Ben Howard finds it 'weird' being recognised by fans

Ben Howard released his debut album Every Kingdom in September

Ben Howard says he finds it "weird" being recognised by fans.

The 23-year-old was speaking to Newsbeat backstage at his recent gig for Mencap Music's Little Noise Sessions.

Howard said: "I live in a small town so I get recognised a lot which is weird. You kind of expect it at shows, but I get recognised quite a lot at home."

The singer released his debut album Every Kingdom in September making it to number seven on the official chart.

Howard told Newsbeat that he's enjoying some aspects of fame.

"It's cool, I get a free coffee or a free beer every now and then.

"A lot of the bars are really nice to me now because they've heard me on the radio."

Album ideas

The singer has played a number of live shows over the past year.

"We've done a lot of touring, we've been on the road almost constantly, but it's been amazing to have the album so well-received," he said.

"We've played all sorts of weird and wonderful places. You do all kinds of venues from heavy metal places in Germany to big ornate churches, and everything in between."

Despite an intensive touring schedule, Howard says he's still found time to write new material.

"We've definitely got new material in the pipeline, [we're] always writing, always coming up with ideas," he said.

"It's hard on the road, you don't get too much time to sit down and focus.

"I'd like to do an EP at some point and obviously start thinking about song ideas for the next album. I've got a few songs already for album number two."