I'd done an EP, and nothing came from that, and I didn't know where to go from there.

I got to the point where I'd featured on songs; I'd done backing singing for major artists. I'd done all these shows, but it was always for other people.

Traditionally with debut albums, labels insist on a face, so people know who you are.

It's funny because the perception is that the typical 'X Factor' contestant is the person who's just working 9 to 5 and just decides to one day go and audition. So yeah, for me, it was a very different story.

I can't ignore what I grew up listening to. My parents used to listen to Michael Jackson non-stop. They used to listen to Luther Vandross, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder.

I do body conditioning, spinning and yoga. On the treadmill, I'll do intervals of running flat and then on incline. I'll do that for an hour.