Labrinth has claimed that his standards are higher than his Syco label boss, Simon Cowell.

The 'Earthquake' singer told the Metro newspaper that even The X-Factor USA judge can’t keep up with his ambition, but that he’s glad to be working with him:

“He believes in what I am doing. He’s not just another middle class white guy that thinks I’m a rapper. He sees a lot more in me than just being an urban black artist. I respect him for that.

"He sees big things in me and that’s why I haven’t been dropped yet. His standards are not as high as mine."

The 23-year-old, who became the media mogul’s first non-talent show signing in seven years, also added that he’s not interested in the bling culture favoured by many of his peers:

“I can’t be bothered. I don’t think that’s cool. A lot of hip hop stars are running around talking about how many bottles of champagne they bought. But I’m like “Save your money mate, give it to charity”. I don’t know, do something proper with it.”