He was dropped from Simon Cowell's label after failing to ignite the charts following his X Factor win in 2009, but Joe McElderry wants to prove Simon Cowell and his record label wrong.
After his second single failed to match the success of his debut, a cover of the Miley Cyrus hit 'The Climb', Syco, Cowell's record label, decided not to renew McElderry's contract.
"I think at the time I was a bit lost. But I began to realise there were things in that campaign that weren’t done properly, that now I would never let happen" the singer says to The Daily Mail.
"At the time, I didn’t really see that there were any warning signs, though I’d seen it happen to other people. I just assumed Syco were doing the best they could do for me. I was determined that I wasn’t going to be an overnight sensation. I always said to myself, I’m going to have to work for this. You can’t expect to be at the top of your game just because you’ve won The X Factor".
The singer took a break for a while, before competing on the celebrity singing competition Popstar To Operastar last year, which he won.
After signing to a different label and getting another shot at reaching the top of the charts, 21 year-old McElderry has had time to reflect on his whirlwind success, "because I wasn’t experienced, I let things slip a little bit with Syco. I’ve learned a lot and with this album I knew exactly how I wanted it to sound".
Speaking about his friendly relationship with his mentor on the reality show, Cheryl Cole, he said "she’s been through the exact same process, so she understands it. I don’t phone her all the time asking what I should do. If I needed to, I know I could. In the first week after I won, she would text me offering advice. I would class her as a friend.’
His advice for contestants hoping to follow in his footsteps is "be yourself, enjoy the experience and don’t sell your soul. Surround yourself with people who know you for you and that don’t just see pound signs over your head".
