7:21PM, Tue Sep 18, 2012

Joe McElderry Performs For Home Crowd At Album Launch Show

By India Adams Location: Newcastle

VIDEO: Watch Joe rehearse ahead of his album launch show in Newcastle

Joe McElderry spoke of his excitement at performing to a home crowd ahead of his album launch show at the Mill Volvo Tyne Theatre.

The South Shields singer released his fourth album ‘Here’s What I Believe’ on Monday September 17, which entered straight into the official top ten album chart.

Joe said: “It’s the first warm-up show into the new album, so I’m slightly nervous.

“It’s always lovely to perform to a home crowd though. I’ve got a lot of my friends and family coming from my mam and dad to people I used to work with and fans from here and further afield, so it’s going to be a real mix.”

Joe rose to fame when he won the sixth series of ITV show The X Factor in 2009 and then went on to win Popstar to Operastar in 2011.

Off the back of this success, Joe released two albums with Universal Music in 2011 and sold close to 400,000 units combined.

Supporting Joe is Rosanna Connolly who met the singer through the Teenage Cancer Trust at a fundraising dinner earlier this year, where she gave a speech about her experiences.

Rosanna was misdiagnosed with swine flu until she was so poorly that she couldn’t even sit up. It was only when she was taken to hospital for further tests that she was diagnosed with cancer.

Joe had already heard of Rosanna’s singer/songwriter talents through BRITS where she graduated.

Joe said: “After she spoke I invited her on stage to perform a duet of Lady Antebellum’s ‘Need You Now’ and she blew me away, not only is she an inspiration, she is hugely talented too.

“When we put these album launch shows together, I immediately thought it would be great to give Rosanna a well-deserved break and asked her to support me.”

Joe will also perform in London at the historic St. James’s Church on Thursday September 20.