Olly Murs on his new album, Robbie Williams and Manchester United

Olly Murs, 30, released his first album in 2010 and has since sold more than 10 million records. Born in Witham in Essex, he appeared in the 2009 series of The X Factor, eventually finishing as runner-up. Since then Murs has had four number one singles and supported One Direction and Robbie Williams on tour. He has a house in Essex and a flat in Chelsea, and his fourth album, Never Been Better, is out next month.

Routine I’m always an early riser, and a day wasted for me is annoying – I was taught that from a very young age. I don’t always have breakfast, which I know is bad. For the past eight months I have been recording the album, and I’ve been able to work a sort of nine-to-five day. As I have worked for sales companies and call centres, that kind of routine is in my DNA anyway. I’ve also been writing in Los Angeles, which has been fun. I’ve been there three times this year, which I’ve not been able to say before.

New album For the past four years I’ve been learning to be a songwriter. I attempted to write a song on my own once when I was about 24, but I don’t know if it was any good. The first three years of my career feel like the first three years of school. You get to year 10 and 11 and you think, ‘Right, I need to start showing people what I’m all about and get my grades up.’ I’m very excited about this album and I’ve collaborated with great people – Paul Weller, Ryan Tedder, Demi Lovato and Travie McCoy. Oddly enough it feels like my first album. It’s the first time I’ve had a chance to make an album over eight months – all the others have been done in two.

Eyepatch vase This vase [pictured] was given to me by Steve Robson, who has been a bit of a mentor to me. He’s an incredible producer and has done work with loads of artists, and we hit it off straight away. He gave me this for my 30th birthday this year. It’s a grown-up present – a when-you’ve-bought-a-house present.

PHOTO: Alice Whitby

Frank Sinatra When I perform I think I can come across as arrogant, but I can be quite shy off stage. Beyoncé and some other artists say that you have an alter ego on stage. I’d call mine Frank because one of my favourite artists of all time is Sinatra [pictured, with Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr]. My nan always tells the story of the time she got a kiss from him. She went to his show in London with my grandad and took a little flower with her and went down to the front of the stage with it. Of all of the thousands of girls there he picked her out and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She says now, ‘I reckon he could have taken me home that night but I decided to stay with you, Stan, because you’re the love of my life.’

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Dream venue I played at Madison Square Garden for about six and a half minutes once, but I’d love to go back and do it properly. I’ve not seen Ed Sheeran since, but I need to have a go at him because he did about six nights there and didn’t get me on as a support act. In Britain it would obviously be Wembley Stadium.

Property I made a conscious decision when I first got into this job that I didn't want to be a flash in the pan and I wanted to be able to look after my family and myself. I wanted to get into property, so I bought my house in Essex and then more recently bought an apartment in Chelsea. I got this clock [pictured] so that I would start to be on time for things.

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James Dean I went on Deal or No Deal in 2007 after my mum applied on my behalf, and a woman on the show told me I looked like James Dean. There was one photo [pictured] she found where there were a few similarities, but I wish I did look like him.He was one of the coolest guys ever. I’ve always been a big fan of the shoots he did in the 1950s, so he’s been a bit of an inspiration for shoots I’ve done over the past couple of years. I don’t smoke, though. I can’t even hold a cigarette.

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America When I went to America I noticed that people didn’t care where I came from. It was refreshing. Here in Britain people know me for the person I am and where I’ve come from. In a way I owe the whole of this country a pint or a glass of rosé. If it weren’t for them I wouldn’t be where I am now. I’m always the guy from The X Factor. At the end of the day, the UK is my bread and butter. My fans always say, ‘You’re going to leave us one day!’ But I love it here and I’ll never leave.

Hat I used to wear hats a lot back in the day but I only started because my hair was bad one day. You move on, and I think the trilby is getting left behind a bit, but I still like wearing the old pork-pie every now and again.

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Light box I live by the motto on my lightbox – I think it’s a great saying. I do love what I do. I love my life and job. There’s no point in doing anything that makes you sad or annoyed. Sometimes you might have to do the odd thing you don’t want to do but I will always try to make it so that it’s fun for everyone.

^{PHOTO: Alice Whitby}

Robbie Williams You learn so much from a guy like Robbie Williams. He doesn’t just sit there and preach, he is who he is. He’s lived two different lives in the industry – the crazy late 1990s and early 2000s, when he was the biggest artist in the country – and now he’s got what he wants with his family and a baby. When I was on tour with him I asked him if the old Robbie would have been mates with me and he said no. His persona 10 years ago was so different. He’s a top lad. I learnt so much from seeing him perform and from the way he holds a crowd, but also from how lovely he is.

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Football I’ve got a box at Old Trafford. We have a great manager and a great attacking team with Falcao, van Persie and Di María, but defensively we’re shocking. Some people seem to think that because I’m a singer I can’t have an opinion on my football team. I used to play semi-professional football and I would probably swap my career to be a footballer. I was kind of forced into being a Manchester United fan by my dad. I used to get a lot of stick for being a fan from Essex, but then David Beckham, who came from London, started playing for them.