Marcus Canty

Music career During his audition on the X-Factor, he sang "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder. His musical influences include Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Usher, Donny Hathaway, Boyz II Men, Mary J. Blige, Monica, Bobby Brown, and Whitney Houston. At judges' houses, he performed "All My Life" by K-Ci & JoJo. In the fifth week, he was in the bottom two against LeRoy Bell but was saved after the result went to deadlock. On December 1, he ended up in the bottom three with Drew and Astro, and had to sing off against Drew. Simon Cowell voted to send Drew through to the quarter-final, but L.A. Reid, Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul voted to send Canty through to the quarter-final. However Drew received more votes than Canty meaning if Abdul sent the result to deadlock, Drew would have advanced to the quarter-final and Canty would have been eliminated. In the quarter-final, he ended up in the bottom two yet again, along with Rachel Crow. Cowell and Abdul voted to send Crow to the semi-final, but Reid and Scherzinger voted to send Canty to the semi-final. This meant Scherzinger sent the result to deadlock and Canty advanced to the semi-final after receiving more votes than Crow. In the semi-final, Canty was eliminated by receiving the fewest votes.

Performances and results Performance Theme Song choice Result Audition Auditioner's Choice "I Wish” Through to Bootcamp Judges; Houses Solo "All My Life” Through to Live Shows Week 1N/A "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" Safe by L.A. Reid Week 2 N/A "Every Little Step” Safe (5th) Week 3 Songs from Movies "I'm Going Down” Safe (9th) Week 4 Rock "Piece of My Heart” Safe (8th) Week 5 Giving Thanks "A Song for Mama” Bottom three Final Showdown (Week 5) No theme "You Lost Me" Saved by Deadlock (7th) Week 6 Michael Jackson "PYT (Pretty Young Thing)” Bottom three Final Showdown (Week 6) No theme "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)" Saved by Judges' Vote (6th) Week 7 Dance Music Hits "Ain't Nobody” Bottom two Save Me Songs "Song For You" Final Showdown (Week 7) No theme I'm Going Down Saved by Deadlock (4th) Week 8 Pepsi Challenge "I'll Make Love To You" Eliminated by Public Vote (4th) "Get me to the final" songs (no specific theme) "Careless Whisper"

Post X-Factor On January 18, 2012, Epic Records announced that Canty, along with two other contestants, who were also mentored by LA Reid, had all signed recording contracts.

On March 7, 2012, Canty released his first single "Won't Make a Fool Out of You", which was featured in the 2012 film Think Like a Man, an adaptation of Steve Harvey's book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. As of March 22, 2012, "Won't Make A Fool Out of You" charted at No. 98 on Billboard's R&B chart. It was sent to urban AC radio stations on May 15, 2012 as the third single from the soundtrack. On July 31, Marcus released his second single, "In & Out", which featured Wale.

Marcus released his debut extended play, This...Is Marcus Canty, on March 5, 2013. The EP debuted at 114 on the US Billboard 200. Marcus stated that he did not only want to show his R&B style on the album, but he also wanted to "impress the ladies". The extended play contains musical elements from artists such as Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Usher. In the aftermath, the label put him on a shelf because of change in staff, and was no longer able to receive a call from anyone on the label.

Discography Singles Year Title Peak chart positions Album US USR&B 2012 "Won't Make A Fool Out Of You" — 68 Think Like a Man "In & Out" (Feat. Wale) — 56This...Is Marcus Canty "Used By You" — —

Extended plays Title Details Peak chart positions Sales US This...Is Marcus CantyRelease: March 5, 2013 Label: Epic Format: Digital download 114 4,000

Studio albums Jazzy Knights (2020)