Former VCU Student Comes Close to Fame on 'The X Factor'

By Justin Hurdle
VCU Communications and Public Relations

Perfectly blended harmonies and synchronized choreography are some of the qualities that make a musical group successful. However, there are many other factors that launch a group of singers into stardom – one of which is the “X Factor.”

Former Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Music student Jessie Nunn III and his group, 4Shore, rose to the Top 32 on Fox’s hit series, “The X Factor,” a singing competition in which the winning act receives $5 million and a recording contract. The group flew from Virginia to Seattle for their first audition, where they sang a song written by L.A. Reid, one of the four judges on the show, and earned a standing ovation from him.

4Shore then proceeded through the “Boot Camp Stage,” a work-intensive stage of the competition in which the acts go through several days of vocal, dance and performance training. They continued to stand out and made it all the way to Paula Abdul’s home in Santa Barbara, Calif. for their chance to advance to the Top 16.

It was there that 4Shore’s time on “The X Factor” ended. While Paula Abdul thought 4Shore had what it took to become recording artists, she says she did not choose 4Shore to move forward because she didn’t feel that there was a lead singer in the group.

“We feel like Paula’s reason for letting us go was a bit unfair, and it was an easy fix,” said Nunn. “However, we enjoyed every single moment on ‘X Factor’ and thank the show for pushing us towards where we want to go in this business.”

Nunn attributes his time at VCU for preparing him for the demands of performing on national television.

“VCU set me up to be not only a premium vocal musician, but also a premium artist,” said Nunn. “The staff already knew I could sing well, so they pushed me to learn things that would take me higher.”

4Shore, a group influenced by artists like Boyz II Men, The Temptations and N’Sync, is made up of Nunn and three of his close friends from Virginia Beach including Allynn Walker Bey, Daijreous Poole and Brandon Showell. They have been performing together for more than three years and are striving to break into the music industry.

While they didn’t make it as far as they hoped on “The X Factor,” they are still actively performing up and down the East Coast, and working to record their first official single titled, “Your Time.” To find out more about 4Shore, go to www.facebook.com/WeAre4Shore.