British X Factor star Olly Murs has defied the odds to keep going and win respect after his TV stint

BRITISH singer Olly Murs credits backpacking in Australia for inspiring his singing career and now he hopes to conquer the country on his new tour.

Olly Murs

BRITISH X Factor find Olly Murs credits his backpacking days in Australia for inspiring him to try his hand at a singing career.

When the young entertainer travelled here several years ago, he was a successful salesman but not particularly happy with his life.

He was 24, living at home with his parents and wanted to reinvent himself.

“I just felt I needed to experience the world, so I went travelling to take my life somewhere else,” he says.

“It made me realise what I wanted to do with my life and that was music. I didn’t play an instrument, I didn’t work in the industry, I just had this leap of faith that it was all I wanted to do.

“That decision also came with a big headache. A lot of inspiration comes from a few drinks in Australia.”

Honorary Aussie ... The backpacker turned singer has made regular visits here including for the 2013 Logie Awards. Picture: News Corp Australia

Murs has just kicked off his biggest headlining tour of the UK as it was also announced he will take over the co-host duties of the X Factor in the UK with his friend and television personality Caroline Flack.

He has sold out multiple arena shows in the major cities throughout the UK off the back of the success of his fourth album Never Been Better.

That record found Murs accepted into some serious musical company with American hit maker Ryan Tedder offering the track Seasons and Paul Weller inviting the 30-year-old singer for a writing session which resulted in the album closer Let Me In.

The album went to No. 1 in the UK, his third consecutive chart-topper since finishing runner-up on the television talent quest in 2009.

Like his fellow small screen-generated stars, Murs wants success beyond his homeland and has made regular visits to Australia in an attempt to win us over.

Winning respect ... Murs has had an uphill battle to prove his credibility with snobbish peers post x Factor. Picture Chris Pavlich

Never Been Better and its 2012 predecessor landed in the ARIA top 30 and he has enjoyed five top 20 hits here including Dear Darlin’, Troublemaker with Flo Rida, Army Of Two, Wrapped Up with Travie McCoy and most recently, Up with Demi Lovato.

Murs will return to Australia for a national tour, not quite the arenas of England but certainly evidence of a considerable fanbase here.

“There has been a jump up in the venues I am playing this time and this is the next step for me to be able to do the bigger arenas in Australia,” the ambitious pop star says.

“I want to keep progressing there so you put on great shows with an amazing band and get people excited about it.”

Mars is one of the nice guys of the business, someone who always expresses gratitude for the opportunities afforded by the television platform which launched him.

But that start to his career has fuelled the prejudices of the DIY camps of the music industry and the X Factor alumni bristles at the judgement he cops from some peers.

“I think I shocked a few people, especially in the UK, when I wrote with Paul Weller and worked with Ryan Tedder,”’ he says.

“Trust me, there are always going to be people who don’t like you but the album has done great and I am doing the biggest tour I have ever done here.

Beam me up ... Murs has come a long way since coming second and hitting No. 1 with single Heart Skips A Beat. Picture: Supplied

“I’m a nice, genuine guy and I’ve found that when other celebrities have had swipes at me, chances are we meet up at some function a month later and they are tweeting differently about me.’’

So Murs must excuse us for finding the gratuitous crotch grab which seems to be an Instagram moment during his Never Been Better tour a tad incongruous.

He justifies the signature Michael Jackson move during the performance of Did You Miss Me as being related to the lyrics. Ah, the old lyrics excuse.

“It’s the line ‘taking back what’s mine’ … I don’t know why it’s appropriate for me to grab my crotch at that point. It’s just a little joke,”’ he says with intended entendre.

“I apologise. You can blame Michael Jackson, he started it.”

As for juggling his music career with his new television commitments, Murs is confident he can strike the balance.

“The music career is the most important but I am interested in presenting the show with one of my best buddies in Caroline so I am sure it can fit together,” he says.

Olly Murs performs at Perth Arena, August 4; Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on August 6; Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne on August 8; Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre on August 9, and Enmore Theatre, Sydney on August 11.

Tickets on sale from April 30

Originally published as British X Factor star Olly Murs has defied the odds to keep going and win respect after his TV stint