Hello Newton. You're very popular here in Britain. How's it looking in the rest of the world?

It's going really well! Australia's looking really good. I think when I landed there, the album was number 27, then with every bit of stuff I did it kept creeping up and I think it's actually kept going up since I've come home, which is amazing.

So, where aren't you big? Who doesn't like you yet?

I think Spain. I don't think they hate me, but I don't think they know I exist.
I had a very angry radio DJ from Finland complaining about why I haven't been to Finland.

Well at least he wasn't complaining that you had been.

Yeah, that would be worse. No, he was really annoyed that I hadn't been. Also I don't think the album is even out there yet. But he was properly pissed off, I wasn't quite sure how to approach it. I was like, "Oh, I'm sorry. I like Finland" He was like, "How would you know?"

4music has a theory that most good pop music is made by people trying, but failing, to sound like someone else. So who do you think you've successfully failed to sound like?

God, I have absolutely no idea! If anyone it would be Tom Waits. I definitely failed to sound like him, because I sound absolutely nothing like him. But somewhere there's a small part of my brain that's Tom Waits, very quietly getting on with it.

Does getting a number one album make you feel like you're made of magic?

A little bit. I was having breakfast in a hotel in Wales when I found out that I'd gotten to number one. And then I had to do a 7 hour drive. It was strange because I was actually sitting having breakfast and I was chatting with the guy that was driving down there with me and I got the text. I looked at it, just couldn't process it in the slightest, put my phone down and carried on the conversation and waited for that line to finish and then when it stopped I was like, "You know that text I got five minutes ago? Well the album gone to, yep number one". And we both just sat there and ate breakfast for a bit. Neither of us knew what to say. It was a bit earlier for Champagne, seven o'clock in the morning.

The album actually knocked Elvis Presley off the number one spot, is that fair?

I know, that was really weird. He's had his moment, I guess!

Then you were knocked off by Foo Fighters.
That's OK, I like them.

How do you feel you fit into a world that buys Elvis and Foo Fighters?

I don't think I'll ever really work it out. I have no idea. Also, I'm the only person who can't hear the music I make, really. Because you can't listen to it the same as everyone else. It's identical to when you hear your voice back on a tape recorder. It is really odd because I'm never going to know what I actually sound like. I think I got close once, because something came on and I didn't realise it was me. That was the closet I've ever come to hearing my own stuff.

When we interview you again in a couple of years time, what will we be talking about?

Rehab! I have no idea because I don't get involved in a lot of stuff, I'm not trying to be in the papers every day, I don't really want to be so, I'd prefer just making music. At the moment I'm in a really good place. I've sold a lot of albums now. It's been an amazing year. As far as I'm concerned it's completely insane. But also I can walk around and very few people actually have any idea of what I look like, which is the best of both worlds. I was standing next to someone buying my album not so long ago. I said "thanks" and they looked at me like I was completely insane.

Thanks Newton. Let's speak again soon!