Rebecca Ferguson: What’s led to the X-Factor contestant calling time on her career now her new album is out?

Former X-Factor contestant Rebecca Ferguson is waving goodbye to the “traditional” form of the music industry, with the release of her new album “Heaven Part II,” out today, being her final album, as opposed to her featuring in some forms of arrangements or collaborations in the future. It’s a particularly poignant release for Ferguson, 37, as it is an album she felt should have been released immediately after her debut but, as she told the BBC, “[...] all these terrible things happened".

"It's me saying, 'I'm going to press the reset button for a minute. This is what should have been happening. I should have been creating music from a positive, lovely place.'"

Instead, Ferguson became one of several voices from the music industry that spoke up about the treatment she and many others within the pop factory world went through to become the superstars they believed they wanted to be - a practice that has come under scrutiny in South Korea recently after an admission regarding cosmetic surgery by Super Junior member Kyuhyun at the behest of SM Entertainment during his time with the agency.

It would be during the lockdown period in the United Kingdom when Ferguson reflected on her career so far, and how someone who felt so empowered entering the music industry found herself instead taken advantage of and mistreated in the industry after pouring over old videos of herself - a “vulnerable girl,” as she put it. “I became angry, and I mourned for the girl that I used to be. And then I channelled that emotion into campaigning for a better workplace in music."

That campaign led her to appear in front of the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee in September 2023, where alongside Annie Mac, Ferguson gave details of her experiences as a young woman within the music industry. Ferguson claimed that she was "fleeced" both financially and morally by executives and individuals in positions of power within the music industry, pressured into signing contracts against her will and a bullying culture in the music industry that aimed to make artists behave in ways that benefit others' commercial gains.

Perhaps in the most damning moments during her discussion with the committee, Ferguson revealed that she was denied royalties and proper medical attention when needed, even after collapsing due to exhaustion and experiencing a miscarriage. Ferguson also went on to state that a "senior mogul" threatened and blackmailed her former manager and claimed that this individual once forced his way into her home and refused to leave until she called the police.

Though Ferguson is adamant that she still loves music, she has called for more safeguards for people in the music industry and on reality TV, highlighting the need for a better workplace environment and expressing concerns about the culture within the industry. As for her voice speaking out against the industry - "Give me your best shot. I've found my voice and I'm not going to be the shy girl that you thought you had in the palm of your hand. I am going to expose what happened and I am going to speak up for myself.”