Conor Maynard backs Calvin after Zayne Twitter spat

UK singing sensation Conor Maynard is backing superstar DJ Calvin Harris after his Twitter feud with former One Direction member Zayn Malik earlier this week.

Speaking backstage at THORPE PARK Resort's ISLAND BEATS festival, Maynard said though he felt the argument may have been justified, it didn't need to happen over the social media site. 'Keep it to texts, maybe send an email…just not on Twitter so it looks like bait. Like you're publicly doing it.'

He also said he felt Zayn needed to up his Twitter game and even unfollowed him because of his poor banter, 'Come up with better comebacks if you're going to do it. The stuff he comes back with is just abysmal…when he said to Calvin 'calm down before your dentures fall out'…I genuinely unfollowed him because of that tweet.'

The singer, who is active on social media and has a large Twitter following, feels it's important for any artist to be online to keep their fan base interested, 'They're (fans) all online and if you're not going to interact with them then they're going to find somebody else.' He also said he loves replying to negative tweets because they keep him grounded and his friends are more critical than anyone online, 'It's kind of funny. I actually enjoy the negative ones. It definitely brings you back down to earth. It doesn't bother me. My mates will rip me way worse than anyone else can because they know me, so they can get really personal and I can be like 'how dare you say that guys that's really hurtful!' So yeah, I can handle haters really well because my friends are way worse.'

The twenty two year old singer – who shot to fame three years ago with a string of hits including number two single 'Can't Say No' - has been out of the limelight for some time working on his second album, but he doesn't see time out of the spotlight as a negative, 'I think as long as you come back with strong music it makes no difference how long you take. I wanted to go away, really think about where I wanted to go with my music and what sound I wanted to follow and then come back. I'm still in the process of making sure the music is as strong as it can be.'

At the start of his career, Conor was frequently compared to Justin Bieber – even being called the UK's answer to the US star but, he now feels he's moved away from that tag, 'It was a cool comparison at the time because he was one of the biggest artists in the world and that was cool but eventually you want to have your own name, your own brand.' He cites the release of single 'R U Crazy,' produced by Labrinth, as a turning point, 'When 'R U Crazy?' came out, that kind of question, where it used to be in every interview wasn't really there anymore. I definitely think I became my own thing at that point.'

Maynard was speaking ahead of his headline set at THORPE PARK Resort's ISLAND BEATS where he performed a set full of hits including his debut smash 'Can't Say No,' 'Vegas Girl' and 'Turn Around.'

The final ISLAND BEATS gig sees Union J take to the stage next Saturday 29th August.