TGtS Meets...Jahmene Douglas

X Factor sensation Jahmene Douglas chatted to TGtS about Nicole Scherzinger, Asda and what fans can expect from his brand new album.

What’s your favourite thing about Swindon and why?

I've got a lot of love for ASDA! Believe it or not working there was one of the happiest times of my life. I used to love the interaction with customers and chatting to the regulars about their lives. Some customers even used to stop by just to chat to me, I really do miss that. 

Which one of your X Factor performances was your favourite and why? 

The night I performed with Nicole live on The X Factor final was incredible...despite the little hiccup with the microphone it's one of my favourite experiences on the show! It was a real moment for both me and her. She's an incredibly talented vocalist and I was so lucky to get the opportunity to share the stage with her. The great thing about the performance was that it bought us closer together as friends. At the start of the song our ear pieces weren't working properly so we couldn't hear anything, luckily we pulled through and Nicole just did her thing.

We heard that your debut album is expected to drop pretty soon, what can we expect?

I think it was really important that I kept true to myself. There's plenty of soul and gospel tracks on the album but there's also some contemporary stuff too. Fans familiar with my work on The X Factor will hopefully like it. I didn't want to alienate anybody, so we had to strike the balance right between the two genres, not only did it have to be marketable but it had to reflect the kind of music I love as well. I'm still worried I'm only going to sell 10 copies!

During the show you struggled with your confidence, how did you learn to overcome it?

Experience - Nicole taught me that if you struggle with something, you don't, quit you persevere. The more I performed the more confident I became. I didn't stress about anything, I just kept smiling and got on with it. I was determined not to waste my opportunity, thousands of other people would have killed to have been where I was. 

When you’re not on stage, how do you like to spend your spare time?

I just chill, make music and hang out with friends when I get the chance. I'm not into the whole celebrity scene; I don't drink or stay out all night partying at clubs. 

Describe yourself in 3 words…

Jahméne Aaron Douglas - Work in Progress

What's the most important decision you’ve ever had to make?

'Accept the good' everybody is going to get down at some point or another but you should always look for the positives in any bad situation. Although it was incredibly tough at the time, accepting the good has really helped me. 

What’s the best piece of advice that Nicole Scherzinger gave you?

Nicole was an incredible mentor, she believed in me from day one. Before I'd go on stage she'd always come and visit me in my dressing room so we could pray together. I think one of the most poignant things that she ever said was "stay faithful, remember why you're doing this". As I'm sure you'll be able to remember I had a bit of a funny 5 minutes at Boot Camp - it was that bit of advice that she whispered in my ear. 

You must have met some amazing people since your time on The X Factor, who’s the most famous person in your phone book?

Meeting and performing for Samuel L Jackson was insane. To hear him enthuse about me and my music was just incredible. Me and Nicole still keep in touch, we're always texting and emailing each other - she's probably the most famous contact that I have. It's weird that everyone sees her as this famous singer because I'm more aware of her as a friend than as an artist. She sends me passages of scripture to inspire me and keep me grounded. 

If you could collaborate with any artist alive or dead, who would you choose and which song would you sing? 

Whitney Houston, I can't believe she's dead, she's always been one of my idols and I really respect her work. I'd seen her perform on The X Factor a couple of years ago and I was just blown away. I was gutted when I heard she had passed away because I would have loved to have met her. Everybody has their demons and Whitney unfortunately had to deal with them in the public eye. I just hope when I go through tough times people will be able to support and pray for me.