club, they came 7th and 13th in an Irish schools’ mountain running championships this year. John won a bronze in the 1,500m at an under-19 indoor championships last March, Edward was fifth and six seconds slower.
Cowell jokingly threatens to leave the UK if the twins win X Factor. Naturally, it’s all grist to the publicity mill of his show. Gennaro Castaldo of HMV said: “Even though Cowell protests, he knows it’s all good fun and gets the ratings up.” Last Sunday’s show got more viewers than the final last year.
Castaldo believes that even if the Grimes are eliminated tonight, they will still make a career out of it all. “They’ve probably already achieved what they set out to accomplish — to get a lot of profile. They could get into some fairly juicy commercial contracts on TV and advertising and appearances elsewhere. There could be a lot of fun ahead for them — pantos, musicals and the like. If they get themselves a good agent, they’re away.”
It is the British viewing public that is keeping the twins in the show, because viewers in the Republic of Ireland can’t vote. Their popularity has been likened to that of John Sergeant on Strictly Come Dancing last year. Sergeant won huge support despite being a woeful dancer. Annette Hill, professor of media at the University of Westminster, said: “People have strong emotional connections with [participants] in these talent shows. It’s not just about the personality but the emotional journey the contestants take. It’s partly to do with people being brave enough to get up and do it even if they’re not very good. If their heart’s in the right place, people will connect with them.”
Jedward have been on the receiving end of harsh put-downs from Cowell especially, but have taken them on the chin with a smile. Edward said: “All that makes us work harder and want to prove ourselves even more. If you only get good comments, it doesn’t make you work harder. If they say negative things, it only makes us get more determined”. According to Brian Friedman, the choreographer on the show, John and Edward work the hardest.
Their plucky attitude has won celebrity fans: Robbie Williams and Peaches Geldof have declared their support. Even Cheryl Cole admitted they were a guilty pleasure, and looks forward to seeing what they come up with on X Factor. Shane Filan of Westlife reckons they could win. As his bandmate Nicky Byrne said: “Everyone is excited to see what the hell they’re going to do next.”
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