Cardle signed a joint deal with Syco and Columbia Records after winning the seventh series of The X Factor.

Letters debuted at number 2 on the UK Albums chart and spent 16 consecutive weeks in the top 40.

Following his split from Columbia/Syco, Cardle's second album, The Fire was released on 29 October 2012 through So What Recordings, part of the Silva Screen Music Group.

Cardle returned to Sony in 2017 and released his fourth album, Time to Be Alive, with them on 27 April 2018.

The song's emotions are intertwined with imagery from my favourite children's book Harold and the Purple Crayon.