NINA Nesbitt doesn’t believe she was born to be on stage, but her career trajectory says otherwise.

The Balerno-based singer and songwriter was plucked out of obscurity by none other than Ed Sheeran aged just 17 and went on to score a top 15 album with her debut Peroxide in 2014.

Now 22, she has relocated to London where she has spent time reflecting on the manic start to her career and writing for other artists, including Jessie Ware.

This weekend, she’ll be playing her second homecoming show in as many weeks as part of the Scottish Music Awards.

“I’ve just got back from tour so my house is a complete state”, she explains over the phone.

Despite spending time in London and touring the world, her Edinburgh accent is still as strong as ever.

“The tour was great - it was three dates in London, Manchester and Glasgow.

“It was really cool to hear people singing the new songs. It’s always nerve wracking putting stuff out but Glasgow was sold out so it was such a good atmosphere and homecoming. I nearly had an emotional breakdown during the first song.”

Born to a Swedish mother, Nina had a love of pop music instilled in her from an early age but struggled with the transition to the stage.

“I wasn’t born to be on stage, it’s something I’ve had to work on over the years but I feel a lot more confident now.

“When I first started I had just left school and never appreciated how hard it is to actually get into it. Now I’ve had that time again to appreciate it a lot more.

“When I started I only really had access to an acoustic guitar and that’s what I wrote everything on.

“And now I have spent time in the studio with other writers and have learned a lot from them.

“I split my time between writing for me and writing for other people and I think that’s changed the way I write a lot because now when I go in the studio I’m only thinking about writing the best song I can. The songs actually come out better that way.”

Among her song writing credits is Slow Me Down on pop powerhouse Jessie Ware’s new album Glasshouse.

In an industry dominated by men, working with the likes of Ware has given Nina an idea of just how bright her future could be.

“I love Jessie Ware so I was so pleased to have a song on the album, I’m not really sure how that came about.

“I think she’s so inspiring because she had literally just had a child prior to our session. We done four days with her and she couldn’t have given us anymore of her time.

“Seeing how hard she was willing to work proves that women really can do it all.

“Getting older and having families is something that is kind of a touchy subject in pop music. She’s further proved that you can be a woman and have a normal life and a career so that is really inspiring.”

From starting off as a small town girl with just an acoustic guitar, Nina has now become a self-sufficient DIY producer.

She explains: “I just wanted to be able to do it myself instead of having to rely on other people.

“There’s a sense of comfort in being able to do it yourself if you had to. If I go into the studio now, I can use the language that the producers use to get the sound that I want.

“I’ve got a great team. I think being a female artist is actually great and I’ve not really felt that I’m hindered in any way but as a songwriter it’s such a male dominated field, I think there’s still quite a long way to go.

“When you walk into room, the expectation is that you don’t play an instrument. It’s little things like that. It’s not a malicious thing it’s just how they’ve been brought up.

“There are so many girls down here writing totally going against the stereotype which is great.”

With a social media following of nearly 200,000, there is the added pressure on young female artists to be role models – a pressure that Nina has been put under since she herself was a teenager.

The singer has spoken openly about her struggles with anxiety in a bid to make it easier for her fans going through the same thing.

“When I was young I found it quite weird in terms of liking posting things online and I thought ‘oh I can be who I want’.

“I do feel a sense of responsibility now that I’m older; when I was a teenager I was quite impressionable. I think it’s good to set good example but obviously no one is perfect are they? I just try and encourage them to do what they want to do because a lot of them are aspiring musicians as well so I like giving them advice.”

Some of those aspiring artists will no doubt be heading along to the SMA's where some of the best in Scottish music will be performing and attending.

"I'm excited to meet Emeli Sande and Lewis Capaldi - I think he's going to be massive.

"I think its such an honour coming from Scotland. I look at other artists down here and I just feel like the level of support you get from Scotland is unreal. We really do get behind our own. I don’t know if its just like Scottish pride or because its quite a small country even if people don’t like their music there's always a really nice feeling of support."

Nina Nesbitt will be performing at the Scottish Music Awards on Saturday December 2.