Catch up with Union J's Josh Cuthbert

Berkshire boy Josh Cuthbert and Union J are preparing to head off on their first UK headline tour following the successful release of their first album. The boys have come a long way since their appearance on the X Factor and reporter Luke Matthews caught up Josh to see how it was going.

October saw both the release of your debut album 'Union J' and the single 'Beautiful Life'. What kind of reaction have you had from that?

It's a top 10 album and the reaction has gone down really well. You can never predict how well you're going to do and we're up against massive acts like Katy Perry and Eminem so we're really proud.

We didn't predict that it would do anything.

Beautiful Life was released the week before and that did really well too, getting in the top 10.

It's a great feeling, that's why we are doing it.

We work so hard to be successful musically and we're always looking to improve.

You start your headline UK tour in December, carrying through until next year. How are the band feeling about that? Any nerves?

This is our first tour as Union J. We did the X-Factor tour but this is our tour and we're really excited.

It has extra pressure but it's also good because people are there to see us and it's a great chance to give something back to the fans.

You must have dreamt about releasing an album and performing on the stage of your own tour for years. Now it has become reality, is it as good as you thought it would be?

I can't even explain it. I wanted to be a footballer and a singer. I've been singing since I was 13 or 14 and I've put in a lot of hard work.

I used to play for academy teams but I got injured and it made me realise that singing was the way I wanted to go. Everything happens for a reason.

Since your time on the X Factor and success since, do you get recognised much when you come back to Berkshire?

I do, I think only because I'm a local lad. Everyone I bump into always says well done and asks how it's all going.

It's surreal. It's great meeting new people.

It's still settling in and we still pinch ourselves everyday. I loved the X Factor, it was the best four months of my life.

It's a lot of hard work but there is no better feeling performing in front of a crowd of people.

Boy bands often to seem to have - what's the best way to put this without getting hurt - 'enthusiastic' fans. What's the best/strangest thing a fan has given to you?

I'm not sure. One of our fans gave us a cactus which I kept and it's growing in my lounge. I love it!

The fans are brilliant.

JJ and his girlfriend have just had a baby, they must be over the moon. How's that all going? Will it affect the tour?

We're chuffed to bits for him. It's a blessing to have another member of the family.

We're waiting to meet him in the next couple of days. It wont change anything, just make one of the band members that extra bit happy.

What's next?

We're looking towards the second album. We want it to be better than the first.

We'll start that around February, writing some of the songs ourselves but what's most important is that we get the best songs available.