MATT’S GOT HEART

Local staff at popular radio station Heart have a lot celebrate. They’ve just moved into a brand new (state of the art) studio, their guests are getting bigger – as are their prizes! So the station, now known as Heart Cambridgeshire, decided to have a celebration party – and ESP were of course invited along. Mikey Clarke went to catch up with the presenters and a very special guest…

Everyone was looking forward to seeing one particular person perform at the party. No, not Jess (the Face of ESP) but 2010 X Factor winner Matt Cardle who was making a special guest appearance.

Before grabbing a few minutes with Matt, I spoke to Heart breakfast Presenters Kev and Ros. Kev explained – “It’s a pleasure to be working in a studio that’s full of the latest technology and equipment. It looks like we’re flying a plane! And I’m glad that it looks great for the bigger guests we’re getting lately, such as Olly Murs and Will Young.”

Ros added – “This is how radio should be – a fab studio and amazing prizes such as holidays and loads of money.”

So why did celebrity Matt Cardle agree to attend this event? He wanted to make it clear how much the station means to him, so during his exclusive chat with ESP he told me – “I can’t thank Heart enough for their support. They’ve played all the songs that I’ve released and I honestly think that’s been a big part of my album doing so well.”

So what’s life been like since winning the X Factor? “Things are really good,” Matt told me, “this is my life dream. I picked up a guitar when I was just five and ever since, I’ve wanted to write an album. I still can’t believe that’s happened… and that the album reached No.2 in the charts. Matt continued – “I don’t feel like I’ve made it quite yet though. I want to keep getting better and I’m going to make sure I put in the hard work so that happens.”

Matt’s album Letters has gone platinum with over 300,000 sales. It’s clearly been heard by many, but for those that aren’t familiar with it; the singer described it as – “Something for everyone. I know that’s such a cliché answer but I really think that. We didn’t write songs to appeal to everyone but it just turns out that after picking the best ones, there was a real mix. There’s a real soulful sound to some tracks, others are very rocky, and some have been stripped right back – just me with my guitar.”

Matt decided to release the song Amazing as his next single. In his words – “It just felt like the right song. With Valentine’s Day almost upon us, love is in the air, and this is a great love song.”

Later, at the Launch Party held at Revolution Bar in Cambridge,  Matt treated an invited audience to a very special acoustic performance. This was followed by a spectacular DJ set from Toby Anstis.

I found Matt a pleasure to talk to (read more of my interveiw in March’s issue of ESP) and he’s very down-to-earth. Also, as he proved during the X Factor, and at the launch of Heart Cambridgeshire, he is an amazing live singer, and (depressingly for the rest of us men) – ‘he’s got the looks too’ – in the words of Jess Lockhart.

The Heart line-up of shows and presenters includes Heart Breakfast with Kev & Ros, Heart Drivetime with Chris Skinner, plus well-known personalities such as Toby Anstis, Emma Bunton and Jason Donovan. Heart offers the latest local news, up-to-the-minute traffic and travel information when people most need it, plus exclusive showbiz interviews and money-can’t-buy competition prizes, bringing listeners closer to the world’s biggest music artists and bands.

Programme Controller of Heart Cambridgeshire, Chris Suckling told me – “We must be the luckiest team in radio. Not only are we working for the UK’s largest commercial radio network, we are doing that from one of the country’s most modern, state-of-the-art broadcast centres, based in a city famous for it’s renowned university.”

Tune into Heart Cambridgeshire on 102.7 FM

Matt’s new song Amazing will be available from February 19.

Photos: Emma Bothamley for ESP, not to be reproduced without permission.

Read more in the March issue of ESP out February 29.