HE needed a bit of normality in his life - the kind of back down to earth with a bump reality only a small child can provide.

Despite three platinum-selling albums, a Best Male Brit Award and duets with Jessie J and Nelly Furtado, James Morrison has always shied away from celebrity.

But he still felt the need to take a lengthy break from showbiz to enjoy being a Dad to little Elsie, now seven.

"I'd just had enough of the music industry and not really having any time for myself or my family. I needed to do normal things and not be James Morrison the singer for once.

"I'd been out on the road for about 18 months and it just gets quite wearing.

"I wanted to spend some time with my daughter who was only three at the time. If she came on the road with me, she didn't always understand what was going on. She'd be running off at festivals and it was difficult.

"I don't like saying no to her when she says 'Dad I want to to go the park'. I thought I'd separate them and try to do a good job at both.

"It's a poignant thing for me personally to spend time with her because my Dad wasn't always around."

The 31-year-old had a tough upbringing. His alcoholic father left the family home on a rough estate in Rugby, Warwickshire when he was just four. His mother and her three children lived a nomadic lifestyle with the children frequently fending for themselves before winding up in Cornwall where Morrison found a talent for music and started busking.

Further troubles in adulthood - the deaths in closes succession of his father, brother and nephew and he and his partner Gill getting used to parenthood and its effect on their relationship - were another reason for the sabbatical.

"It gave me time to think about things, to deal with my problems and the things in my life. I didn't want the protection of being on the road any more.

"I'm glad I did it and it's given me more energy to come back at it.

"It feels fresh when I play now and playing music in front of people excites me again, rather than making me scared."

Morrison broke onto the scene as a soulful singer-songwriter ten years ago and became an overnight success story.

Pop gems like You Give Me Something from his debut album Undiscovered led to the Brit Award at the age of just 21.

2008’s Songs For You, Truths For Me brought with it a string of Top 10 singles, including the catchy Broken Strings with Nelly Furtado, while Awakening, released in 2011, shot shooting straight to No 1 and sold over one million copies worldwide.

The singer-songwriter has now sold 4.5 million copies of his three albums, performed four world tours – including sold-out shows to thousands at London’s Hyde Park, supporting both Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder – and appeared on Herbie Hancock’s Grammy-winning album The Imagination Project.

Now he's taking his fourth studio album, Higher Than Here, out on the road, including a Southampton date next week.

"It's a good student town and the people are always up for it," he says of his date at the city's 02 Guildhall on Thursday.

"I've got a whole brand new album and I've been getting a great reaction to it. I feel really positive about the album and have enjoyed the whole process, but I'm not going to play the whole thing.

"At this stage in the game for me, I've got four albums to choose from and a different band set up. So there will be some old and some new. I don't want people to get bored. I will let the music breathe a bit.

"I'm sure new things will happen along the way and it's certainly not going to be routine. I'm going to give it everything I've got."

Guildhall bosses need not worry about any rock star requests, his rider simply contains fresh fruit and some rum.

"I still find it hard to be extravagant," he admits. "We don't ask for too much. Every now and then, they'll buy me a really big bottle of Scotch, but apart form that it's just some healthy food."

The most humble of stars, Morrison never would have predicted that he would become the template that allowed a wave of like-minded musicians to enter the charts.

Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, George Ezra and James Bay all follow the same format, something the original guitar gem enjoys.

"It keeps it interesting for me. I feel really lucky to be able to be that person. I don't feel old or anything. I just feel like I've found my place.

"It does make it nerve-wracking, but I enjoy the competition.

"When I was first around, people were embarrassed to say that they liked my music, but in recent years people are much more forthcoming with the compliments.

"I was inspired by Ed Sheeran's You Need Me, I Don't Need You when I was writing Slave to the Music. Ed came up to me and said I really like that song, and I said it's funny you should say that....!

"I think you can tell James Bay is a fan of my music. I always feel like it's a compliment, I'm not going to moan.

"We're all just making music, it's not rocket science."

Tickets for James Morrison's 02 Guildhall Southampton date are available from 02guildhallsouthampton.co.uk or 023 8063 2601.