Fleur East

“I feel like I'm quite versatile. I want to do lots of different styles.”

“Just before I auditioned for 'The X Factor,' there was nothing in my diary at all. I had no shows; nothing was happening. It was make-or-break time for me, and I had to consider doing another career altogether.”

“I used to hate performing in front of anybody, but I was forced to sing in front of family, at family gatherings. Then it slowly developed, and I started to love it.”

“'The X Factor' was the final push I needed to have the presence and confidence on stage, which I didn't have before. It's a crash course in the music industry. If you can survive the show, you're ready for the industry.”

“I can't ignore what I grew up listening to. My parents used to listen to Michael Jackson non-stop. They used to listen to Luther Vandross, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder.”

“The attitude among the people I knew was, 'Fleur wants to be a singer' but it was never, 'Go for it. You can do it.' Everyone was cynical because we'd never seen anyone where we came from do it.”

“I'd perform in the mirror; I'd pretend to do interviews. I'd practice my autograph for hours.”

“I would never totally deny myself any specific type of food.”

“It's funny because the perception is that the typical 'X Factor' contestant is the person who's just working 9 to 5 and just decides to one day go and audition. So yeah, for me, it was a very different story.”

“Before going on 'X Factor' again, I felt like I'd tried everything else.”

“My mum is black, my dad is white, and when I was a teenager, people would say, 'So what are you? Are you black? Or white? What are you more of?'”

“I used to shop in ASDA all the time. Every now and then I still go in to get a little salad for lunch.”

“I uplift people and see the good in a bad situation. The worst is I'm very critical of myself. If I do a performance, I watch it 100 times afterwards and pick it apart.”

“I do body conditioning, spinning and yoga. On the treadmill, I'll do intervals of running flat and then on incline. I'll do that for an hour.”

“I normally hit the gym five times a week. I tend to do half an hour of cardio - on the treadmill or a spin class - then head for the weights. I do a lot of core work, obviously!”

“My mum is from Ghana, and she used to play highlife music in the house, and my dad used to listen to music.”

“Traditionally with debut albums, labels insist on a face, so people know who you are.”

“My album is very uplifting and positive and fun. That was my mission - to get people up on their feet and escape the seriousness of life.”

“Even before I auditioned for 'X Factor' the second time, I was doing a lot of dance music.”

“I didn't grow up in a wealthy family at all. Being at home all day and watching movies, that was a luxury.”