Olly Murs has been singing the praises of his home county, revealing the secret of the Essex charm.
The X Factor runner-up is one of a growing list of credible artists from the area, including Jessie J and Matt Cardle.
"Essex is probably the place to be at the moment," the 26-year-old said.
"We're just nice, down to earth people. We just have a laugh and have fun, we don't take ourselves too seriously."
Olly came second to Joe McElderry on The X Factor in 2009, and has since built a successful music career, topped off by a Brit Award nomination for Best British Single.
If he was not being a top pop artist though, Olly reckons he would like to captain a cruise ship.
