WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?

I’m going home, so I can see my little dog. I’ve got a Boston terrier. He’s coming on tour with me. I hope the venues are dog-friendly. It took us a long time to find a tourbus company that was dog-friendly. But then they can’t be any dirtier than the people in bands...

ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT THE TOUR?

Very excited. The album is out, and it’s all stories I’ve written about my life. I was 50/50 nervous/excited when it came to releasing the album, but for the tour, it’s 100% excitement. It’s my biggest tour. I did my first headline tour in May, and that was smaller and more intimate, and this time, it’s the sort of venue I go to see other people in. I never thought I’d be able to play them myself.

WHEN DID YOU FINISH THE ALBUM?

Ages ago, three months or something. It took two months to record, and that was while we were on tour, so I was playing a gig and then travelling back to the studio to record some more.

It was really fun. Quite fullon, but at the same time, when I’m not working I just feel like I need to do something, so I’d rather be really busy than restless.

HOW OLD ARE THE SONGS?

Most of them are quite old. I played my first gig when I was 12, and I’m 22 now. I started doing festivals when I was 13, so recording the songs was great, being able to get a trumpet player in when we needed one and things like that.

WERE YOU WORRIED SOMEONE WAS GOING TO TRY TO CHANGE SONGS YOU’D HAD FOR A LONG TIME?

I was in the studio the entire time, so I made sure that didn’t happen. There was only one song where I said ‘Do what you want’ and that was Tea And Toast, and that was because I wasn’t agreeing with what they said and I was sulking.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ALBUM YOU RELEASED BEFORE GOING ON X FACTOR?

It got to number 22 on the iTunes chart, but I had to take it down when I was on the show. You’re not allowed to have your own music out. That was recorded in my friend’s living room.

WHAT MADE YOU GO ON THE SHOW?

I’m an opportunist, and someone told me that they changed the rules in 2012 so you could play your own songs, so I said I’d do it. That was literally it. I was fully aware what the show would be like, and I’ve never wanted to be an X Factor winner. I think people could see that when I was on the show. It might’ve been cool, but it was more about showcasing what I already did and all the songs I’d already written.

LAST NIGHT IS ON THE ALBUM, THE FIRST SONG YOU PERFORMED ON X FACTOR Yes. It was strange recording it as a polished song, but the truth is you have to record songs in a certain way so they’ll get played on the radio. You have to commercialise your music, but at the same time, I think we did a good job of keeping the original charm of the song. The rest of the songs on the album are better than they’ve ever been.

DO YOU HAVE A LOT OF OTHER SONGS WRITTEN?

Yeah, about 200. They’re not all of the quality that I’d record, some need work, but yeah, I’ve got about 200.

That’s a lot isn’t it? I have been writing a lot this year, so I’ve been adding to the pot. They’re all stories so they come to me relatively easily.

WHO DID YOU WORK WITH ON THE ALBUM?

James Flannigan and Sam Preston, who is best known for being in The Ordinary Boys. They’re both independent artists, and really understood what I wanted to do. They were great to work with.

SOMEONE HAS ALREADY APPEARED ON X FACTOR THIS YEAR CITING YOU AS AN INFLUENCE. HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL?

It’s very cool. I love being part of that movement, and I wanted to inspire people. It’s great that people can play their own songs on it now, and if I gave someone the confidence to do that, then brilliant.