By India Opie Meres

It’s been quite the year for Saint Raymond. Announced as the opening act for Ed Sheeran’s x tour back in April, the 19-year-old spent Tuesday night performing at Mallorca Rocks hotel with our favourite redhead, and today he’s flown on to another Balearic Island for Ibiza Rocks’ ninth birthday celebrations.

However, with all play comes work, and Saint Raymond is gearing up to release new single I Want You on August 24th. We sat down with the man himself to find out how he brings his words to life, how Zane Lowe’s support helped him succeed and just what his mum thinks about it all…

MTV UK: What’s your writing process like? Do you wait for the words to come naturally or do you sit down and decide to write a song?

Saint Raymond: I used to just write whenever I really felt like it, but I’ve started to write more regularly these days. However, it is nice to get out of writing for a bit and to take a break, so that you can go back to it with some fresh ideas.

MTV UK: You’ve got a new single, I Want You, coming out in August. How much work has been involved in getting that record ready?

Saint Raymond: This new single has been a quick process, really! I’ve started recording the album in LA and this was one of the first songs that I recorded, so it’s been a fairly straightforward process this time.

MTV UK: Can you tell us about the inspiration behind I Want You?

Saint Raymond: Like a lot of my songs, this one was written as an upbeat festival tune. I like doing that when writing, not only thinking about the actual meaning of the song, but also thinking about the reaction of a crowd to it. I think that’s really important.

MTV UK: You’re in the middle of a massively busy year - what are you most excited for?

Saint Raymond: The only thing on my mind at the minute is festival season; it’s the best time of the year! My mind still can't grasp the fact I'm going on tour with Ed Sheeran. It’s absolutely insane.

MTV UK: You’re 19. What has it been like experiencing all this success so young and how does your mum feel about all of this?

Saint Raymond: It’s been good. I’ve been working away at the music, spending weeks at a time away from home being in London and all over the UK really from the age of 16, so for me I’ve just kept my head down and carried on working. My parents are great. They’re so supportive and get more excited than me at times. You’ll always find them at one of my Nottingham shows.

MTV UK: How has your life changed since Zane Lowe proclaimed Young Blood his hottest record?

Saint Raymond: It was amazing when Zane did this, because for me, I’ve discovered so many artists through Zane. For him to give me this kind of platform and have one of my songs as a ‘hottest record’, is amazing. I owe a lot to him.

MTV UK: What has been the most surreal moment of this experience so far? We’re guessing the staring contest with Noel Gallagher you posted on Instagram, but is there something else we don’t know about?

Saint Raymond: I think, honestly, that was my most surreal moment! He's been a hero of mine since I was so young. I was brought up on Oasis and as soon as I saw him out the corner of my eye I ran over for a picture.

MTV UK: You get compared to Jake Bugg a lot, which we know you’ve said before you find odd. Is it frustrating or flattering for you?

Saint Raymond: It can be a bit frustrating in terms of it’s just a lazy comparison based on the fact we are both from Nottingham, our music is not even similar, but it’s flattering in terms of being compared to someone of the caliber of Jake. He’s smashing it out the park at the moment.

MTV UK: Tell us something nobody knows about you…

Saint Raymond: I’m secretly a big WWE fan. I’ve been watching it since I was a kid and for me it’s like my Corrie or Eastenders.

MTV UK: What’s the last song you played on your iPod?

Saint Raymond: Bad Suns - Cardiac Arrest.

Listen to I Want You by Saint Raymond below