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Feeds
You released a cover of 'I Feel Love' as a single last month. Why did you pick that track?
"I picked it because the last single I did was a big ballad and that's what people expect me to come out with. People think I'm a totally serious person and I'm not like that. I'm totally different. Donna Summer is a big hero of mine and I love her voice, so when I decided to bring a dance single out, it seemed like the perfect choice."
Does this mean we can expect to hear an album soon?
"I've got a full album coming out this year. Everything's ready for me to go and do that, we've picked out all the tracks. I'm quite quick at recording, so I've given myself three or four days to do the whole thing. The question I get asked the most is, 'why don't you bring out an X Factor album?' So that's what I'm doing right now. It will also have a Blood Brothers song on it, something like 'Tell Me It's Not True'."
What else have you got coming up?
"I'm in panto this Christmas. I only found out last week, but I'm supposed to be flying in it. No-one told me that one! They are going to harness me and I hope they're not expecting me to be singing or speaking, because I'll be screaming my head off. I don't like heights, especially when you're being held up by parts you shouldn't really be touching. Do you know what, just the thought of it makes me feel like projectile vomiting."
You recently said that an Over-25s female will never win the show. Why do you think that?
"It's young kids voting for young kids and I was given show tunes. I mean I didn't know show tunes. When I was given 'All That Jazz', I said, 'what the bloomin' hell is that?' I'd never have picked it. I wanted to do a Tina Turner song with a big band. Then they said, 'no, no, no'. Every week I tried to pick Tina Turner, but they wouldn't let me. They said, 'no, this is how you are, this is your box'."
What was Louis Walsh like as a mentor?
"Louis was alright. He deals with young boys and boybands and I'm not sure he knew how to deal with grown-up women, who had minds. He's a very straight talker and some of the songs he asked me to do were not me, but I went along with it and kept my mouth shut. Looking back, there were some songs that I shouldn't have done. But Louis did give me his mobile number, he was very accessible. The Over-25s are seen as old, old people, but they're not. They think you should be wearing ball gowns and singing 'The Power Of Love'. That's not always the case."
Leon Jackson won the series that you were on, but his career has not taken off. Why do you think that is?
"The thing is this business is really, really harsh. You've got to be really strong and really push yourself. Leon won because he was a young boy from Scotland with a decent voice. People felt sorry for him and picked up the phone. It's a harsh reality if you don't sell enough singles, you'll be gone. I do feel sorry for Leon and the other people who have been dropped, but at the end of the day, they got a lot out of it. It's their fault if they don't take that chance and run with it. They're never going to get it again... You don't become an overnight star on X Factor. The work really begins when you come out."
What have you made so far of series six of X Factor?
"Because I've been doing Blood Brothers in the West End, I've only caught glimpses, but how much easier was it with the new auditions? I mean how easy is it to turn up with a big backing track and a massive audience. We had to walk into a silent room with four judges, where you can only hear your own footsteps. To have a full audience and backing track - it's just karaoke! I've been doing live shows since I was 12, so I'd have loved that."
Additional reporting by Chris Allen and Tom Mansell.
