'I'm not angry at Simon Cowell'

Austin Drage says he's played with Rod Stewart and gigged with his own band

All this week on Newsbeat we'll be looking ahead to the new series of The X Factor and find out what happened to some of last year's losing finalists.

Austin Drage finished ninth out of 12 in last year's series, ending up in the bottom two against Rachel Hylton.

He says he's had a busy year since being voted out but hasn't heard from former mentor Simon Cowell. ________________________

What have you been up to over the last year?

It must have been so strange finishing The X Factor. How did you feel the next morning after being kicked off the show?

Did you find it a bit depressing after all the attention started fading away?

Scott Bruton, who was also mentored by Simon Cowell, said he hadn't heard from him since last year. Has Simon Cowell spoken to you since The X Factor?

Have you used any of the contacts from the show, like Dannii Minogue or Cheryl Cole?

How are things with you at the moment? Have you got a record deal?