British sensation Murs sets sights on US

After his latest album debuted at number one in his native Britain, pop singer Olly Murs has set his sights on the United States and found some quirks. Among them, Americans are more prone to tossing things on stage.
"Fans all scream and shout. The American fans, I find, they throw a lot more phones and other objects at me on stage, which was quite strange. They all wanted pictures and selfies and things like that," Murs said.
Murs, a former call center worker from the town of Witham in Essex, became an overnight celebrity in 2009 when he appeared on the talent show "The X Factor" to perform a spirited cover of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition."
His catchy pop hooks -- and pelvis-gyrating dance moves -- have helped him to sell more than 10 million copies and to pack arenas in Britain.
But his following in the United States has been considerably more modest than, say, One Direction, the boy band who became global sensations through "The X Factor" the year after Murs performed and later invited Murs as an opening act in North America.
Murs, speaking to AFP as he relished a sweeping view of New York from the top of the Empire State Building, said the goal of any artist was to "get your music across the world to as many people as you can."
"I think you just want to beat what you did before, even if it's only by one copy," he said.
For his fourth studio album, "Never Been Better," Murs has embarked on a US promotion campaign that included a performance on the morning television "Today" show on Thursday.
In an increasingly rare move in a globalized and Internet-driven music industry, "Never Been Better" is coming out in the United States, the world's largest music market, on March 10 -- more than three months after it debuted at number one in Britain.
"Never Been Better," which according to Murs' label has cracked the Top 10 in 31 countries, shows the singer co-writing more of his own music.
The opening track, "Wrapped Up," is a bright dance tune with a funk rhythm and a cameo by US rapper Travie McCoy. The album also features a ballad, "Up," with another American star, the singer and former child actress Demi Lovato.
His upbeat music appears to be in line with his persona; his autobiography on his brief career is entitled "Happy Days."
But the 30-year-old acknowledged that he has not been entirely free of self-doubt.
"It was a big change for me from working at a call center to then, eight months later, I've got all these crazy things happening -- new singles and a new album," he said.
He insisted that accounts of a drinking problem were exaggerated and that there was only around one month when he fell into a funk.
"We all have difficult months. I don't dwell too much on it," he said. "I think it was more of a way to open my eyes, really, to what was going on around me and my career. I needed to sort it out and I did."
"It's been an amazing turnaround in my life in the past five, six years -- I'm being escorted around the Empire State Building!" he said.
"I want it to continue, but most of all I want to enjoy myself. I'm having a great time."