You had time out travelling the world. How important has that been in making this album? It was essential. I was 19 when I signed my first record deal and I thought I knew everything, especially as I always used to tell everyone that this was going to be my career; so when everything started to fall into place I thought I knew everything even more. How important was it to take control of the “difficult” second album? You can look at things in different ways, you could say I stepped back for three years and lost momentum a little bit. But even if I decided to put out a record when the label wanted and I made double the money compared to the first record, it wouldn’t have paid for what I learned travelling in those three years. It was just me trying to better myself really. Was it hard to have the hype and success and then take a step back? You know what, I still go to the same pubs I used to and I don’t need any kind of security around me. But you do notice the small things like the mates around you – taking a step back sharpens your view. The past three years helped me realise who in my circuit was affecting me in a negative way.
When did you start writing the album? I was hungover from a stag do in Barcelona when I wrote the first tune for the album. I was able to write the song from a logical sense instead of an emotional one. I began to understand things differently and that was kind of the trigger for the rest of the album. Do you find songs like Breathe help your personal well-being as well as your music? I used to find it hard to articulate these thoughts so I would get angry or over emotional, so music was like my clarity. It is a great therapy session and my music is a diary of my life. Even when I perform the songs that I might have written three or more years ago, I still find the process therapeutic. During the break you travelled to India and Africa, did this influence your song writing? It definitely influenced me. In turn that has influenced how I am around people, the way I am inside and the way I write. The break has made me more open, and to travel with an open mind. I think if one of these locations hadn’t affected me so much then I wouldn’t be in the place I am right now.