DON'T be surprised if you see singing sensation George Ezra walking under ladders or going out of his way to annoy black cats this weekend.

Ezra reckons bad luck always hit his Scottish gigs in the past - but that's only helped make them better.

The Budapest and Blame It On Me man rolls into the QMU on Saturday for his biggest gig yet, and previous Scottish shows have proved memorable.

"The last few shows I've done in Scotland haven't always gone to plan but I've been very happy with the end result," he says.

"The first one I did, my strings snapped on the first song, and I was playing completely on my own, and then last time I was there, I was through in Edinburgh and none of the PA worked when we got to the venue.

"We spent half the afternoon trying to get the speakers to work, but at the end of the night they've always been really fun gigs.

"I don't know if I want anything too smooth now, it's like an omen that if something goes wrong beforehand, the show will turn out for the best."

The 21-year-old from Hertford has had few reasons to curse his luck recently.

Blessed with a booming bluesy voice and a writing style that can be sweet and dark-hearted in equal measure, he's riding a wave of success.

Debut album, Wanted On Voyage, topped the charts earlier this year, springing George to the top of the singer-songwriter pile.

The record itself was mostly inspired by Ezra's adventures around Europe, where he indulged in lots and lots of people spotting, inspiring many a tune.

Oh, and the time he crashed at Macaulay Culkin's house in Paris.

"He was on the Adam Green tour, who I was supporting," recalls George.

"He was lovely, it was about two months before I went travelling and he said that he was moving to Paris. When I got there I gave him a ring and, as I didn't have anywhere to stay, he gave me a bed for the night.

"He's a really sound guy and I had a really long chat with him."

The whole experience not only provided fodder for his songs (including Budapest, written about one of the few cities he didn't manage to stop in) but it also helped give Ezra a fresh perspective on life.

"I learned that I could do something like that just by myself, and I learned to chill out more as well and to relax," he says.

"Sometimes, there'd be things like arriving in a city and there wasn't a hostel to stay in but, at the end of the day, you'd be alright.

"Before the trip I assumed I'd be uptight about things like that, but I ended up being pretty relaxed the whole time."

EZRA still cuts a relaxed figure today, and doesn't seem too fussed by shooting to fame in 2014.

He's immensely proud of Wanted On Voyage, though, particularly the way it drops into different styles, like the aggressive, ominous album closer, Spectacular Rival, and Drawing Board, where he rants about an ex-girlfriend.

While Bob Dylan and blues star Lead Belly are often listed as Ezra's inspirations, for the darker side he points to Lou Reed as a major influence.

"We thought it'd be fun to do a Lou Reed-style voice on a chirpy background," he adds, referring to Drawing Board.

"We actually did a version in the studio that was a bit too happy go lucky, a bit too pop sounding, so we reined it in a bit for the one that went on the album.

"What I look for is stories that you can buy into and believe. Guys like Lead Belly were amazing at that, but there's a simplicity to it as well.

"They don't beat around the bush."

l George Ezra, QMU, Saturday, sold out, 7pm