By Priyanca Kumari

He may not have pursued a career in becoming a regular artist – instead he has achieved his biggest dream of becoming a music artist. Winner of X Factor 2010 -Matt Cardle, scooped the top spot after singing the winner’s song ‘When We Collide’ in the finals against Rebecca Ferguson.

Prior to his music career, Matt painted and decorated for his friend’s Dad’s house in his home town of Essex. He has gone from wanting to make quick money so he could get into a recording studio, to becoming a triumphing success with his winning song – ‘When We Collide’. It reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and turned out to be the Christmas number 1 and remained there for three consecutive weeks.

The person who gave rise to Matt’s fame was his Ex Girlfriend’s friend of a friend who encouraged him to go onto X Factor. A video was taken of him singing in his local pub called ‘Whispers’ and was sent to the online video audition – unaware of course that it would result in him grabbing the winning title.

He achieved a slot in the show and Matt’s nerves were brewing when he found out he’d be taking on the experience at X factor. He said, “I was really nervous. I didn’t know what to expect and I wasn’t really sure if I was ready for it or up for it”. That skepticism was overcome, as he has proved to himself and along with many others.

While the star was on X Factor, he secretly developed one skill in particular – which was how not to swear on live TV. He admits he’s a bit of a swearer and that although he tried to refrain, it didn’t quite work – since he managed to shout “f…ing hell!” out of excitement, during his final performance. Matt had no idea whatsoever that he’d win and his reaction when the host Dermot O’leary announced the winner, as Matt put it, was “just shock! And thanks! I didn’t know what to feel really!”

During the rapid fire round of questions, Matt revealed some interesting facts for his fans:

Which artist would you do a collaboration with?
“Erm, I’d love to collaborate with Chris Martin”

Do you have any interests or hobbies?
“Yeah! I mean I’ve been skating, skate boarding, since I was about 14 years old. And I’ve been snow boarding as well since I was about 16.

Any funny secrets you haven’t revealed to the public yet that your fans might want to know?
“I’ve got blue and black lucky socks – they stink!”

If we were to look through your iPod, what music would we find on there at the moment?
“You’d find, Rihanna, Michael Jackson, B Gabriel, Paul Simon, Adelle and Nirvana – yeah quite a good range”.

Okay you’re a fly, whose wall would you like to be on?
“Erm, I have no idea! (laughs) Erm, Rihanna!

Do you fancy her?
“Oh yes!”

The music industry is difficult to break into, how did you find it?
“I found it impossible to get in, you get all these sort of vague opportunities and stuff people never want, you know, it never happened to me, but yeah, I got my fame from the X Factor!”

If you weren’t competing in X Factor last year, who would you have voted for?
“Either Rebecca or, oh Aiden I suppose. I would have voted for Aiden Grimshaw.”

What is your favourite thing about touring?
“Just being able to play gig after gig after gig. I mean, before the X Factor, I’d only have a gig every weekend or sometimes just bad gigs during the week. The gigs that I did with my band with my original music – was once a week, or once every two weeks and now you know, playing a show is the best feeling ever, you know, coming on stage and knowing you get to do that all over again the next night is incredible.”

Are you hoping to become as big a star to have a place at Madame Tussauds?
“(laughs) Erm, now that would be fun wouldn’t it, I don’t know – obviously you have to do so well to get there and obviously yeah! I want to do that well, yeah of course I do. I’ll have to write a lot of music as I possibly can and you know, sell as many records as I can and make sure people enjoy my music as much as possible.”

He recalls the first moment when he discovered he wanted to become a musician, which was when he was listening to ‘Bad’, by Michael Jackson – who is also his most inspiring artist. And at just the age of 8 he thought to himself “why can’t I do that?!”

He said “It’s been hard; I’ve always wanted to be signed to a record label since the age of 11. It took me a lot of time, until I was 27 years old!” He said his Mum would always catch him making a lot of noise around the house and on the guitar – very in tune. A born star perhaps?

Matt’s a very inspiring man who has come from such a simple life in Essex, to achieving his musical dream. Matt ends by giving a bit of advice to his fans, “if you want something, don’t give up. Within reason though, if you want to become President of the USA and you’re British, it just won’t happen”.