ohn & Edward (born John Paul Henry Daniel Richard Grimes and Edward Peter Anthony Kevin Patrick Grimes on 16 October 1991), artistically known as Jedward are an Irish singing duo. Known for their distinctive blond quiffs and unique performances, the identical twins have risen to fame since appearing in the sixth series of The X Factor in 2009, in a phenomenon described as the “Jedward paradox”. They released their debut song Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby), a collaboration with 90s rap star Vanilla Ice on 31st January 2010. It hit #1 in the Irish singles charts and #2 in the UK singles charts, on downloads alone - the CD single was released on the 15th of February 2010.
John & Edward have been subjects of commentary, both pro and con, on social networking websites and in the media. Many celebrities have also commented on the Jedward phenomenon. Their fans include Calvin Harris, Andy Murray, Peaches geldof, Pixie Lott and Robbie Williams. Politicians in the UK and Ireland have commented, and Conservative Party head David Cameron opted to buy their t-shirt. Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen has also backed the singers. They were eliminated from the X Factor competition on the 22 November, 2009.
John and Edward were born to John, a computer technician and teacher Susanna, in Ireland, and were raised in Rathangan, Ireland. They have one brother, Law student Kevin. John and Susanna separated when the twins were ten years old, and their sons moved with their mother in Lucan, while their father lives in Rathangan. The boys have maintained a close relationship with both.
John and Edward attended Scoil Bhríde National School in Rathangan and then King’s Hospital School for four years, but were constantly bullied for their outlandish personae and love of pop music, until they were moved to the Institute of Education. During their school years, they had competed in school talent shows, and were inspired by Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, and Justin Timberlake. John and Edward are also athletes—as members of Dundrum South Dublin Athletic Club (DSD) in Dublin, they have competed in several tournaments in Ireland. In addition, the twins worked briefly as games testers for Windows and Xbox 360 format holder Microsoft.
