The X Factor winner Joe McElderry has a 'love-hate relationship' with dating apps
The X Factor winner Joe McElderry prefers meeting people rather than virtually.
The X Factor winner Joe McElderry has a "love-hate relationship" with dating apps.
The 35-year-old star - who won the ITV singing competition in 2009 aged 18 - is "still eternally single", and he prefers making real-life connections over finding romance through a screen.
Joe told ContactMusic.com: "I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with dating apps. No judgment - people meet the love of their lives on them.
"But I find them a bit monotonous. I prefer being able to talk to somebody and get to know somebody properly rather than through a phone screen."
The Climb hitmaker - who was mentored by Cheryl, 42, on The X Factor - thinks social media overload and instant attention spans make finding genuine relationships harder.
Joe said: "Everything is social media-based now, so it’s finding the middle ground.
"We very much live in a world where things are so instantaneous. It’s hard to find real connections through that. But I think that’s just the way the world is with social media, our attention spans, and the way we view things. Everything is just an overload online.
"So it’s just navigating through that, but I suppose that’s a thing that everyone experiences."
But the Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat alum is optimistic he will eventually find success in the dating game.
Joe admitted: "I am still eternally single. But I feel like this is the year of new opportunities. I’m very busy with work and touring, and my motto now is I don’t try to force anything.
"If it’s meant to be and Prince Charming is out there, I’m sure he’ll find me somehow. It might take him 20 years, it might take him three months."
The entertainer has used his past relationship breakdowns to inspire his latest track, Love Me Out Loud.
It captures the messy push-and-pull of falling for the wrong person, set against a "thumping dance disco beat" that lifts the heartbreak.
Joe said ageing has made him embrace writing about past relationships in his music.
He explained: "I used to struggle with that when I was younger. I used to be very conscious of making songs more universal. But as I’ve gotten older, I enjoy using life experiences to put pen to paper. I find people relate to that so much more.
"When I’ve played people the song behind the scenes, they’ve said, 'These lyrics are literally what I’m going through right now.' When you lean into vulnerability and share that with people, it reaches people in a more authentic way, which is great."
Joe wants Love Me Out Loud to encourage people to cope with heartbreak by dancing through the pain.
He said: "It’s about loving and loss and the emotions we all go through. Sometimes people feel vulnerable after a breakup and feel lost and don’t know where to turn. It’s leaning into that message that love and heartbreak and relationships can be messy, but it’s all part of the journey of life.
"With this song, we want people to dance away the heartbreak. If you can give yourself a dance and an anthem to get yourself through it, that’s what we’re trying to give people."
Love Me Out Loud is out now on all streaming platforms.
