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

Fleur East

Categorized in : Like Everything Going Tried

I've worked in a call centre and as a nightclub waitress. I served champagne to Rihanna.

nightclub call waitress champagne

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

i-feel-like feel like want

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

grow day family home

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.

good myself situation people

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

doing music dance time

I'd love to write with some people from the U.K., like Ed Sheeran, Emeli Sande... there's a very long list.

some-people love long people

Even writing verses from my first album, there were songs that I didn't use because I just felt that they weren't really for me. But I think that happens naturally when you write songs. You're in a different mood in every session. There's so many songs out there that could potentially be used by other artists.

think me you mood

I remember, one day, I just printed out about a hundred CVs, and I was running around London. I was going to modeling agencies, temping agencies, anything. I was so desperate.

day modeling one-day remember

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.

story day me funny

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

dad music house play

I used to just sit in the living room and make up songs on the keyboard.

room sit just living

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.

to-love family hate love

I'm a believer in things happening for a reason.

happening things believer reason

Everyone assumes it is just 'Wendy who works at Tesco' who goes to audition for 'X Factor,' and then their lives are changed, wham, like that. Me, I am someone who has tried for years in the music industry.

i-am someone me music

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

face know you people

There's so much pressure, but I think if you really love it, if you truly love it, and it's your passion to sing, then that's what will get through. I think if you don't have that, you'll realise quickly.

think you passion love

I got to the point where I'd featured on songs; I'd done backing singing for major artists. I'd done all these shows, but it was always for other people.

always singing done people

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?'

you dad black people

I hated my big hair. I always wore it straight.

straight big always hair

I'd done an EP, and nothing came from that, and I didn't know where to go from there.

nothing go know done