Victoria Abraham defines one up and coming artist each week so you can impress your friends with your musical brilliance. This week, she tackles Olly Murs,a reggae pop artist from England, that’s currently opening for One Direction on their North American tour.

Mr. Murs is yet another example of how the British are dominating North American airwaves. His career took off when he finished as the runner-up on the sixth season of The X Factor in 2009. Now he’s working on his third album, which will be released in November 2012.

Origins: Essex, England

Real name: Oliver Stanley Murs

Known for: He is known for a cheeky persona and energetic live shows.

Used in a sentence: “Olly Murs’ Catholic schoolboy appearance makes the reggae and ska influences in his music pleasantly surprising.”

File next to: Will Young, Robbie Williams

Download now: “Heart Skips a Beat” (This version features Chiddy Bang)

Notable lyrics: Read more…