You've recently been auctioned off for £6,350 on QVC for Breast Cancer Care! How does that feel?
I'm so happy I could do my bit for such a great cause.
The highest
bidder, Mrs White, will be getting a private concert in her living room from me which will be
different!
She'll also get a signed CD and gold disc of my Classic
album!
It's amazing to get so much money for a fantastic charity by
doing something that I love.
So, you've had a very busy time recently, you've been back in the studio again...
It's been great, but I recorded the Christmas album when that heatwave was happening so I was singing about snow and jingle bells and all of that, then going outside in a T-shirt and a pair of sunglasses.
I'm certainly in the Christmas mood a bit too early but I don't care ‘cos I love it.
Your album Classic went Gold in under two weeks, how did that feel?
It's amazing!
I mean, obviously it was like every album, you always get nervous when you release it but I was especially nervous as I was taking on a brand new style of music and I was like, ‘Oh my God, what are people going to think?'
Luckily, everyone went crazy for it, I couldn't have asked for a better reaction.
What have your fans been like? You've got a huge fanbase.
They really enjoy it.
I have a kind of mixed fanbase.
I've got young, middle-aged and then old, so I was worried the young ones weren't going to get it. But, as I'm young, I guess I've introduced them to a new repertoire, which is really exciting - I've been learning about it as well so it worked out for everybody!
Congratulations on winning Popstar To Operastar! You received more votes than any of the other contestants combined!
I didn't hear about this until a couple of weeks ago!
You have no idea about that when in the show. If I'd have known that it would of saved me a lot of stress, put it that way!
How did it feel singing in that style?
Honestly, it was probably one of the hardest things I'll ever do singing-wise.
I learnt a brand new technique, it was like being told, ‘Right, well, you can drive a car or ride a bike, but you're doing it all wrong so forget everything you've learnt and let's start again' - and I had 7 weeks to start again.
I was scared.
The thing with it as well is, if you sing a pop song and you don't breathe in the right way, you can still hit the note because it doesn't matter.
If you sing a classical song and don't breathe the right way, you can't reach the high notes.
I was constantly petrified that I would hit a proper bum note, so I was panicking like mad.
In the past couple of years you've achieved so much! You changed labels too, how was that for you?
I loved my time at Syco but it was a nice, refreshing change to get the experience to move into another label.
I know what I'm doing this time round, whereas before I was still really new in the industry.
I know how to handle everything, I know what to do in the studio, what works, what doesn't work.
Did Simon Cowell have a big input in your first album? Did he help you a lot?
Simon was great!
He used to phone up and talk about song choices and I used to go to his office and pick the songs.
People slate Simon but he's very hands-on at his label, he doesn't just let anything happen.
Everything goes past him, he looks at everything, even down to the photo shoot, he's very professional.
You've got your tour coming up soon, how are you feeling?
This will be the first solo tour so I'm quite nervous.
It feels quite strange that the whole thing is built around me being on stage every night.
It's just quite scary, I need to make sure that my throat's OK and I'm a bit of a worrier anyway.
I'm a complete perfectionist!
If your dreams as a singer hadn't come true, what do you think you'd be doing now?
Well, I was at performing arts college before I went into X Factor, but I also wanted to be a paramedic. I would imagine I would've probably gone into teaching performing arts or singing or being a singing paramedic!
It could catch on!
So your Classic Christmas album is coming out on 28 November, fingers crossed for a No 1!
Well the Rage Against The Machine Christmas No 1 back in 2009 made me very relaxed about chart positions.
I learnt so much from that. As long as people enjoy your music, turn up for the shows and sing along to the songs, that's my chart position.
It would be absolutely amazing to get a Christmas No 1 but there are thousands of artists releasing at that time and you've got The X Factor single too, we'll see what happens...who knows.
Your single Last Christmas is set to be released on 19 December. You actually performed with George Michael on The X Factor, did he give you any useful advice?
Well, me and Cheryl Cole went into his dressing room for a cup of tea, you know, as you do.
That was a very surreal moment!
He was such a down-to-earth lovely man and it was such an honour to sing with him.
George just said: ‘Enjoy why you do this job.
'You've got a voice, you sing, forget about everything else, just go out there and sing your heart out and enjoy that.
'That's the thing you need to remember.'
Do you still keep in contact with any of The X Factor judges or contestants?
I keep in contact with Olly Murs, Stacey Solomon and Jedward.
I speak to those guys a lot and we always bump into each other at events and things.
I speak to Cheryl as well, she's lovely, we text each other when we can. it is hard to keep in touch as we're both constantly travelling but we do catch up when it's possible.
You're attending the Spooky Spectacular in Newcastle, your home town, on Saturday. What will you be performing?
A bit of the stuff off the classical album and some of the stuff off the Wide Awake album, so a bit of everything.
Got to get them dancing then sing the more emotional ballads!
What are you up to for Halloween?
I think I'm working actually!
I'm doing a secret gig somewhere in London, it's this new thing and I've been dropping clues all week.
Keep an eye out!
On Monday I'll be at tour rehearsals so I'll get dressed up in something spooky for the occasion.
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Jasmine Holley
