Perdita
30-03-2009, 07:58
Only a year ago Eoghan Quigg was playing footy with his school friends in Northern Ireland, dreaming of a pop career. One year on, after he sang his little heart out on The X Factor, the pint-sized singer is about to release his debut album. With legions of teenage girls following his every move and the press clamouring for stories about his relationship with Diana Vickers, public fascination with The Quiggster is still strong. But how's he coping with all the attention? We met up with the 16-year-old star to find out.
How did it feel when you were offered a record deal after X Factor?
"When I found out I was getting a record deal, it felt amazing. I've had fun recording the album and I'm really looking forward to promoting it. The fact that I just entered a singing contest and then my life changed in a matter of seconds is amazing. The next day I woke up and I was a superstar and on TV. A couple of months back I was no one and just playing football back at school. It's unbelievable."
Is it true you had the most screaming fans on the X Factor tour?
"I do get loads of screaming fans and I love it. When the crowd perform, I perform. It's really mad back in Ireland because of me being Irish. The crowds there are nuts and I really love it!"
You've shot a video for the track '28,000 Friends' from the album. What's it about?
"It's about how people use the internet now. It's unbelievable how many people are on it. Nobody really goes out any more and everyone's always on their PC."
Are you not a fan on the internet then?
"No, I love the internet! The song's basically about a girl who has 28,000 friends on all these websites, but her boyfriend's telling her to turn it off and spend some time with him. It's written by James Bourne from Busted because I did 'Year 3000' on The X Factor. This is the kind of genre that I want to go down. When Busted split up, Britain and Ireland never replaced them. We don't have enough acts like that anymore."
The album features a lot of the songs you did on The X Factor. Did you not want to record more original tracks?
"This album is an investment. It has loads of tracks from the show on it, but there are a few originals on there too. If this album sells really well, hopefully I'll get to work on a second one. For the next one I'd definitely be co-writing the whole album."
Was it important for you to get the album out early?
"Really important. Last year was a very talented year on The X Factor and we didn't really know who was going to win it. We're still in the public eye now, but Britain's Got Talent is coming up and then it will be the next X Factor and we'll be forgotten. That's why I think it was important to get this record out early."
Have you heard anything from the X Factor judges about the record?
"I haven't been speaking to any of the judges. The last one I heard from was Louis and that was just before Christmas. He just encouraged me and told me to keep singing, which was really nice to hear. Hopefully the judges will like the album, but I don't mind if they don't. Everyone's entitled to their opinion."
Would you advise other 16-year-olds to enter The X Factor?
"X Factor was intense, but I think I learned as I went on and grew as a person. If other 16-year-old kids have a dream to be a singer, they should go for it. Always follow your dreams - that's what I did and I got lucky. Be confident and believe in yourself, but don't be arrogant and get too big for your boots. I came third on The X Factor, but I'm still the same person. I'm no better than any other person in the world. I try to be the same guy all the time."
Do you think your relationship with Diana held you back on the show?
"Yeah, it was frustrating. We were just really good friends and it was ruined by all these stories of love affairs, which just weren't true at all. I have no feelings for her in that way whatsoever. All I wanted to do was sing. I wasn't in The X Factor for a relationship. I got really emotional when she left because we built up a really strong bond on the show. Ruth, Alexandra and JLS were very close together and so were Diana and me."
Are the stories about rows backstage on the X Factor tour true?
"I've read those stories in the papers, but I haven't seen anything like that myself. Obviously someone's just spreading stories."
Eoghan Quigg releases his self-titled debut album on April 26.
How did it feel when you were offered a record deal after X Factor?
"When I found out I was getting a record deal, it felt amazing. I've had fun recording the album and I'm really looking forward to promoting it. The fact that I just entered a singing contest and then my life changed in a matter of seconds is amazing. The next day I woke up and I was a superstar and on TV. A couple of months back I was no one and just playing football back at school. It's unbelievable."
Is it true you had the most screaming fans on the X Factor tour?
"I do get loads of screaming fans and I love it. When the crowd perform, I perform. It's really mad back in Ireland because of me being Irish. The crowds there are nuts and I really love it!"
You've shot a video for the track '28,000 Friends' from the album. What's it about?
"It's about how people use the internet now. It's unbelievable how many people are on it. Nobody really goes out any more and everyone's always on their PC."
Are you not a fan on the internet then?
"No, I love the internet! The song's basically about a girl who has 28,000 friends on all these websites, but her boyfriend's telling her to turn it off and spend some time with him. It's written by James Bourne from Busted because I did 'Year 3000' on The X Factor. This is the kind of genre that I want to go down. When Busted split up, Britain and Ireland never replaced them. We don't have enough acts like that anymore."
The album features a lot of the songs you did on The X Factor. Did you not want to record more original tracks?
"This album is an investment. It has loads of tracks from the show on it, but there are a few originals on there too. If this album sells really well, hopefully I'll get to work on a second one. For the next one I'd definitely be co-writing the whole album."
Was it important for you to get the album out early?
"Really important. Last year was a very talented year on The X Factor and we didn't really know who was going to win it. We're still in the public eye now, but Britain's Got Talent is coming up and then it will be the next X Factor and we'll be forgotten. That's why I think it was important to get this record out early."
Have you heard anything from the X Factor judges about the record?
"I haven't been speaking to any of the judges. The last one I heard from was Louis and that was just before Christmas. He just encouraged me and told me to keep singing, which was really nice to hear. Hopefully the judges will like the album, but I don't mind if they don't. Everyone's entitled to their opinion."
Would you advise other 16-year-olds to enter The X Factor?
"X Factor was intense, but I think I learned as I went on and grew as a person. If other 16-year-old kids have a dream to be a singer, they should go for it. Always follow your dreams - that's what I did and I got lucky. Be confident and believe in yourself, but don't be arrogant and get too big for your boots. I came third on The X Factor, but I'm still the same person. I'm no better than any other person in the world. I try to be the same guy all the time."
Do you think your relationship with Diana held you back on the show?
"Yeah, it was frustrating. We were just really good friends and it was ruined by all these stories of love affairs, which just weren't true at all. I have no feelings for her in that way whatsoever. All I wanted to do was sing. I wasn't in The X Factor for a relationship. I got really emotional when she left because we built up a really strong bond on the show. Ruth, Alexandra and JLS were very close together and so were Diana and me."
Are the stories about rows backstage on the X Factor tour true?
"I've read those stories in the papers, but I haven't seen anything like that myself. Obviously someone's just spreading stories."
Eoghan Quigg releases his self-titled debut album on April 26.