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      It’s impossible to put into words how much my life has changed since The X Factor. For a start I live in London now, I’m in a band and I get to travel to amazing places… It’s ridiculous when I think about it!

      When I compare us now to us in the early days of The X Factor, I know we’ve improved so much as a group. In everything from harmonies and movement to understanding what it is to be onstage and be in a group. I think we’ve gained a lot of confidence and we all feel that we can really be ourselves in front of the crowd.

      As much as my life is totally different to how it used to be, in some ways things haven’t changed that much, because I can still live a normal life. People always ask me, ‘Is it impossible to do all the things you used to do?’ but actually I can still go for a drink or dinner and not get papped. I just have to be a bit cleverer about it than I used to be.

      If I just want to go out somewhere I try not to think about it too much. I just go and do it. You could drive yourself crazy worrying about whether it’s safe, and you have to live your life. I know that there are certain places where people know me, or their friends do, and if they recognise me they won’t be bothered.

      There are times when things can get a bit intrusive, but you just have to get on with it. If you’re walking down the street and someone takes a picture, so what? You’re in public, so you kind of expect it, and it’s not a big deal. But if someone were to take photos of me in my house, that would bother me. You have to have somewhere that’s private.

      One of the mottos that I’ve learnt since I joined the band that I try to stick by is: ‘Work hard, play hard and be kind’ – because it works. In order to have a good time you have to work hard to be successful, and being kind to people should be a given. If everyone was a little bit nicer to people, the world would be a much better place. You have a choice where you can either be all right to someone or you can be a little bit nicer, and that can make someone’s day.

      ABOVE: Kicking off the Take Me Home world tour at the 02 Arena in London. 23 February 2013

      

      We’ve been so lucky because we’ve been able to go to some incredible places. Of the places we’ve visited so far Sydney is one of my favourites. It’s pretty English – it’s a lot like London in terms of their culture and the way people are – but everything’s just a bit happier because the weather is great, and things move slightly more slowly because people are chilled out.

      I also love LA, although I think you have to make it your own. If you go there not knowing anyone it’s not that great, because you need to know where to go and how to get there. If you have friends you can meet at parties and restaurants, LA is the best place in the world. But if you were on your own you’d feel quite lonely.

      New York is very different to LA but equally brilliant. In New York you can go out and meet people really easily. There’s stuff going on every night and it’s always so busy that you could easily go out in the early evening and stay out until morning. It’s like London there too, but sped up. If you were staying in New York and you woke up with jet lag at 4am and wanted to see a gig, there would probably be one going on somewhere. No one really eats until 10pm and dinner will go on until 1am. It’s very cool. You can people-watch in New York too, which I really enjoy.

      We’ve met some incredible people on our travels. Michelle Obama was great, and I think she and Barack probably really are just the way they come across in the press – very normal. They’re being themselves,

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