Ben James-Ellis Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, alongside Joe McElderry and Lucy Kay, in 2017. He also accompanied McElderry on his UK tour throughout the same year, alongside Lloyd Daniels and fellow Any Dream Will Do finalist Keith Jack. In 2008 James-Ellis recorded a song with the "Wicked" actress Alexia Khadime for the CD "Act One – Songs From The Musicals Of Alexander S. Bermange", an album of 20 brand new recordings by 26 West End stars, released in October 2008 on Dress Circle Records. He also recorded the song "Uptown Girl" along with Daniel Boys and Keith Jack, on the
One Thing (One Direction song) the melody as memorable, and summarised it as an "arena-ready hit". A "Newsround" reviewer gave the song four and half stars out five stars, praising the group's vocal performance and its sonic palette. "Billboard" correspondent Jason Lipshutz hailed "One Thing" as "perfectly executed pop rock" and opined that it "could own radio for months". "Cosmopolitan"'s Sophie Goddard lauded "One Thing" as an "upbeat, catchy, hit-in-waiting," and "Entertainment Weekly" writer Adam Markovitz commended it as "irresistibly bouncy". "One Thing" peaked at number six on the Irish Singles Chart in the week ending 16 February 2012, becoming the band's third top ten