Matt Cardle blasts Simon Cowell's Syco: 'Columbia is a real label'

Matt Cardle has praised his joint label Columbia for their credibility.

The X Factor champion revealed that he was glad Simon Cowell decided to sign him to a joint deal between his own label Syco and fellow Sony division Columbia.

Cardle told The Sun: "Syco's a very pop label and I know X Factor is quite pop, but I'm not pop.

"You've got people like Kings of Leon, John Mayer and Bruce Springsteen on Columbia, as opposed to Syco where you've got your Cher Lloyds and your One Directions. Columbia is a real artist's label."

Talking about writing his album, he added: "At the start, everybody was wary, 'We want him to co-write his album but can he do it?' As time went on, the best songs I had were the ones I co-wrote."

The 28-year-old also admitted that he thinks his musicianship is what will set him apart from previous male winners of the talent competition, who have all since been dropped from Syco.

"I don't know how much they had to do with the writing of their albums," he explained.

"But I was grafting for nearly 12 years. The show is how I got my break. I consider myself an artist. The songs are from my heart, my life experiences."

Cardle will release his debut album Letters in the UK on October 17.

His first single proper 'Run For Your Life' is at number five in the UK midweek chart.

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