Sam Fender feels "an element of guilt" about his success.

The 30-year-old singer has achieved impressive success over recent years, but Sam feels awkward that his childhood friends haven't enjoyed the same good fortune.

Sam - who comes from a working-class background in North Shields, north-east England - tole People: "I don't feel a disconnect. I feel like I'm the exact same person.

"I feel I'm still that kid a lot of the time, and I think that being that kid doesn't necessarily lend itself well to the life that I have now … There's an element of guilt that comes with [success]. There's the fact that most of the people that I know back home are still very much struggling to f****** pay their bills and feed their kids."

Sam acknowledges that he still has "a little bit of a chip" on his shoulder, as he's often surrounded by "extremely posh people" in the music business.

The 'Play God' hitmaker said: "I think I'm actually almost a bit too tethered to home and to my youth and my upbringing. It's hard not to [be]. There was times where me and my mother were both unemployed.

"We didn't have anything. It was brutal. We were always happy and we always survived, but there was times were there were elements of embarrassment and shame. And I think that stays with you no matter what."

Sam released his latest album, 'People Watching', earlier this year. And although the record received widespread praise from critics, Sam doesn't actually pay any attention to the so-called experts.

The singer insisted that he's only concerned with the opinions of fans and his "musical peers".

Sam - who released his debut album, 'Hypersonic Missiles', back in 2019 - said: "Half the time it's either blowing up your ego or completely destroying your self-esteem.

"The only thing that matters is the fans, and of course my musical peers. Fontaines D.C. think it's great. Elton [John] thinks it's great. It's f****** fine then. My dad likes it, so, great."

Sam began making music for his own personal enjoyment and he doesn't intend to change his approach.

He said: "I'll do my gigs, and I love making music with my friends, and that's what I did it for initially. I never ever did it for anything else."