Will.i.am is fascinated by technology and has even invented his own gadget.

No ordinary rapper, he created the 'i.am foto.sosho', which transforms an iPhone 4 and 4S into a serious digital camera.

The 37-year-old told The Observer: "Music is cool. But I'm just so much more excited about technology. It's like I'm 13, 14 all over again.

"When I was 12, 13, 14 all I wanted to do was music. Now I'm a little older, all I think about is technology and consumer electronic products. I still make music, don't get me wrong. But it's just like breathing now."

He envisages a future when people will ditch their headphones and listen to music through their clothes.

"We won't have headphones! There'll be smart fabrics which affect your nerve endings!” he said.

The 'i.am foto.sosho' device that he launched last month is aimed specifically at young people who he wants to see become the next generation of technology entrepreneurs.

He is currently in talks with Simon Cowell for an ‘X Factor’-style show he hopes will uncover the next Mark Zuckerberg, rather than the next Leona Lewis.

He added: "First you have to build capital, and you do that by building a brand, a brand around substance, and things that are valued, and then you start doing things around philanthropy and teaching.

“There's no endgame. The point is to keep moving. That's an endgame right there, the language that you use. That's the endgame. There is no endgame, it's called momentum."

Watch Will.i.am's 'Scream & Shout' video featuring Britney Spears below: