The release of x is, at this point, two months away. It’s a record freighted with huge expectation, especially in the UK and the US. In the latter, his associations with One Direction and Taylor Swift have rocket-powered his career. Is this period, then, the phoney war? “I don’t know,” he says, inhaling thoughtfully. “’Cause press and radio will be very cynical. So I think this is the war now. My fanbase, as long as it’s quality, are very accepting of what I put out. Whereas press and radio and TV are always a bit more unsure. So I think this is the war here. Trying to convince them.”