Whether you know it or not, Eoghan Quigg was the most popular X Factor contestant of the 2008 series. The producers confirmed that Eoghan received the most phone votes in 6 of the live shows of the series.

Well, we recently had the chance to chat to Eoghan and find out what’s been happening since the rollercoaster of the X Factor ended in December.

You were one of the most popular contestants on X Factor last year. You technically ‘won’ 6 of the live shows, which is a massive achievement…

Yeah, I was so shocked when I heard that, I couldn’t believe it.

How did you feel then when you got pipped at the post by Alexandra?

Well, I got that far, but I’m slightly disappointed that I didn’t win it. But to get that far from 180,000 people, I was very happy.

How did you feel on the night of the X Factor final?

Well, I enjoyed it. Obviously it didn’t work out as well as I planned, but that’s life I suppose. I’m doing good things now and I’ve got a lot of work, so I’m really busy.

A lot of people have commented on how vocal Simon Cowell was about Alexandra toward the end, despite the fact that you were his act. Did you feel like you’d been abandoned at that point?

No, he said that he liked JLS, Alexandra and myself and that he supported all three, but that I was the one to beat. He knew that from day one.

The thing that’s different about you this year is that you’re releasing your single and album three months after X Factor ended. X Factor contestants usually wait until the next series before they start to release music. Do you think it’s better to come out now?

Yeah, I do, because Britain’s Got Talent will be starting soon, and the the new X Factor and you could be old news by then – that’s what happened to Leon Jackson and Same Difference from last year. I think it’s good to get it out early and strike while the iron’s hot.

Are you getting the chance to perform the new single to the fans on the X Factor tour?

No, it’s just the songs that we performed on X Factor.

Can you tell us about the new single and album?

The single’s called 28,000 Friends, and the album’s Eoghan Quigg. It’s out on 6th April and you can buy it on Eoghan Quigg Music.com 

When you signed up to do the album, did you have any talks about what musical direction you wanted the album to go in?

You know Busted broke up a while ago, I feel like their kind of music, rock/pop and what I did on the show and what the single’s about.

My biggest concern for you at the time was that they didn’t seem to know how to package you as an artist and they were giving you songs from High School Musical. Were you totally comfortable with those types of songs?

Well, the X Factor’s about versatility, and whatever they gave me on the show, I performed it.

Do you have any favourite songs on the new album?

28,000 Friends is on there, and a song called Learn To Fly. There’s a Jonas Brothers song on there called When You Look Me In The Eye.

On the subject of 28,000 Friends, aren’t you painting users of MySpace and YouTube in a pretty negative light?

No! The song’s all about the Internet, obviously, but the main reason behind it is the girl in the song is always on websites and her boyfriend is saying “Turn it off and spend some time with me”.

What was it like shooting the video for the single?

It was amazing, a really enjoyable experience.  The guys that I did it with were really fun as well.

The thing is, 28,000 Friends isn’t your first pop video shoot, is it? You recorded a version of Hallelujah as a finalist on X Factor – what was that shoot like?

It was really cool! Obviously it’ll never see the light of day now. We shot the video for it, but it was all for nothing.

Was your version of Hallelujah done in a different style to Alexandra Burke’s version?

Yeah, definitely. I’d say it was an Eoghan Quigg version.

Eoghan’s debut album, Eoghan Quigg, is available to buy from 6th April.