I was gutted. I never ever got to see her or say hi to her, never mind sing her the song. It now takes on a different meaning five years later and it's about the adrenaline rush that I get on stage, when I'm singing a song that I've written and people are reacting to it. It's a wicked feeling and I'm loving every minute of it. 

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Do you still have the bus tickets?

Yes. I still have them in my lyrics folder. Whenever I see people in the audience singing my lyrics back to me or start to move or whatever, even if it's just looking a girl in the eye, connecting with someone with the glance of an eye, it's wicked. It's a real buzz.

 

What about the girl, do you think she would be pleased?

I hope so! But I don't think she'll ever hear it [laughs].

 

So, the new album 'Dive In'. How's it coming along?

It's finished. Done. Dusted. I sang, played and mixed on it. I even produced on it. I really did take the plunge and dive in! It was kind of a motivational title for me, to challenge myself as a song writer and say: "I can produce". In terms of me as a singer it was a real challenge as I tried to push it vocally as well. It's now an invitation. A way of saying dive into the music, take the plunge and listen to it. If you liked 'Colourblind' I think you would love 'Dive In'. There maybe two or three tracks on there that stand out as being the best songs I have ever written.

 

Was there any specific inspiration, someone who inspired you to produce the album?

Working with Steve Lillywhite has been an incredible inspiration. He's the man behind U2 and Travis. He's such a well respected producer. It's made me look to other artists I suppose, like Alicia Keys. She gets her hands dirty on the tracks. Not just vocally but in the instrumental. I want to take on that kind of responsibility. Although it means crossing the T's and dotting the I's, it's the kind of involvement as a singer-songwriter I want. I want the responsibility because it means that the song will live or die on the basis of how much I put into it. I can then never blame anyone for telling me to do this or that. I'm my own man calling the shots. I like that kind of creative control. It's what I've always wanted from the age of 13 when I wrote my first song. I imagined and could hear the kind of song that I wanted to sing. Now I'm finally doing it and I'm really excited.

 

Now that you've gone through this process is there anything that you would do differently next time?

I tell you what. No regrets, just experience. This is just me taking my first step. I feel like a baby in the business. This is my debut album and I've got a five album deal with Universal, so it's the first of many steps and stages that I want to move forward on. It's not moving forward on the same line, it's also about moving diagonally a bit. It's great to be moving and not always to be static. I could have turned out a 'Colourblind' Mk II, but with 'Rushes' I wanted to try something different. And with the third single, it will be taking 'Colourblind' to the next level again. It's exciting to think that I'm growing as a songwriter.

 

Can you tell us what the third single is going to be?

I could tell you... But, I'd have to kill you! [Laughs]

 

Best not then! You asked 'Rushes' to be put back one week, was there a particular reason for that?

I didn't want my single to be released on the same day as a charity single. It was regardless of the fact that Will Young was releasing a single in the same week. Unfortunately the newspapers took a harsh criticism to Will not having a No.1 with that record. I think that's a bit cruel and a bit unfair. I also moved the record back so I could tweak 'Dive In'. As an album, I wanted to put a couple of finishing touches to it. So I hope you appreciate it when you listen to 'Sliding Doors' when the "beep, beep, beep, chhhhh" of the opening tube door which I recorded at 11:30pm the day before the album went to press. [Laughs] I recorded it at Victoria Station and the people walking past me must have wondered "what on earth is Darius doing recording the tube doors opening?" Well, it's for the 'Sliding Doors' track. It takes it's name from the film Sliding Doors and is about meeting a girl and the question about fate. There's a twist at the end of the song, but you'll have to listen to it to find out.

 

OK, you once said that you'd have a No.1 single and a triple platinum selling album by the time you're 35 years old. Now that you have a No.1 single, don't you think that you were selling yourself a little bit short?

[Laughs] No! I kind of said it as a self motivational push because I kept being told that I wasn't good enough and not suitable for a band. Actually, I completely agree with them. I had a lot of improving to do and I wasn't ready for a band at all and I knew that. I originally auditioned for a solo audition. It wasn't until the first round that I knew it was for a band. By that time I thought I would just go with it. By the end of it I didn't want to be bullied on national TV and be emotionally manipulated the way that some of the other contestants were. I wasn't going to cry, I was going to stand my ground. So, I said that. Now I realise that my goals are very different. When I look at Robbie and realise his commercial aspirations were such that he achieved them. He's had multi-platinum albums. In recent years he's had a No.1 single and album and yet he was miserable, abusing his body with drugs and alcohol despite commercial success. It drew me to the conclusion that when I had an awful public image, when I was being ridiculed, that I was actually on top form personally. I'd just written 'Colourblind' and I was feeling wicked. I know exactly what I want to do and have done since the age of 16. I realise that commercial success doesn't mean happiness. What makes you happy are the things that you keep true to yourself and the values that you have. For me those are my family and music. What I'm doing I don't consider as work. I haven't had a day off since my birthday in August. I don't grumble about that because everyday has been a rollercoaster. Early starts and late finishes are great when you love what you're doing and I do!

 

How are the fans reacting to you now?

For me the fans mean everything. Without them I wouldn't be where I am. Even now when I'm seen in the eyes of the public as more successful. It's personal sentiments that people send to me that actually give me the encouragement and the motivation to get back in the studio and write better tracks and better music. To improve myself and look at other ways of learning. To absorb the stuff around me so I can be a better singer-songwriter and performer. And so it's thanks to the fans to where I am and I'll never forget that.

 

Are there any songwriting tips that you can offer to aspiring singer-songwriters?

There are no songwriting tips that I can offer because I feel as though I'm literally a baby in terms of songwriting. I've been writing since the age of 13 and feel as though I'm just taking my first step now. The only tip I could give anyone would just to be true to yourself. Write from the heart, go with your gut!

 

Any examples of bad songwriting by yourself?

Oh absolutely, the first song I ever wrote when I was 13. I wrote it about this girl who I had a huge crush on and sang it to her. She leaned forward and gave me a kiss and I thought "wow! It's worked". Then I realised the following week that she was going out with my best friend [laughs]. So, my songwriting can't have been that great!

 

Can you remember any of the lyrics?

Absolutely not! They have been permanently seared out of my memory and we're not going there!

 

Surely there's a bus ticket out there with them on?

Nope. I've removed all traces of that song. Nobody's gonna be hearing that one!