The tour has started already. How have the shows been going?

THEY’VE been brilliant. They’re sold out too, and even though I knew that before I went on stage, it’s not clear beforehand how that’s going to feel. You know, what does a sold-out crowd feel like?

You’re playing at The Fleece in your hometown Bristol. Have you played there before?

I have, but only as a support act, and some allday event which wasn’t great. I was trying to do as many gigs as possible, so I signed up to play.

There were a lot of people with only their mums there to watch them, so it wasn’t very exciting.

You were nominated on the BBC Sound Of poll, and on various other end-of-year lists. Does that sort of thing excite you?

I’ve always loved singing and playing guitar, and things like the Sound Of poll mean that more people will hear of me, which means I get to do what I love more often. That’s only a good thing. I was a bit uncomfortable with it all as it was happening, because lots of people treat it like a competition, or the be-all-and-end-all of their career. I didn’t see it like that. But on the other hand, there are thousands of artists trying to make it in the UK, and the people voting chose me, so it’s hard not to see it as a compliment. Don’t ask too many questions and just go with it.

When did you start writing songs?

When I was 13 I was playing bass guitar and I wrote a couple of songs then. They were rubbish, as you can probably imagine. Then I was 15 and learned to play the guitar, my dad taught me some chords and I ran with it. I’ve written songs for bands I’ve been in, but I only started writing songs for myself two years ago.

I’m new to it and I have a lot to learn.

Do you still play any of those early songs?

Angry Hill, which was on the first EP. I put that on there as a milestone, it was the song that got me my record deal. It was the only song I’d recorded and had a video online, so it was the only thing I could send to the label.

Did that make you nervous, being signed on the strength of one song?

A bit, yeah, but people at the label came to see me play live and heard more. That was the song that started me off and it’s all been a bit weird since then. When I was a kid I thought that one day I’d wake up and be old, and in a similar way I thought drastic things would happen when I got signed, but it’s not like that, it all comes in little steps. It’s a very gradual thing and easier to deal with as a result.

What is it like signing a record contract?

I put a lot of unnecessary pressure on myself.

There was no pressure from anywhere else, but I just thought I should’ve been doing something completely different. In fact, I should’ve been doing things exactly the same, but that’s not what I thought.

Where are you up to with the album?

It’s finished. We recorded 19 songs, and it needs to be ten or 11. It’ll be out in June or July, I’m not entirely sure. The only thing I can do between now and then is gig my little heart out and make sure people know I exist. I’m not clued up on how promotion and raising awareness works, but hopefully I can blag it.

  • George Ezra is at The Cluny, Newcastle on Sunday. For more details, go to georgeezra.com