Making his Marc - Marcus Collins

HE won the hearts of the nation when he appeared on X Factor in 2011, and despite missing out on the top spot, came back with a bang just three months later releasing his debut single Seven Nation Army. The 24-year-old Liverpudlian was described by X Facto

Marcus found time in his hectic schedule to speak to JESSICA FOGARTY, telling us more about his new life in the lime light...

Jessica: Welcome back to South Yorkshire Marcus! What are your fans like up here?

Marcus: My fans up north are all amazing, I always get such a warm reception when I'm here. I last visited the region on the X Factor tour when we stopped off at the Sheffield Motorpoint arena, which was completely crazy, so it’s great to be back with some new music. I’m here to perform my debut single, my follow up single and X Factor favourite Higher and Higher.

Jessica: How does it feel to have shot to stardom in such a short period of time?

Marcus: It was  a dream come true when I got my record deal at the beginning of the year. Anyone that auditions for the X Factor wants to come out of it with a career—but I've achieved more in the last six months than I ever dreamed I would.

I recorded my album in just three months after the X Factor finished, I’ve had a top ten single, a top ten album, I've filmed music videos and toured all of the UK arenas—I’ve done so much it’s been incredible, sometimes when I look back it feels like a dream.

Jessica: How did you manage to write and record an album in just three months?

Marcus: On December 11 we finished filming the show and on December 12, I went back home and started writing and jotting down ideas.

It was about two weeks later when I got the all important call, I was told that I had been signed and they wanted me to come down to the studio as soon as possible. I was like, awesome, I've got loads of ideas, let’s get started.

I literally worked non-stop all way through January, and we even ended up with more music than we needed, so we had to look through them and decide on the best.

Jessica: Do you keep in touch with any contestants from the show?

Marcus: Yes I keep in touch with all of the contestants from the show and I speak to Gary Barlow all of the time too — I’ll never be able to thank Gary enough, he’s been with me every single step of the way. I actually spoke to Misha B on the phone last night, and whenever I’m performing at a festival, I'm always watching out for my X Factor buddies to catch up and see how their doing.

Jessica: Would you like to collaborate with any of your fellow X Factor contestants?

Marcus: I’d love to do a collaboration with Misha B, she's an incredible artist. Out of everyone from the show, she was the most creative with so many ideas and so much passion. It’s going to be a big year for her — She's already toured with Nicki Minaj.

Jessica: So what do you have planned for the rest of the year?

Marcus: I’m doing gigs here there and everywhere and I'm working in the studio every spare minute I have. I have loads of singer-songwriters lined up to work with, so I'm really excited, it’s set to be a busy and amazing end to the year.

 

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