The first group to ever win The X Factor.  The first girl group to ever make it to the finale.  Let's just say these girls broke records on the show unlike no other.  They originally auditioned as solo artists and were put together as a group at the end of Bootcamp.  No one ever thought they would make it past the first few live shows, but they went on to take the nation (and world) by storm by filling the void in the girl group market that exists today.  The winner of The X Factor Season 8 2011 is: Little Mix!
Perri Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall make up the group we have come to know and love, Little Mix.  I think the appeal of this group is that they are four young, down-to-earth girls that have a very urban pop vibe to them.  They aren't glammed-up Pussycat Dolls with only one lead singer, they aren't fabricated bubble-gum pop singers; they're real.  Girls throughout the world can find a little piece of themselves inside each girl and can make a connection.  Also, each of them are vocally talented.  It's obvious that Perri has the best voice, but each of them have unique and distinct vocals.  During the finale little old Jade took my breath away because I had never heard such a powerful voice come out of that little body of hers.  Girl bands are basically absent from the world now, and I really think that these girls can fill that void and rule the charts.
The reason why I was so taken by these girls was their progression throughout the series.  They went from being this newly-formed girl group that everyone felt was destined to fail, and then they blossomed into this powerhouse girl group that everyone saw as a front-runner.  Every week they improved and became an act that you wanted to root for.  Their mentor, Tulisa Contostavlos of N-Dubz fame, picked the right songs for them every week and really helped shaped them into something that everyone could fall in love with.  If it wasn't for her close and meaningful mentorship I don't think the girls would have made it to the finale.
I am excited to see what these girls do in the future because I see a very bright future for them.  They are going to work hard and put out some great music that the UK is going to fall in love with.  Hopefully they'll even venture over here to the U.S. and bring back the rise of the girl groups.  They truly deserve the title of The X Factor 2011 winner.

Check out their progression in the series: