Interview with: OLLY MURS

Hey everyone!

Earlier this year, I got to interview the charming Olly Murs, who was in town touring with One Direction, and I posted a sneak peek. But now that the article is published in the latest issue of Faze Magazine, I thought I'd do a full blog post with a Q&A from the interview!

Pick up the latest issue of Faze to read my article! :)

Q: For Canadians who maybe haven’t heard your music yet, how would you describe it to them?

Olly Murs: I think my music is very upbeat and happy. It’s very different; if you get the album, from track one to track 10, every song has a different vibe. But I always like to make happy songs, happy-go-lucky and smiley songs, that’s where I like to go with my singles and songs. I think I’m going to end up doing a new album this year, which is slightly different, with a bit more emotional songs, a bit more heartfelt songs, to show a different side of me. But a lot of my songs are always cheeky and fun.

Q: Are there any songs from your albums that stand out for any certain reasons?

OM: My favourites of course are the singles. “Heart Skips a Beat,” incredible, I love that song. “Dance With Me” is another song I love - it’s very old school Motown, with a great swing element, that makes people want to dance. And there’s a song called “I Need You Now,” which is the last song on the second album, I’m not sure what it’ll be on the new album, we’ll see. But it’s a really lovely ballad, about me expressing trying to find the perfect girl - and maybe she’s in Canada! Maybe I’ll find love!

Q: Do you prefer writing those slower ballads or more upbeat songs?

OM: It’s a mixture really. If I’ve been in the studio for weeks and we’ve been writing upbeat songs, sometimes I like to take a step back and write song slow songs. Because I think when you write ballads it’s always nice to do a heartfelt song. I tried to release a ballad before, called “Heart on my Sleeve,” and it did okay in the UK but wasn’t great. And I think right now in the UK it’s very much about up-tempo, big songs. But it’s always nice to throw in a love song for the fans, to show them you love them.

Q: I like how you have this old school vibe, where does this influence come from?

OM: I think it’s just my influences as a musician and artists I’ve listened to over the years. Michael Buble does lots of old school songs and the likes of Stevie Wonder have been around for a long time now. And I listened to a lot of 60s/70s music and I think as I’ve gotten older, it’s just come back into fashion. So I’m just branching out there. The new album will be different as well. And I think I just like to be creative and different. I mean, my tracks on every album are always so different. And again for the new album, we’re going to try something new and different and see how it goes. I like the fact that you noticed that, it’s cool.

Q: How would you describe your live performance?

OM: I’m an entertainer. I love performing. I always perform with a smile on my face. I love what I do and I always give 110 per cent. I feel the energy when I perform and I love it. I like a challenge and this tour is a massive challenge for me. It’s probably one of the biggest challenges I’ve had in my career so far; to come to Canada and the US and try to sell myself to the public. It’s hard. It’s the biggest challenge. There’s like 240 million people on this island, it could be more than that I don’t know, and the UK is only 50 million, so it’s a big country to fill and that’s a big challenge for me, but I’m looking forward to it.

Q: You were also on the X Factor - what was the most important thing you learned from that experience?

OM: I think the most important thing I learned from the X Factor was that it’s kind of like “if you believe you can achieve.” Someone told me that and I was like, it’s a bit cheesy, but I generally think if you believe in yourself enough, you can achieve anything in life. Sometimes, people like to cut your dreams apart and say you can never be this, you can never be that, just be realistic, but I always think you should have dreams and ambitions and that’s how I lived from the X Factor. I just believed in myself each week and knew that I could achieve something quite cool. So I was lucky enough to finish the show and have done well. I’m really happy. Does that inspire you?

Q: What characteristics do you look for in a girl?

OM: I like a girl who is fun and up for a good time. I don’t like girls who are too quiet and too shy or who are ignorant and love themselves too much. I like women that take care of themselves, but I like girls that, if I want to go for a date, we can go bowling or we can go ice skating, or something fun. I’m a fun guy, so I like to do fun stuff. I think going to a restaurant is really nice, but I’d go to the restaurant and then we’d go out afterwards and do something fun. So I’d like someone who is up for a good time and who has a really fun personality.  

Q: Do you have any celebrity crushes?

OM: Scarlett Johansson, she’s incredible. Megan Fox. There’s so many in America, it’s incredible. I love Transformers, so I love them.

Q: If you could do a duet with anyone, who would it be and why?

OM: Michael Buble. Or Stevie Wonder. Only because I did my audition to Superstition and I do a medley of Stevie Wonder on my tour. I also love Michael to pieces, I’ve met him so many times and he’s such a lovely guy. I even have his telephone number in my phone book; that’s like my claim to fame. I would love to perform with Michael. I’d be delighted if it happened, I’d be screaming. So yeah they’re the two people I’d love to do a duet with.

Thanks for the fun interview Olly!

For more Olly Murs, check him out at ollymurs.com and on Facebook & Twitter!

- Christina 

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28