A TEENAGER dropped from the X Factor says he is determined to make it as a recording artist despite the setback.

Luke Britnell, 19, of the Fallows, Canvey, admitted he was overawed when he played in front of thousands at Wembley Arena, in a performance televised on the ITV show on Sunday.

He had impressed judges Gary Barlow, Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne, and Nicole Scherzinger in the first round with his song Think Positive, but he crashed out after a nervy performance at the weekend.

He said: “I totally didn’t expect the reaction I got. It was really overwhelming.

“All the support makes me feel like I’m doing something right as I used to have a bit of self-doubt, but this reaction has inspired me to go and achieve more.”

For Saturday’s performance Luke had wanted to sing one of his own songs, but opted at the last minute to play a rendition of Daft Punk’s Get Lucky, which was broadcast to millions of viewers. His mum, Amanda, believes he wasn’t as comfortable with the song and it knocked his confidence.

Despite coming a cropper, Luke hopes to return to the show next year, but in the meantime he is aiming to record a few songs to release as an EP on iTunes.

Luke, who is a former pupil of Canvey’s Cornelius Vermuyden School and Southend’s South Essex College, started playing the guitar when he was 15, but it was only two and a half years ago he began singing.

He regularly gigs in and around Canvey, with all of his income coming from his shows. He is currently performing on a cruise ship