Olly Murs: The nicest guy in pop? Yes, actually

He'd be forgiven for having developed some attitude. He's been in the game more than long enough to have developed a few airs and graces; to have acquired an ego the size of the Burj Khalifa.

During 2013 Olly Murs has received a BRIT nomination, played to gazillions of fans as special guest of Robbie Williams on a stadium tour and dazzled north America as special guest on One Direction's Up All Night Tour. His own album, Right Place Right Time, hit the number one spot in the UK and achieved double platinum status, with sales of more than 600,000 and rising. Troublemaker, the debut single from that record, also went to the top of the charts. His UK tour earlier this year was a huge success - 29 arena shows in the UK and Ireland sold out..

Olly's hardly slowed down in 2013. This summer, he featured on the main stage at V Festival and more recently was tipped to replace Gary Barlow as a judge on X Factor. He's enjoyed his first serious taste of Stateside success, with his album reaching the top 20 of the hard-to-penetrate Billboard Top 200. With Christmas looming, there's no sign of a slowdown. Olly's back on the road and on November 30 will return to Birmingham's LG Arena to headline Free Radio Live – the 29-year-old was last there in March. Murs will top the bill with support from Union J, The Vamps, Lawson, Conor Maynard, Pixie Lott, James Arthur and Little Mix.

So come on, Olly, let's have a bit more arrogance. Put me in my place. Treat me like the shoe shine boy. Tell me how great you are.

But there's not a hint of it. He's chipper and charming. Speaking to Olly is like calling a mate to see whether he fancies meeting up at the pub. When he starts talking, I half expect him to say Bull & Gate or Bottle & Glass? Your place or mine?

Maybe spending the early part of his adult life in dead- end jobs has helped to keep Olly grounded.

"I went to college when I was 16 for about three years and I did sport and recreation. I was going to work in a sports centre and be a personal trainer. But I soon realised that wasn't for me. So I started selling kitchens. Then I did all sorts of different call centre jobs. I had loans and debts and credit cards and that sort of stuff."

And then he appeared on X Factor, and it changed his life. He lost to Joe McElderry – whatever happened to him? Olly lost the battle but won the war. Many things have stayed the same. The only tangible difference X Factor made is that it enabled Olly to clear off his debts. And he switched his best mates. Now he calls Robbie the pop star and Michael Buble the crooner, rather than Robbie the builder and Michael the barman.

"Luckily enough, the financial gain from this means I've been able to get rid of those debts. But I've lived in that environment and that's why I don't get too carried away.

"You know, it's funny. When me and Robbie speak, it's as though our lives couldn't have been more different. Robbie went straight into Take That and he's had a crazy life. His life has been crazy for the past 30 years. When we talk, he tells me what it's like to live out in LA. But I'm still here in Essex. We live in different worlds. But when we go out on stage, it's the same for both of us."

The Robbie connection runs deep. Olly supported Lord Williams of Popsville on a gargantuan tour earlier this year, filling football stadiums up and down the country. Robbie will soon appear in a video with Olly to promote his Christmas singles. It's a remake of Angels and they had great fun making it. To all intents and purposes, Olly has become Robbie-in-waiting. He's a sniff away from the sort of all-consuming success that Robbie enjoyed during his 'Imperial Period'.

"Robbie's great. Doing the stadium shows with him was a great buzz, it was a great experience. It opened me up to a bigger fan base. We had a lot of fun recreating Angels in the video. I've enjoyed a definite career progression during the past couple of years. Whether it gets bigger again or not depends on the music and the albums. For sure I want to get bigger, that's why I do my job. I want the big hits and the success. Fingers crossed, that will happen in the next few years."

A funny thing happened to Olly this year. He became cool. The derision that had been heaped upon him in the early part of his career, largely on the basis that he'd emerged through from the Simon Cowell school of reality TV, started to disappear. Olly was taken seriously as a musician for the first time in his career. He was judged on his own terms, considered on his own merits.

"This year has been really great," he says. "I've been really delighted with the response of the public and the success of the album. It's always hard to beat what the previous albums have done. But we're moving onwards and upwards.

"I've worked hard for a little bit of respect and credibility in the industry. I've noticed it the most on the street. People are really nice and give me a few compliments. I even get builders coming up to me now, it's not just women. They're a good bunch of lads, I've got an amazing fan base.

"I'm not striving to be credible or cool, I still want radio to love me. I'm just trying to stay true to myself. I'm maturing. I'm becoming a better writer and my lyrics are becoming more thoughtful. The last record was my best, and I intend for my next to be even better." Ah yes, the next record. Olly has already passed the 'difficult third album' test with flying colours. What lies in store when he returns to the studio?

"We've already done a few demos, earlier this summer. The real work starts in the new year. We'll be recording in January, February, March and April. I've got a real block of time to do the best work that I'm capable of. I've got a team of writers on board, to help me. They're top line guys. They do this as a living, they help the artist to get the best music out. That really helps me, to be honest. I wasn't very good at school and my grammar isn't the best. We've got a really good relationship."

Olly will return to Birmingham to headline Free Radio Live. "I can't wait to do that, to be honest. It's always a pleasure to come up to Birmingham. The Brummie fans are great. I've done the LG and the NEC a couple of times, they all know that I love putting on a good show and having a lot of fun. We come to Birmingham every year. It's always one of the places that we look out for on the tour sheet. The audiences in London can sometimes be a bit stand-offish. They can be a bit cool, a bit too chilled out. The audiences up there know how to have a good time – and I love a rowdy audience."

A rowdy audience greeted Olly when he ascended to fifth on the bill of the main stage at V Festival this year. "It was pretty good, yeah. If I keep moving up the bill I'll be very happy. I know that to be a headline act you have to be a top, top artist. It would be great if I managed to do that someday."

With stadiums to fill and records to shift, Olly's taken a year out from his customary gig as a presenter on The Xtra Factor.

"I'm gutted that I'm not doing that this year. It was my decision not to do it. I really miss flirting with Caroline. I love the show, I love presenting, I love the atmosphere. I miss it. Being a presenter has helped me as a performer. It's given me a lot of confidence."

Olly's stint as a presenter has got tongues wagging. With Gary Barlow soon to depart, he's been tipped to replace him as a judge. "I'd consider it, for sure. If there was an offer to be a judge, I'd feel hugely privileged. But the most important thing for me at the moment is my music career and where I'm going to go next. That's my priority."

It's such a cliché to call pop stars nice guys, but in the final analysis, that's just what Olly is. And that's why people love him. Uncomplicated, lacking in ego and still as down-to-earth as Olly Murs, indebted call centre worker: he's a man of the people. His career's just getting started.

The Special Edition of Olly's latest album, Right Place Right Time, is out now, including a live DVD of the O2 shows.

By Andy Richardson