My friend Bradley White-Dale, who has died of a heart attack aged 41, was a gifted singer who came third in the Greek version of the talent show The X Factor, in 2016, and was one half of the singing duo Stereo Soul that toured Greece as part of the X Factor winners’ show in the years that followed.

Earlier, when he performed at an open mic competition at the O2 in London, Gary Barlow declared Bradley’s performance a “vocal masterclass”. And in 2012 he made it to the bootcamp stages of the UK X Factor.

He performed at events at the Barbican, the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Festival Hall in London, as well as in venues all over Greece, and in New York and Europe.

His vocal range was impressive, and he took influences from artists such as Mariah Carey, Beyoncé and Whitney Houston, blending soul, R&B, opera and classical. He also wrote and performed his own songs.

Born in Barking, east London, Bradley was the son of Janice White-Dale, a legal PA, and was brought up in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, by his mother and her then husband, Raymond Westburgh. His musical ability was noticed when he was very young and at the age of seven he won a scholarship to be a chorister at King’s College school in Cambridge. He ultimately did not take up the place – instead studying classical singing at home in Essex.

After leaving Thorpe Hall school he went to Durham University to study German, French and Spanish. I met him there as a fellow language student, and we spent time in Madrid together for our year abroad.

After graduating in 2006, Bradley studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York, and in 2008 performed in an off-Broadway production called Moony Mercury.

Bradley was a talented linguist, quickly becoming fluent where others had to study diligently for years to receive the same results. As well as French, Spanish and German, he went on to learn and perform in Greek – after his X Factor success, he appeared many times on Greek national television and experienced considerable celebrity. He also added Italian, Hindi and Russian to his repertoire along the way.

His knack for languages allowed him to do what he most enjoyed – travel widely and meet and befriend people from all over the world, finding out about their countries and their histories, and generously meeting them in their own mother tongue. He described himself as a “Southend boy” but he was also a true internationalist.

As he travelled, he was always singing and booking gigs, but was based in Greece, and had a home in Athens. He also taught languages, and this ramped up during the Covid-19 pandemic, but singing remained his passion. He had recently been back in Southend where, characteristically, he was a big presence in local clubs and venues.

He is survived by Janice and Raymond.