Rag 'n' Bone Man was tempted to quit music before having success with his big blues voices.
Rag 'n' Bone Man
The 'Human' hitmaker had been trying to make it as a hip-hop MC for 15 years before accidentally discovering his vocal gift, and has revealed he felt like giving up on his dreams on a few occasions because he was struggling to fit time in for his passion while also doing intense shifts as a care worker.
Asked if he's ever wanted to give up music, he said: "Loads of times. I worked as a carer for children with Asperger's Syndrome and doing 50-hour weeks while trying to fit in gigs at weekends was hard. But being a carer taught me a lot about compassion."
The 32-year-old singer - whose real name is Rory Graham - picked up the Critics' Choice and British Breakthrough Award at the BRIT Awards, sponsored by Mastercard, on Wednesday (22.02.17), and it's still sinking in as he admits he finds the attention on his success "slightly uncomfortable".
He told the Daily Star newspaper: "I'm a bit overwhelmed, if slightly uncomfortable.
"I thought this was something that was really far out of reach.
"I sat on the sofa talking to my pals about doing certain things musically and the BRIT Awards wasn't even in the realms of possibility."
Rory thinks the key to his success is making music that is honest and believable, which he insists is no PR stunt
He said: "People obviously believe me. There is no clever marketing. I simply go out and sing, that's all.
"The whole thing has been a kind of grass-roots story. We used to do everything ourselves, from the poster to the CD."