Question time

Gareth Gates is back after a three-year silence. He talks about Will Young, life after Pop Idol and getting over his stammer

Where have you been?

I've had a break for three years.

So, you had lots of hits and then Sony dropped you.

When that happened, sure I was a bit gutted. However, I've since signed a deal with Universal, and 19 Management are still there for me. Simon Fuller really still believes in me. Without him I wouldn't be here - he's the guy that's backed me from day one.

When you were between record deals did you worry that your 15 minutes were up?

The only thing that stopped me from thinking that way was Simon Fuller. The moment I might have had doubts he reassured me.

So what is Simon Fuller really like?

He hasn't got a nasty bone in his body. He's the most gentle and the nicest guy.

Do you feel a bit silly being 22 and staging a comeback?

Yes. I certainly have never called it a comeback. That's just the perception of the media.

What would you call it?

The next phase of my life, of me as a musician.

Music has changed, and a lot of your initial audience listen to different stuff now. Do you worry about that?

No. So much has changed from back in the day when I was around [laughs]. There's no television music programmes any more, there's no CD UK, there's no Top of the Pops - that whole market has just gone. The music industry is certainly going more live-based, which is great. It finally gets rid of those who can't cut it live.

Tell me about your musical background.

I started singing at age eight. At nine I joined the Bradford cathedral choir; I was made head chorister at 11 and I also started to play the classical guitar, then the piano, and drums. I was offered a place to do a degree in opera studies at the Royal Northern College of Music. I'd worked all my childhood for this place, finally I'd achieved it and the same week I found out I was in Pop Idol. It's really funny how something else just came in and took me on a whirlwind. I still want to do my degree in music at some time. I think it will just be later on in life.

What do you think when you see Will Young?

I was texting him on Saturday - I'd had a few drinks. I've learned a lot from Will. At the end of Pop Idol I was only 17, I didn't know what sort of artist I wanted to become or records I wanted to make, and right from day one Will did. Will was seven years older than me, he knew exactly what he wanted to do and I think that's why he's been so successful.

If you had your time again, would you rather have been older?

No, because at that stage in life it felt right to let the record company mould me into the artist that they wanted me to become - and it worked. We had some massive hits and we sold a lot of records. Having four number ones in the space of a year, selling a ridiculous amount of records, being able to do anything, being able to have anything - it was great.

Do you watch TV talent shows like X Factor?

I never set out to watch them but if I'm just flicking I have a little look.

Ever voted?

I voted for Leona on X Factor, just one text vote, because I thought her voice was incredible.

Just to hear you speaking so freely is astonishing.

I've never been able to give interviews in the past because of my speech impediment. I did a speech therapy programme called the McGuire programme. I'm now an instructor.

Tell me about it.

We teach the students a new way of breathing, basically starting again from the fundamentals of speaking, which is breath. If you have a smooth airflow you have a smooth speech. If you have erratic airflow, that's what a stammer is. In the early stages it sounds very mechanical, a bit like a robot, but finally you're in control and you are able to say what you want to say as opposed to avoiding words because you can't say them.

So it's breathing exercises and therapy?

The programme also teaches you techniques to combat the psychological side of a stammer - 90% of a stammer is a build-up of fear and of negative experiences that you've experienced in the past.

Initially it's hard work. It is something you need to maintain, it certainly is not a cure. We see it as a sport and we are athletes getting good at the sport of speaking. The moment an athlete doesn't train or do the necessary warm-ups or exercises, that's when things start to go a bit rusty. You achieve certain levels of fluency, like I have, and you become complacent. I don't do the exercises any more, but I should do. As soon as I have a bad day I practise. I'm in a stage now where I need to be careful that I don't slip back. Finally having the freedom to speak is a really liberating feeling.

· Gareth Gates's second single Angel On My Shoulder is out onJune 18.