Features

On his change of direction..

"I wasn't really happy with doing just covers. I don't mind doing a couple on an album, two or three. But to actually do a complete album of covers was too much."

On the press..

"I had a hard time in the press about the album, even though the album was relatively good and some of the production was fantastic. It's just the perception of he's not a song writer, he's not a real artist and I thought well, I've been writing for years."

"The irony was that I used to find artists for my production company and in a way, I manufactured them. All of a sudden I found it happening to me! The difference was though, I'd find an artist and say this is what we want to do, how do you feel about that? But with me and Simon Cowell it was never like that. It was always his way or the highway."

On the album..

"The album seems to be getting a good response. I'm extremely happy with it and it's turned out, pretty much how I wanted. I'm a perfectionist. It's better than I thought it would be when I started it in every way."

"Then There Were None, is probably my favourite song, which we are looking at as a future single. We wrote it back in 1999/2000 when we were signed to Columbia in New York and we'd just done a huge deal with them."

Getting into the music industry..

"I don't think there is a way to do it. Everyone comes in in different ways. There are so many artists that say they were seen busking on the underground... But were they really? I know this about the business, unless you're in with a management or a lawyer.. it's all about networking. It's not about what you know, it's who you know. The organic thing of sending in demos, that just doesn't happen. If you're sat at home doing demos and thinking that you'll send it into Simon Cowell and he's going to listen to it you can forget it."

"But there's other ways to skin a cat, you've got to think if I can't make it that way I've got to go meet that person and network."

On Performing..

"If people have paid to come and see me then I know I've won them over already. But when you're on an X Factor tour when there's 10,000 people there and you've got maybe 2,000 come to see you and so many to see G4 and so on and so forth you know half of them are thinking, 'he shouldn't have won!" If you've spent a fortune on getting G4 to win then the last thing you want to see is Steve Brookstein last on stage!"

On his spirituality..

"I love having songs on my album that have a religious connotation because I have a strong spiritual side that I don't show in my music very often. I have put one track on the album that's about losing faith. Everyone has insecurities and I'm quite a reserved person so as soon as I touch on the things that I find too delicate I move on."

On touring..

"I like being at home, I like my own bed. But the good thing is that my wife is a jazz singer and we recorded her album prior to doing mine and she's actually supporting me on the tour. So at least I get to see the mrs!"

What's next..

The single: 'Fighting Butterflies' is released on 25 September from his new album '40,000 things,' which is due for release on October 2nd. The new album is scheduled to feature mostly original material, with a couple of select covers, plus rumoured to contain a track featuring fellow X Factor contestants 4Tune. You can also catch Brookstein on his UK tour, which begins on the 29th September at the Corn Exchange in Kings Lynn.

To find out more information visit the Steve Brookstein website following the links to the top right of the page >>