Last summer, a charming young Brit named Olly Murs achieved a notable feat: He managed to hold the attention of 13,000 hyperventilating One Direction fans at The Arena at Gwinnett Center.

Murs, at the time, was basking in the success of his first U.S. hit, the infectious “Heart Skips a Beat,” a glossy pop tune with a hint of light rap courtesy of Chiddy Bang.

On Monday, Murs returns to Atlanta, this time not as an opening act, but  for his own solo show. The room might be smaller – Center Stage, which he sold out – but considering the amount of female attention directed at Mr. “Troublemaker,” the decibel level from estrogen-laced screams certainly won’t be low.

Murs, who turns 29 later this month, isn’t exactly a newcomer to the charts. He landed in second place on Britain’s version of “The X-Factor” in 2009 and since then has earned eight Top 40 hits in the U.K. and released two albums prior to “Right Place, Right Time,” which arrived last fall overseas and last month in the U.S.

After this solo tour, he’ll return to his homeland to slightly larger venues – stadiums, to be exact – where he will open for British superstar Robbie Williams.

Murs is also already thinking ahead to his next record, which he plans to release in 2014.

But first, the amiable singer called in from New York to talk about his current album and why he won’t be getting naked onstage.

Q: This is technically your third album, so what is different this time?

A: It is my third, but it’s my first in the States, so with the fact that I came over last year with One Direction, it’s all perspective. I knew subconsciously that the U.K. is my main market, but the States would be someplace to come to, and this was the right album. The first two were me learning my craft and the success of them (overseas) has pushed me over to the States.

Q: You’ve had this album ready to go for awhile so you must be excited to finally release it in America. Why did you postpone it?

A: We had (2011’s “In Case You Didn’t Know”) finished and done, but I just sat down and said, I don’t think it’s the right album to release in the States. So we waited for the third one (“Right Place Right Time”) to be released in the U.K. and thought it was better suited to the American market. It’s my best songs and the market isn’t that congested this time of year. We were going to do it around Christmas, which would have been ridiculous.

Q: What's been the biggest challenge trying to crack the U.S.?

A: The size of the place! When you’re in the U.K. you live in your own little world and you can’t help but think ‘I’m a big star.’ But then you get here and it’s like, how naïve was I to think that? It’s a massive country, the radio is filled with thousands of songs every day. I knew I had to work from scratch like I was a new artist, and I’ve never done that before. Really, here I’m starting from nothing, which I really like. I’m enjoying that process, it gives you no expectations. Wherever it goes, I don’t know,

Q: I saw you open for One Direction last year, but how are your solo shows different?

A: I don’t try to overcomplicate the shows. People coming are fans of my music I hope, or they’ll go online to find more about it. I’m just putting together a real strong set of my songs and just having fun and having a real family show. I’m not someone who swears or gets naked on stage.

One thing I’ve noticed is that people see that I like to have fun, so it’s going to be a really exciting, fun show. When you tour such small venues you can’t do too many tricks. I have an amazing live band. I’ve had this band the last four years and just came off second U.K. arena tour. We are coming into this tour really tight.

Q: So you’re going to be opening stadiums for Robbie Williams this summer?

A: Yeah, 85,000 people!

Q: I guess you two have become good friends?

A: Robbie came to me about a year ago and mentioned the fact of doing a tour and you think to yourself, that’s never going to happen. And then suddenly it’s all kicked off. I don’t want to let him down and I want to make sure his fans love watching me and that they’ll like my style. I think for fans in Europe, we’re very similar artists in terms of personalities. He lives mostly in L.A. so I don’t see him too much, but we get on really well.

Q: You’ve got Flo Rida and Chiddy Bang on the album, but who else would you like to work with?

A: Calvin Harris – he’s done really well.

Q: You co-wrote every song on the American version of the album, but do you think the fact that you came from “The X-Factor” makes people think you aren’t a real songwriter and that you have to fight more to be accepted as authentic?

A:  I’m very proud of the album, but I’ve never been shy to take a song from someone else. If someone writes a song for you and it’s a great song I wouldn’t be stupid enough to say no. I’ve never stated I’m a songwriter. I love performing and I love writing songs, but I don’t think I could sit there and write songs on my own. I’m an entertainer and a performer – I’m a pop singer, that’s what I like to do. But going back to ‘X Factor’… coming here, you don’t know my backstory as much, so you’re judging my music first, which is a good thing. In the U.K., people knew me from the ‘X Factor’ and it wasn’t until I put the first album out that people put two and two together. In the U.K. they got to know me first and here, you hear my music first.

Q: I would guess being that you came from “The X-Factor” that you're a fan of the talent shows. Have you seen U.S. version?

A: I saw it last year, bits and bobs of it. It’s something I want to see more of. I think it’s progressed in two years. Simon (Cowell) has been a fantastic mentor for me; he’s given me time and space and is not too involved in what I’ve done and has let me become a man. When I was on ‘X Factor’ I was a child and he let me grow and let me do my own thing. (Laughs). I hope he gives me a U.S. ‘X Factor’ slot!

Murs plays a sold out show at 7 p.m. Monday at Center Stage.