Former X Factor finalists Union J hope they can follow in the successful footsteps of One Direction and The Wanted.

The group - comprising JJ Hamblett, Jaymi Hensley, Josh Cuthbert and George Shelley - recently released their debut single 'Carry You' which is currently riding high in the mid week charts.

In an interview with Fiasco magazine, Hensley revealed the band are hoping to follow One Direction and The Wanted's lead and crack America too.

He said: "There's a big things for boy bands there at the minute and hopefully we can jump on that train and be successful as well."

The singer, 23, also added that the group's vocals are the main focus explaining:  "We really want to focus on voices. We're all individual and we want to showcase what we're good at."

Hamblett revealed that Union J are keen to mix up their signature slow songs and added: "On X Factor we did a lot of ballads so we want to go out there and show we're not about ballads, we can do something more upbeat."

Union J's debut album is set for release later this year.