Clean Bandit: Louisa Johnson has the X factor to make our new record a hit

The band collaborated with Johnson after they accidentally heard her singing on TV

Fiery presence: Louisa Johnson in the final of The X Factor

Syco/Thames/Corbis/Dymond

Alistair Forster24 June 2016

Clean Bandit are teaming up with X Factor winner Louisa Johnson for their new single — in an unlikely collaboration that started after the band accidentally heard her singing on TV.

The electronic trio were in their dressing room at November’s Big Reunion festival at Butlins in Skegness when Johnson appeared on television.

Clean Bandit’s Grace Chatto said: “It was one of those festivals where they take over the whole of Butlins. I hadn’t seen any of this series of X Factor. I was with Luke [Patterson, her bandmate] in our little chalet that was our dressing room. I was in the other room and I heard her voice on TV through the wall. I ran in and said, ‘Who’s that?’

“We had this song already almost finished apart from the vocal. We managed to get it to her and she really loved it. It all happened really quickly. As soon as she sang the first line we knew it was right.”

The Standard got an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the new video for the single, Tears, which features stunning slow-motion shots including Johnson, 18, walking through a waterfall and Luke sitting inside a giant balloon that explodes. It also features a cameo from the owl that played Hedwig, Harry Potter’s pet, in the movies.

As with previous videos, it is directed by Luke’s brother and bandmate Jack. He joked: “Before, we’ve treated our videos as holidays — we thought, ‘Where do we want to go?’ and we’d go there to film. This is our first time in a studio. We have all of the elements: fire, water, wind — and birds!”

Johnson is hoping the song will kick-start her career in the same way Clean Bandit’s collaboration with Jess Glynne, on their Grammy-winning single Rather Be, propelled her to stardom.

“The guys are so high up and well-respected, so to start my career with a song like that is really cool and I feel really fortunate to be in that position,” said Johnson. “They made Jess Glynne, so if I get to be that fortunate that would be amazing.”

She is working on her own debut album with Simon Cowell’s label Syco and said: “Syco were really pushing me to do this song. They were excited for me too. My own music is coming along really well. It’s a lot different to what people may expect.”