No.1 for Interviews - Matt Cardle
Matt Cardle

Matt Cardle: 'The past X Factor winners' singles have been cheesy'

He was crowned the 2010 X Factor winner and now Matt Cardle talks music, chicken nuggets and that performance with Rihanna with IN:DEMAND’S Romeo

It’s been quite a whirlwind for Essex born Matt Cardle. In just 12 short weeks he has gone from a painter and decorator who lives with his parents to a household name with hoards of screaming fans and a Christmas number one under his belt!

Congratulations on winning The X Factor 2010, how do you feel right now?
I’m absolutely over the moon, it’s still sinking in! I still can’t believe what’s happened to me and I’m going to take this opportunity to thank everybody who’s supported me and voted for me. Words can’t describe how grateful I am for that, thank you so much.

How do you prepare for the fact that you could become a massive popstar?
I don’t think anything can really prepare you for what could potentially happen and I’m very aware of the fact that this is just the beginning for me, even though I’ve been trying, for over a third of my life, to break into the music business. Winning The X Factor is the open door I needed and now I’ve got to make sure I get the most out of this opportunity and I intend to do that.

What happened after you won the show? What’s the first thing that you did?
[Laughs] To be honest I went back to the X Factor house, ate some day-old chicken nuggets and went to bed! That’s the honest truth! I thought someone had come in already and bought them but then One Direction came in and were like, ‘That’s from the other night, you don’t want to go near that!’ So yeah, I went to bed with a cold chicken nugget!

What about the friends that you made on the show?
Aiden [Grimshaw] is a good friend of mine, he’s an absolute diamond. We’re going on tour together in February and I can’t wait for that. I’ve made some really good friends not just with other contestants but with the people in production and things like that. There have been some really incredible people that I will stay in contact with, surely for the rest of my life. I feel so happy that I had the opportunity to meet these people.

Who did you get on best with in the house, the One Direction boys must be a laugh?
They’re a scream, an absolute scream! Their individual personalities are just wicked, they’re so funny. And me and Aiden got on like a house on fire ever since bootcamp.

You said in the papers that you regret not putting the lips on Rihanna when you performed with her?
[Laughs] Who wouldn’t?! She’s just so incredible! The fact that I got to do that duet with her was just mind blowing. She’s such a great artist and she’s so hot! If I didn’t fancy the pants of her before then I do now! I’d love to get to duet with her or record with her again. She’s so chilled out and I just want to say a massive thank you to her.

She looked amazing the night you sang with her, how did you concentrate?
I was just so focused on the job in hand! [Laughs] I just melted, I literally melted.

Did Rihanna give you any tips or advice?
She was very complimentary and congratulated me and told me to go for it and that I could do it.

What’s the relationship like with Simon?
Um… There wasn’t much contact with him on a one to one basis, obviously he was mostly with One Direction. I went and sat with him in his dressing room after the show and it was a mixed bag of congratulations and thanks from me to him and vice versa. We had a little chat about what we were going to do. I’m just excited, the options as to what we could do are wide so I just can’t wait to get my teeth into it, get into the studio and get writing.

Do you know what the plan is with new material?
I’m not too sure at this point in time but I certainly don’t want to hang around and wait. I really want to get it out there as soon as possible while it’s fresh. I also want to get some writing of my own on the album. I’ve got my work cut out and I’m really looking forward to it!

Your winner’s single was a cover of Biffy Clyro’s ‘Many of Horror’ which has been renamed ‘When We Collide’, have you always been a Biffy fan?
Absolutely and I’m just so grateful for the opportunity to sing the song. I love Biffy and I always have, and I love that song in particular. It’s such a well-written song, it’s just beautiful. I think it was quite underrated when it first came out and it should have been a lot bigger than it was. If this can bring it to the attention of a slightly bigger demographic then so be it, I’m happy about that.

Was it your choice to cover the track?
It was offered to me and I leapt on it, literally leapt on it! I was very scared about what they were going to offer me for my winner’s single because, in the past, they’ve been quite cheesy. I was just like, ‘Yeah! Thank you so much!’

What about the ladies? Have you had lots of offers?
No, I’ve been so busy! So, so busy. That kind of stuff can wait!

We think that Dannii stole the show as best dressed woman on the show this time, what do you think?
She’s just so gorgeous and just such a sweet woman. I’ve got all the time in the world for Dannii. Dannii is wicked.

 

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