Olly Murs - The Top 10 Of Me: “I wish I’d written Happy!”

New album Never Been Better sees Olly work with some of the biggest names in music and if Wrapped Up (which debuted at Number 3 on the Official Singles Chart yesterday) is anything to go by, it’s gonna a big 'un!

Olly tells us all about Never Been Better, being compared to Robbie Williams, and his lip syncing history!

1. My new album, Never Been Better, has a bit of everything on it.

The first single, Wrapped up, is a feel good track. The album definitely has a feel good factor with some real cheeky, fun songs, but it’s also got some very emotional songs as well. I don’t ever like to repeat the same song, and it would be silly for me to release an album full of songs like Wrapped Up.

2. I worked with some amazing people on the album.

There’s a song that I got given by Ryan Tedder (Seasons) which I’m so excited about. I wrote with Paul Weller too (Let Me In) which was just amazing, he’s an incredible song writer. It was a great experience and it really helped me as a songwriter to work with some real A-class writers that have had huge success. When I first started I was a bit like, ‘Oh my god, what’s going on here, I’ve never written before!’ but over the years I’ve developed and grown as an artist and really progressed. Now I know what I want to do and what I want to write.

3. Robbie Williams gave me some great advice.

Years ago when I was starting out on The X Factor Robbie told me it’s important as an artist to do music that’s personal to you and that you can relate to, because it will really help you when you’re performing it and when you’re trying to sell the song. I think that’s why I’ve always been involved in all my songs and always written. People always compare me to Robbie but I think I’m a bit different - I’m Olly! I try to do my own thing and show that I’m a different artist.

4. I’m comfortable with my sound.

If I’d listened to the market, I probably would have done something completely different and potentially could have lost myself as an artist - I’ve stuck to what I know on this album. If someone doesn’t like a song, they don’t like it. If I release it and no one likes it then I’d probably be pretty devastated, but I think there’s always going to be songs I write that people won’t necessarily agree with and are not going to want to buy. I know that I’ve got a great set of fans out there that like buying my music and like what I do, so I just really hope that they continue to like me!

5. My favourite track on the album is Hope You Got What You Came For.

Although Let Me In, the song I did with Paul Weller, is pretty amazing - that’s probably my exceptional favourite! Hope You Got What You Came For was a way of doing a song that had a bit of a OneRepublic vibe, but with my own stamp. It’s an anthemic, huge song that’s about being used by someone and saying ‘I hope you got what you came for, stop using me, stop using the person that I am because it’s satisfying you.’ It was a really good song to write and I enjoyed the process of it. I actually wrote it for my fans as well saying, ‘I hope you get what you came for, when you come to a show. I hope you enjoy the show’. There’s a double meaning to it, people can relate in different ways.

6. I'd like to do a dance track.

I’d like to collaborate with someone like Calvin Harris, Rudimental or Disclosure. I love dance music and I’d love to one day test my boundaries and do something a little bit different and outside of the box - it would be a fun thing to do.

7. My best-selling UK single is Dance With Me Tonight.

To be honest with you, I just knew when we wrote the song that it was really, really good. People just love that old school sound and I knew people would really connect to it. I didn’t expect it to actually go to Number 1 when it did, and I didn’t expect it now to be my biggest single, but I kind of knew at the time that it was a special song. Performing it with the Muppets on The X Factor was an amazing moment. It was a stupid idea that I had in the office at Sony one day and, luckily, they loved it and wanted to do it- we were delighted!

Click here to check out Olly's Official Top 10 Best-Selling Songs.

8. I wish I’d written Happy.

For the sheer fact of how much money Pharrell Williams has probably earned from it! I think as an artist you want to write songs that are gonna be remembered for years and years and be played over and over again. Obviously Happy and Get Lucky with Daft Punk have been the two key songs, I think, in the last year. They’re two songs I would have loved to have been a part of.

9. The first person I saw in concert was Justin Timberlake.

In 2003 at the London Docklands Arena. It was so cool watching him perform live, he was amazing. I remember he’d just split up with Britney Spears and he came on stage and was just amazing, just a complete popstar – it was a great gig. I went to the 20/20 Experience tour this year too and that was pretty special as well. If you go to his shows, you’re not going to be disappointed.

10. I used to lip sync! (sort of…)

My first memory of wanting to be a singer is lip syncing on a Sunday night listening to the Official Chart. I used to put Michael Jackson albums on and I’d lip-sync to them in front of everyone and thought I was a popstar – in my pants and bath robe! I was only about 9 or 10!

Never Been Better is out now.