Emeli Sande wanted to "disappear" following the success of her debut album.
Emeli Sande
The 29-year-old singer burst into the spotlight in 2012 with the launch of her chart-topping release 'Our Version of Events', but has admitted she did not enjoy the subsequent attention.
She shared: "Sounds a bit dramatic but I just wanted to disappear. I just had this overwhelming sensation and realisation that everything had to stop. And then slowly it did.
"In retrospect, I was like a pressure cooker waiting to pop. I had to stop and really look at myself and realise who I was. That's been the biggest lesson for me, learning to feel comfortable in who I am and what I represent and what I stand for."
Emeli has returned to the spotlight with the launch of her new single 'Hurts', and she thinks it is the perfect tune to mark her long-awaited comeback.
She said: "I wanted to release 'Hurts' first because it felt like everything I'd avoided saying for so long.
"It's a real explosion. It's everything I wish I'd said years and years ago. I didn't want to hold anything back any more.
"I'm proud of my first album and thankful for the experiences it gave me, but I'm so much happier with my new album and with where I am in life."
This comes shortly after Emeli admitted she had massive doubts about her second album.
She confessed that the success of her first album and personal trauma - including a marriage split - left her worried.
She said: "For a long time, I couldn't imagine ever going there again. I wanted to sing, but I wanted to do that in a totally different way. If I was going to come back, I had to know I could be an artist and not a product.
"For me, it was an accident that it was so successful. How do you go from this awkward, shy person to being out there, trying to protect yourself, but giving enough to get the music across? It's such a strange balancing act.
"This time, I thought, if I can do it on my own terms, where I'm physically and psychologically healthy, then, all right, I'll do it."
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