Since he graced the X Factor stage and captured the nations hearts with his angelic voice, catchy songs and boyish good looks, Taylor Henderson has certainly made an impact in the music industry. We chat with Taylor about his new album, his upcoming tour and what its like to be a chart topping musician all at the age of 21! Congratulations on the release of your new single, ‘Already Gone,’ what is the inspiration behind your music? Thank you very much! The new album Burnt Letters is such a personal album and as the release is getting closer and closer, my stomach starts to twist because the songs are so honest and about things that have happened in my life. Whoever buys the album is obviously going to hear things and realize there’s more to me then singing just catchy songs. Especially with Already Gone, it’s all about moving away and kind of growing up because I’m never at home and I’m always away from family and friends. So Already Gone is a dual between the two loves I have- the love for performing and going out touring and then the simplicity of being home. Tell us a bit about your upcoming new album ‘Burnt Letters.’ The vibe of the album is very diverse; it’ll take you up and bring you down! You don’t get impatient with it because every song has a meaning and was written for a reason. I find that when it comes to song writing, I feel the best way and think it’s very admirable when the songs are honest. The whole album Burnt Letters is meant to feel, and it does feel, that it wants to be protected. All the songs are quite vulnerable and its meant to feel like is been pulled out of a burning building. What was the recording process like? I started recording probably the second I got off the X Factor Stage! I knew what I had to do, I had to come off the show and make a name for myself. It’s a hard thing to do because at the time you kind of have a title on your head that goes ‘I’m the guy from X Factor!’ Its obviously still there but I feel that over time, who knows, I can kind of shake that title and be someone as respected as someone who has never been on a talent show and has made it on their own and that’s what I’m doing, I making it on my own! Do you have a favourite song from the album? That’s a hard one! I mean Already Gone is the latest single, which is really nice and is about what I’m experiencing at the moment and being away from home. I was just in Sydney and now I’m here and then I have to go and do a gig in Melbourne and then I get to go home to Geelong so its pretty intense. Apart form that I really like Taking Back, its got a bit more aggression to it as opposed to my kind of lovey dovey songs. You’re about to embark on a head lining tour around Australia, what can we expect from this tour? Well the Burnt Letters Tour is going to be very different. We’ve had he Dawn Tour, which was kind of the beginning featuring songs from the show and everything, so this tour is all about new things. When the tour starts, it’s very much the live production of the show that will be amazing. It’s got a lot of instant energy but at the same time it’ll take you up and bring you down. It’s hard to explain you’ve just got to be there in the flesh watching the show! Do you still keep in contact and share advice with your X factor mentor, Ronan Keating? He tweeted me not long ago; he’s a very busy man and is sometimes hard to get hold of. Were people that have respectfully shaken hands and moved on and we do keep in touch on a friendly basis and wish each other the best. Five years ago could you ever imagine you would have achieved all this success with two albums under your belt, a list of hit singles and a headlining tour? You know, I couldn’t have done it without the help of having the people around me who have been there before any of this happened. It’s nice to give back to the people who have been there from the beginning such as my family and friends. They were there when literally only 7 people were at a gig trying to listen to me sing and they probably weren’t even listening anyway! It’s pretty intense now it’s so crazy. I have an amazing team at Sony, who really understand that I need to say what’s at the back on my head through this album. I just think that with the success, I don’t look at it as a job because it’s something that I love. I mean I would say since X Factor started I’ve probably been unemployed the whole time because I love what I do; it’s not really a job to me! To celebrate the release of the album, Taylor will be touring around Australia in July and August – head to http://smarturl.it/TaylorHendersonTour for more details.