Lisa Lois

Dutch pop singer Lisa Lois rose to chart-topping fame on the television show X Factor in 2009. Born Lisa Hordijk in Wageningen in 1987, she was cast on the second season and eventually won first place, then making her recording debut with a version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." The song topped the Dutch singles chart for ten weeks straight. An album's worth of original English-language material was penned for her by industry songwriters, most notably singer/songwriter Pixie Lott and songwriter/producer Phil Thornalley. Upon its release at the end of 2009, Lois' full-length debut, Smoke, reached number six on the Dutch albums chart. The lead single, "No Good for Me," written by Lott and Thornalley, was a Top Five hit. ~ Jason Birchmeier