Today, January 15th, best-selling recording artist, X-Factor winner and West End star Matt Cardle shares ‘Purple Crayon’, the first single from his upcoming studio album.

Opening up about the track, the singer-songwriter says; “‘Purple Crayon’ is song about my struggles with addiction to Valium and the escape I found through using it. The song’s emotions are intertwined with imagery from my favourite children’s book ‘Harold and the Purple Crayon’”.

Written, recorded and produced entirely by Matt in his own studio during lockdown, the new single shows a new approach to songwriting and a new musical direction for the former X Factor winner; “my previous albums have been about love and relationships, I’ve written enough about that! This time I wanted to write music that was raw and honest,” says Cardle.

The artwork for the single – an abstract painting byAurelie Freoua– is a departure from the standard headshot portraits used for Matt Cardle’s previous covers. “The idea behind it comes from my hatred for having my photos taken. For every album I’ve released there was always a big photoshoot around the cover. I thought to avoid that by working with an incredible artist that happens to live upstairs to me, we chose one of her paintings and took sections for each of the singles,” explains Cardle.

Matt Cardle was the resounding winner of The X Factor’s highest rated series ever in 2010. Over 19 million viewers tuned in to see Matt triumph with his breathtaking four-octave vocal range. His platinum-selling debut ‘Letters’ was released in 2011via Syco, followed by ‘The Fire’ in 2021- released through independent record label So What Recordings – debuted at #8 on the UK album chart. While critically acclaimed third album ‘Porcelain’, debuted at #11, driven by its lead single Loving You’, a perfect duet with Melanie C, which reached #14 on the UK Single Chart and #2 on the UK Indie Chart. His fourth album, ‘Time to Be Alive’, was released through Sony in 2018.

Matt made West End debut in 2015 on the hit musical ‘Memphis’, taking over the lead role of Huey Calhoun He received the Best West End Debut award from ‘What’s On Stage’ for his portrayal. He returned to the West End in 2018, playing the role of Wally Strand in ‘Strictly Ballroom’. In 2019 Cardle played the role of Pilate in ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ at the Barbican.

With ‘Purple Crayon’ Matt Cardle gives us a first taste of his newly found creative freedom and a glimpse on what’s to come with his upcoming album.