Talented singer and song-writer Nathan Grisdale featured as a contestant on the current series of ‘The X Factor.’ Right from his first audition, whereby he performed a captivating Andra Day ‘Rise Up’, he became a stand-out contestant, with his impressive tone and flawless vocals.
At the renowned brutal Six Chair Challenge, he performed another vocally captivating performance of ‘Say Something’ by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera. His performance earned him a chair at first, but as with the brutal nature of the Challenge, he unfortunately lost his chair.
However, since coming off the show, he has announced two headline shows in London’s Camden Assembly (Thursday 6 December 2018) and Manchester’s Deaf Institute (Sunday 9 December 2018) and he continues to regularly upload videos of him singing on to his social media accounts. Tickets for his upcoming headline shows can be bought by clicking here.
Here at CelebMix, we had the opportunity to exclusively speak with Nathan Grisdale about his time on ‘The X Factor,’ his upcoming headline shows, what he has planned music-wise in the coming months and more. Keep reading to check out our exclusive interview!
What was the whole ‘X Factor’ experience like for you?
“My whole ‘X Factor’ experience was very nerve-wracking. It was such a long day – it was literally like a ten to thirteen hour day and I think I was on at about eight o’clock at night. I was literally just thinking to myself “right, it’s all built up to this moment, you’ve waited all day, don’t screw it up!” Luckily, it went well, the first audition.”
Is the Six Chair Challenge as brutal as it seems when the audience watch it at home?
“At the Six Chair Challenge, I was on second and there was like seventeen lads altogether and I thought ‘God, I’m on so early, it’s going to be so hard to keep a seat” and I got moved with two lads to go, so it was just absolutely brutal. I sang again, which they didn’t show, fought for my seat, got it back and then lost it again, but they didn’t show that on the edit.”
Having Louis Tomlinson as a Mentor, was he able to impart words of wisdom to the Category before the Six Chair Challenge performances?
“After my first audition, it was amazing. He gave me amazing feedback and then at the Six Chair Challenge, he came backstage and spoke to all the lads and said to give it everything and that he wasn’t looking for perfection, but to make sure we fought for it. He gave good advice.”
Will you still be watching the show now and if so, who will you be supporting?
“I’ve got a lot coming up, so I’ll try and watch it when I can, but I will be supporting Brendan. I became good friends with him on the show, he’s a good lad.”
Looking back on your time on the show, what was your stand-out memory?
“My stand-out memory was after I performed and Louis running up to me, giving me a hug and saying that he believes in me and that I got a cool sound.”
You’ve recently announced some headline shows in London and Manchester. What can be expected from these performances? Will you be performing original material/covers/new material?
“Definitely originals – the odd cover, turned into my own style. It’s going to be really cool, I’m really excited.”
Tickets now on sale!! Hope I see you all I can’t wait get tickets here???https://t.co/qFjYbFkmzj pic.twitter.com/jU71wvWNeD
— Nathan Grisdale (@NathanGrisdale) October 12, 2018
When you are writing music, do you draw on past experience and plough it into your song-writing?
“If I’ve been through a bad situation or a family issue or anything I’ve experienced, I get up my ‘Notes’ on my laptop and write lyrics down and then put music to it and that’s how I create a song – off a back-story and I like writing relatable songs.”
What is one achievement that you would like to music-wise?
“I’d like to achieve a Top 40 and then keep doing shows and have people like my music and see what happens. But hopefully, big things happen soon!”
Who are your musical influences?
“I like listening to people like James Arthur, Ben Howard, The Script – people like that.”
Was there ever a defining moment when you realised that music was definitely something that you wanted to pursue?
“At first, I was doing Sport in College and I’d get home from College and start posting videos online in my bathroom of me performing original songs and then a couple of songs went viral. Before I knew it, I had quit University and it went from there – I started doing music full-time. The transition was very different.”
So, no regrets about the decision to pursue music then?
“Definitely no regrets!”
If you were to collaborate with any artist, who would you like it to be and why?
“Currently, probably Khalid. He’s smashing it right now and I love his songs.”
What can be expected from you in the coming months? Will there be more original music? Is an EP/album in the works?
“Cool collaborations are coming, new singles, more shows and hopefully a tour early next year – it’s exciting.”
Finally, do you have a message for your fans and everyone who has supported you throughout ‘The X Factor’ and beyond?
“If I were to say a message, I would just say thank you so much. The response has been amazing and to read all the messages I’ve had off people I don’t know and they don’t really know me, it’s phenomenal and hopefully they keep supporting me, because there’s lots of music to come!”
Make sure you are following Nathan Grisdale on his social media accounts: