Duffy: 'I knew I would get a record deal'

Duffy has claimed that she "always knew" she would land a recording contract, although she has admitted that her career path has made her think about her identity.

The Welsh singer released her second album Endlessly in November. So far it has failed to match the success of her 2008 debut and peaked at number nine in the UK charts.

"I always knew I'd get a record deal," she told Marie Claire. "Whether people really wanted what I did...

"Anyone can be a chef. Whether people eat your food [or not] is a different matter. No-one can answer that. Pavarotti can't answer that, or couldn't; James Brown couldn't answer that; Dusty couldn't."

She continued: "I remember signing a big record deal and being in a cafe by myself, weighing up what it really meant. I hadn't written 'Mercy' at this time. One of the cons was the fact that my life became part of the record. The person you see. I'm clumsy, I talk s**t."

"I sing for others to enjoy," the 'Well, Well, Well' singer added. "I have never done this for myself. I am the singer. I don't do singing.

"This is who I am. I am the voice. This is me. There's no separation. My record is me. The music is me. I don't live for myself - it's so hard to explain.

> Duffy 'wrote album in three weeks'