After soaring to fame and into the hearts of viewers during her time on The X Factor, Amelia Lily had a massive hit single but never got round to releasing a debut album because of complications with her first signing.
Now though she's back and better than ever, with a new record deal, new batch of songs and new sound.
FemaleFirst got the opportunity to chat with Amelia about all that and more in a new and exclusive interview.
How would you describe the past few years and life since The X Factor?
Oh God, what a question! It's been absolutely mad. Totally, totally bonkers. I'd left school at 16 and I went straight into The X Factor... it was a big step for me and I moved away at a young age and I came out of the show, and landed a record deal with Sony. It's been absolutely mental and I wouldn't change anything about it. I'm living my dream at such a young age and I'm extremely grateful for it.
Your debut single 'You Bring Me Joy' was a massive success, how did it feel to be so high on the charts with your first release?
I actually threw up! I was performing on the Saturday night, and my single went up on release at midnight, and I was just so - it really hit me that 'oh my God, my single's out' - and I just threw up! I was just really, really nervous. I laughed afterwards because I felt kind of relieved because I'd felt sick all day, but what a feeling. Just to be up there with the likes of Ne-Yo, and The Script, it was just absolutely amazing.
Two more singles followed but your debut album was shelved, what happened there?
So, I mean to be honest, I actually don't really know what happened. All I knew was that my album got taken off iTunes without anyone contacting me, and that was really sad, but more so for the fans because they'd been waiting for so long. However, I actually looked at it as a blessing in disguise, because I was never 100% happy with my album, and I knew that I wanted to actually write my own songs, so I did it as a blessing in a way, which has been actually really good because now I am being able to do what I wanted to do and write my own songs.
Now you've signed a new deal with East West Records, was that an easy decision to make?
I mean, it just happened so quickly. I wrote a whole new set of tracks, I took three of them in to Warner Bros East West and played them to them and they were just like: 'Right, we wanna release California this summer', and it happened that quickly. It was just absolutely mental, I couldn't believe it.
What's really nice is I've got a new team of people around me, it's a total fresh start for me, and I feel like I've grown up a little bit as well, and I feel like I've found my identity.
Your new single 'California' is out next month, how have you found the fan reaction to that so far?
The single's out on the 7th of September, and the fan's reaction to it has just been absolutely incredible. It couldn't have gone any better than I hoped it could. They've just been so supportive, they love the track, and I think they were expecting this kind of sound from me as well.
You do showcase a fresh sound on the track, is this rockier edge more the direction you'll be going in now?
Absolutely, I think 'California' gives the album a great taste of what's yet to come.
You co-wrote the track with Tim Woodcock, how was he to work with?
Yeah, Tim and Steve. Tim Woodcock and Steve Rushton - the three of us are actually writing the whole album together - and it's been such an experience because we're like a family the three of us, and we just have this chemistry in the room when we're writing a song, and I'm just so grateful that I've met two fantastic songwriters.
What was the experience like of filming the music video?
It was absolutely amazing. It was so much fun. I got to go to Los Angeles for the third time to shoot the video, and the crew and everyone were just absolutely fantastic. I was really, really lucky to be there.
Will the new album be coming this year?
Yes, it's expected to come out this year - hopefully November time.
Do we have a name for the album yet?
Not quite yet! I've got a few ideas floating around but obviously I want to be 100% sure before I put a title to it.
What should we expect from the rest of the songs on there?
I think, like I said I think 'California' gives a great taste of what's to come, but also I think as well there's a lot of emotion in the album, a lot of depth there, and lots of fun tracks as well. So there's a bit of everything in there and I think there's definitely gonna be something on there for everyone.
Will you be tuning into The X Factor this year?
Absolutely, I love it. I was once a part of it and I can't wait to see the new panel either.
Which of the judges will you be rooting for?
I love Cheryl, so probably Cheryl!
Finally is there anything else we should expect in coming weeks and months?
Just the single's out on the 7th September, and hopefully I'll be doing a headline tour in October!
Amelia LilyAmelia Lily's debut single 'California' is available to purchase from September 7.
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