Wes Nelson turned down the chance of a record deal with Simon Cowell as he was unsure of his "sound".
Wes Nelson
The 'Love Island' star has entered the music business since appearing on the ITV reality show, and he wanted to "experiment" before committing to working with the 'X Factor' mogul.
Wes said: "I was talking to Simon's A&R.
"I didn't feel ready to commit to anything. I didn't know my sound, I wanted to go away and learn how to record myself and experiment."
The 'See Nobody' hitmaker is aware of the difficulties of switching from reality TV to music, but believes he is on the right track after enjoying chart success.
Wes told the Metro newspaper's Guilty Pleasure column: "A lot of people were telling me it's impossible to go from reality TV into music.
"You have seen it so many times, people have not succeeded. Now I just want to become a credible music artist.
"That's not going to happen overnight... but first hurdle jumped."
The 23-year-old star admits his 'Love Island' fame counted against him as he tried to sign with a record label.
Wes explained: "It was detrimental in terms of record deals, they looked at it as more of a negative."
He also missed out on lucrative TV appearances as he snubbed opportunities to pursue a career in music.
The star said: "All the TV stuff I turned down, it would have been my biggest financial year.
"So many massive contracts on some of the biggest shows. I turned them down blind, not knowing I would get a record deal."
However, Wes insists that he has "no regrets" about his appearances on shows such as 'Love Island' and 'Dancing on Ice'.
He said: "They are amazing learning curves. I wouldn't be as confident if I didn't do those shows."
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