Sam Fender was "chewing" his "face off in frustration" when the likes of George Ezra and Hozier’s careers exploded and his didn’t.
The ‘Dead Boys’ hitmaker was "desperate" to become a pop star and felt depleted when a whole group of singer/songwriters and bands like Catfish and the Bottlemen’s careers took off, so he decided to have one last stab by penning tracks that would connect with everyone.
In an interview with Britain’s I newspaper, he confessed: "They all went on to explode, while I didn’t.
"I was chewing my face off in frustration, I was that desperate to make it like they had, to write pop songs because I thought people might like them.
"Then I realised that if I’m going to fail, then I may as well fail on my own terms, with songs I really believed in."
The 23-year-old star had spent years auditioning for acting roles and he worked in a bar to save up money to go up to London each time he got a call to tryout for a role.
But after having no luck and running out of money, he decided to give music a go.
When he was 18, his manager at the pub told him to go and sit in the corner of the room and play guitar and he ended up playing to Ben Howard’s manager, who picked up on his talent instantly.
Earlier this year, Sam won the BRITs Critics’ Choice Award in February, and his since supported his idol Bob Dylan at Hyde Park and scored a number one album with debut ‘Hypersonic Missiles’.
The ‘Poundshop Kardashians’ singer comes from a working class background and he has admitted he’s struggled to get used to being famous, and he’s also recently cut out alcohol for the time being so he can "keep his head straight" and try to soak up his success.
He said: "I’m going through a phase of abstinence right now.
"I have to cut things out so I can keep my head straight, because there have already been so many highs and lows, and I don’t need chemicals to make things any worse.
"I’m just trying to take it all in. And I’ve not taken anything in yet."
Sam Fender was frustrated at not being as successful as George Ezra and Hozier
