Has Finsbury Park got the X Factor?

Finsbury Park is well known for its music scene - in pubs such as the World's End, in pop-up venue The Silver Bullet, and in the park itself - so it's hardly surprising that N4 has fostered a number of singing talents over the years. These include 2006 X Factor winner Leona Lewis, a former pupil of Ambler Primary School and Sylvia Young Theatre School. But Leona's are not the only local tonsils to have impressed high-trousered industry mogul Simon Cowell.

Last year, 24-year old Finsbury Park resident Duane Lamonte reached the "judge's houses" stage of the competition. Duane, a youth worker who described the N4 as a "tough part of London", made it to the final six boys but failed to impress mentor Cheryl Cole enough to enter the live programmes.

This year, 19-year old Paije Richardson is about to follow Leona and Duane to the boot camp stage, after a difficult London audition that initially left judges divided. His soulful performance of James Brown's "It's a Man's World" finally persuaded the panel to let him through to the next stage.

2008 winner Alexandra Burke also grew up just a couple of miles away in Caledonian Road. But it's Series 3 winner and current Hackney resident Leona Lewis who has probably enjoyed most success as a result of the series - her recordbreaking first single, A Moment Like This was downloaded 50,000 times in thirty minutes, and outsold the rest of the Top 40 combined to become the 2006 Christmas number 1. Lewis continues touring and recording, with a third album due out next year.

Catch up with the auditonees on Saturday from 7.30pm, and see xfactor.itv.com/2010 for more information.

Do you know a rising star in Finsbury Park? Let us know below!

Image: p_c_w