Union J believe that people who expected the group to instantly become as successful as One Direction were being unfair.

The boyband were finalists on the 2012 X Factor series and similarities were struck between themselves and 2010 contestants One Direction.

The latter have gone on to achieve worldwide success but Union J have yet to break foreign markets.

However, they said in a column written for the Daily Star that gaining the popularity of the likes of One Direction takes time:

"Everyone thought we were going to be the second One Direction in a minute because we were another boyband from the show. But they didn’t get as famous as they are until the first year and a half through their career. It’s a hard industry yet last year we were able to travel up and down the country on tour and had the best time."

Union J hope to release their second album in 2014 and they added that they are scouting out different producers to help shape their sound. The group said:

"We want to get some new producers to work with, get a new sound and find that lane we want to go down. Every song on our­ album is good but we want that massive hit that cuts over from very good to amazing, just like The Wanted did with 'Glad You Came'. It’s really exciting as we’re not going to be complacent. We work well under pressure."