Shayne Ward shot to fame when he won the 2005 series of X Factor beating duo Journey South and Andy Abraham in the final.His debut single 'That's My Goal' inevitably hit the number one spot, selling 313,000 copies of its first day of release.It went on to become the fourth fastest selling record of all time behind Elton John's 'Candle In The Wind, Will Young's 'Evergreen' and 'Unchained Melody' by Gareth Gates.His debut album also hit the top spot selling 450,000 copies in the UK alone.The lat couple of years have been quiet for the singer as he battled health problems that almost cost him his career. But now he is back with a new sound, and a new single.Shayne took a break from his hectic schedule to have a quick chat to me about X-Factor and his new record.
What was is like recording your new album was their less pressure now the X-Factor hype has died down?
It was great because with this second album now I got to work with some different producers like Max Martin and even travel to LA and New York as well which was great. So the whole thing was really timed well and the songs were really thought over so it was more of an amazing experience.
What was it like working with Max Martin on your new single?
It was incredible to have someone like him, like Max, who is a legend anything he touches more or less turns to gold so it was incredible to work with someone like him.
There are newpaper reports claimimg that both Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh didn't think that that the new single was up to scratch and asked you to re-record it. Is there any truth in these rumours?
No truth what so ever they absolutely love the song, very proud of the song, very excited like I am and I'm still in the middle of finishing off the album so there's definately no truth in that.
Have you got a title for the album yet?
No, you know what I'm still thinking. You know it's one of those hard decisions to choose a title for my second album. But no doubt I will come up with one soon.
Does the album, in terms of sound, differ from first time around have you done any writing on it?
I have not actually written for the second album but I have writing for future, erm stuff. It's completely different, it's a major change, it's me stepping to the next level and it given so much more room to do more uptempto so alot of the tracks are more funky, fresh and definitely sexier.
Have you got any favourites?
Erm, I do, I have a few actually I'm just sad that you guys can't hear it actually. I absolutely love the first single 'If That's OK With You' and there's some more amazing tracks like an amazing ballad called 'Breathless' and another very very sexy track called 'You Hang Up' so it's gonna be great.
Was there and accident while you were shooting your new video?
Alot of people have asked me this question. It wasn't as bad as people made out. It was a funny day, everyone was enjoying themselves it was round a pool party, which was the concept of the video kind of like and entourage. There were these two wrestlers and I just threw one of them in the pool but he had a full mask on, I thought it was really really funny, until someone said he hasn't got a whole in his mask and he couldn't swim. So we pulled him out of the water, but the great thing was he was in great humour and he accepted my apology, which was great.
That's My Goal was the fourth fastest selling single of all time were you surprised by this reponse?
Yeah, I mean I was really really amazed to get into the Guinness Book of Records with that. I'm very proud that my name will go down in history, to have that many people buy or download the single first time around from the show was an incredible feeling so I'm very pleased.
You have recently suffered from vocal cord nodules was this a serious case?
It was very serious indeed because it caused me so many major problems that I couldn't sing, I had the operation last yearn in August. I asked the doctor, Dr Cantor, who was the surgeon, and I said I needed him to be straight with me 'is there a chance that it might not come back' and he said it was straight down the line 50/50 you may not get your voice back. So he said what do you want to do? and I had to follow it troughto see whether it came back or not, and it's the best decision I ever made.
And how are you know?
Absoltely fantastic it's definately back to it's best, maybe even better.
What kind of treatment did you have to have?
For the first six days I didn't speak, which was absolutley vital, and then for the seventh or eighth day I went back for a check up and just gradually from the second week to the third week I just started building up my vocal cords by speaking and singing as well. But I really look after my voice now because I don't wan to be going down that road again.
How do you look after youself now to make sure that it doesn't come back?
No shouting, this is one of the serious vital points, no shouting say you are on a night out the normal thing you do to speak to someone when there is loud music is to shout. No whispering, whicpering is very bad for your voice, because you are straining and the funny thing is the first thing you do when you have a sore throat is whisper. And I stay away from smokey areas so I absolutely back the smoking ban, and I drink alot of water as well, so it's cool.
Are you overall thankful for you X-Factor experience or do you wish you had got into the industry by other means?
I'm very proud to have come from the X-Factor, I will never change saying that, because it has put me in a place now where I absolutely love the position that I am in, I'm doing something that not many people do for a living, and I want to do this for a living, so I'm very proud to have been from there.
100% because you do find real talent on the shows. Alot of people do put down these shows and say that they are not real talent but it would be grat to see people who are actually in the music industry now whether they could actually do that, if they could stand in front of three of the most powerful people in pop and in front of the million and see if they could do it. It does give some people the chance to get into the music industry.
Are you going to appear in a new Oliver Stone movie?
That would be great! If Oliver Stone would love to cast me then I would be there like a shot beacause I think that he is absolutely a legend. So who knows it would be great.
Was he on the set of your new video?
He was. I was shooting a video and he was in the same hotel and he started watching in on alot of the shots so it was great to see. I did have a great conversation with his so it was great to talk to a legend.
Shayne Ward's new double A-side single 'If That's OK With You' and 'No U Hang Up' is out 24 September.
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