It is six years since you appeared on The X Factor. Why did you wait so long to release music?
I got offered the chance to record a covers album straight after the X Factor, but I wanted to wait until I could find a deal that allowed to do what I wanted to do.
In between you have been crowned Queen of the Jungle and more recently you appeared on The Jump. You have also experienced success as a TV presenter, while most recently you made a cameo voice appearance in Spongebob Squarepants. Did you ever worry that you would not return to music?
I have been so lucky with the opportunities I have been given. I learnt while I was on The X Factor to live every moment and I have been doing that since. I always knew I would make an album, I just wanted to wait until the right opportunity came along.
Your debut album is called Shy (out on 20 April). Is there anything autobiographical in the lyrics?
I have spent the last couple of years working on this album. The record company have been great. They have allowed me to do what I want and spend as much time in the studio as I needed. I wrote over half the album, so it really depended what day it was as to what I wrote. It was the best therapy ever.
How was working with Rita Ora, Duffy and Lily Allen? Can you tell us any exclusive anecdote about your collaboration with these artists?
Unfortunately I didn’t get to write with them. They wrote songs and offered them to me for the album, which was a real honour. I am so thankful to them. I am so excited! I would love to write with them though.
When producing a music album how much personal input do you put in?
I waited for a record company to offer me a deal that allowed me to create the record I wanted to.
Do you write your own songs too? How is the song-writing process? What is the starting point? What sparks the first idea for a song?
It depends on the day. It just goes on how you are feeling. When I first went into the studio I was worried about having nothing to say, but when I started it just happened naturally. The words just come. Looking back at the songs, you can tell if I was having a good day or a bad day.
What do your children say about your job?
They don’t really realise what it is that I do. They know that I sing and that I am on television, but they just think that is normal. Some people are on TV and others aren’t. They think it’s just the same as Spongebob being on TV.
Are your children musical?
They love to sing. They are tone deaf at the moment, but they love to sing so much.
Would you like them to follow your career choices?
I am happy as long as they are happy. I don’t care if they are van drives, doctors or singers.
Who is a showbiz personality you have worked with who have made you laugh the most?
Leigh Francis. I love him. He always makes me giggle.
What are you up to next?
Hopefully we will be going on tour do play some intimate shows at the end of the year.
Stacey’s album Shy is out 20 April. Â Preorder it on iTunes now.
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