Scottish singer Emeli Sandé has spoken out about her gratitude for producer Naughty Boy, aka Shahid Khan, who was the first person to spot her talent.

“I really wanted to be an artist. That was a struggle as no one wanted to sign me,” she remembered. “Shah was the only one who was like: ‘You can sing and you can write.’

“So I was still studying in Glasgow. I had no money so he would fly me down to London and pick me up from Luton or wherever.”

Also in the interview, which will be broadcast in full as a part of Radio 1xtra’s ‘The Story of Naughty Boy’ on Sunday, Sandé told of how finally finding recognition didn’t drive them apart. When she eventually scored a record deal, she demanded that Khan be a part of it.

“At the beginning the label flew me out to LA to work, which was great.” She said. “But after a while I had to put my foot down and say I wanted to make this album in London with Shah.”

Check out the video for Naughty Boy’s ‘Lifted’ featuring Emeli Sandé below: