Canal Street Online Manchester

We spoke to Grace Davies runner up X Factor 2017

We spoke to Grace Davies runner up X Factor 2017

The star from Blackburn is set to come back to her native North as part of the X Factor tour on February 20th before getting her head down and making her first ever album after signing to Syco, Simon Cowell’s hit machine. 

Canal St’s Chris Park spoke to her about how it feels to be at the beginning of such an exciting ride.

The main news is that you have been signed by Syco, what does that mean for you right now?

Right now I am writing the album, just getting on with it, obviously I’ve been writing for a really long time. I’m not sure if I’m going to recycle songs or just have a completely new album. It’s very exciting so I’m just going to completely concentrate on that and spend my year doing that.  

Traditionally runners up have done better, does that make you feel pressured that you’re joining this club?

So much pressure.  When you look at Syco’s artists and you say “Oh my God, these people are massive”. I think I am quite individual and I will just get on with my own thing and see how it goes. I’d love for it to go well, but if it doesn’t, at least I tried. 

What was the best advice that Sharon gave you over the whole run?

I think the best bit of advice was when she told me to be myself. She said that “if you’re not happy with something, speak up about it, if you want to do something your way, let people know. The most important thing is to stay true to the artist you want to be”. 

That really resonated with me, especially in the semi-finals, that was the week I said “OK I would really like to take over with the creative, what’s going on behind me on stage, what I’m wearing, what my track sounds like”. That was the week I did that with Wolves and that was the week when Simon said to me, “You look like a returning artist rather than a contestant” and I thought now I’m taking my own direction with it and did what I wanted to do and that was when I got the best comments so it really stuck with me. 

What would you say to you this time a year ago?

This time last year I was on the verge of giving up, before my audition. I would tell myself to keep going. When I heard Ed Sheerin say to write a song a day and something good will come of it, that’s what I’ve been doing for years and I thought “Yes you’ve been doing the right thing”. So I’d say to myself keep going with it.

Where do you want to be in a year’s time?

I would love to have an album released, I don’t want to take too long because it’s so important to keep the buzz going. I owe it to the fans and people who voted. I want to get music out there, it’s what I love.

What are you most looking forward to of the forthcoming X Factor tour?

Aside from performing which I obviously adore, I think I’m just excited to see everyone’s faces. These people at home who voted, they see my face every week and they know all about my life but I have never met them, so I want to see their faces and thank them for getting me into the position that I’m in. 

What will you miss most about the North, living in London?

You know what? I am so going to miss the tap water. Oh my word you can taste the limescale down South. But also the friendly people up North, everyone says hello to me when I’m walking down the street, when you’re on the Tube, no-one says hello. 

But I’m really excited with what’s to come down there, I’ve got a nice flat in London which I’m moving into this weekend and I’m really, really excited that it’s a new chapter. 

Who was the last person you were star struck with?

Ed Sheerin. I met him backstage before I was about to find out if I’d got through to the final and he was so lovely. As I was driving away in my battle bus, he was stood outside waving at me through the window. I was like “Oh my God, Ed Sheerin is stood there waving at my bus”.

What vibe will the new album have?

I’ve shown the type of artist I want to be, it would be silly to come out with something completely different. I’m definitely going to stick with the same music I’ve been doing on the show, I want to create timeless music, look at Adele, Ed Sheerin and Sam Smith and they are bringing out music that you could listen to in 20 years’ time and it will still be current. That is the definite vibe I want to go down.

How was performing at G.A.Y?

It was insane, probably the best gig I’ve ever done in my life. It was an amazing audience. I walked on stage and started singing straight away and I was singing my own track, Hesitate and I had twenty people at the front shouting the words back at me.

Tickets for the X Factor Tour are available from link below.

For all information on Grace Davies go to www.gracedaviesofficial.com

By Chris Park for Canal-St Online

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Published: 26-Jan-2018: (4721)

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