AN IRISH country singer is taking a step out of his comfort zone as he switches to folk music.

Nathan Carter has just released his 11th album changing from his go-to country style to an Irish and folk genre.

On top of this he’s released more than 20 new dates for his tour starting at the end of this month.

Nathan told the Adver: “I’m delighted to be coming back starting in the last week of January for the first shows of this year.

“The tour is thankfully going really well, I’ve been very busy the last couple of years doing all these shows and I’m excited to be doing some more.”

His UK tour has been supported by his live band and rising star Claudia Buckley.

And they’ll continue for the upcoming shows starting in Crawley and ending at Shepherds Bush Empire in London.

Nathan is proud of the work he’s produced for his latest album the Irish Heartland.

He said: “It’s all been great fun writing this, it’s about my 11th album now and I’ve done an album every year.

“This time I’ve put in Irish and folk songs and moved away from country. I’ve always sang and listened to that sort of stuff, my mum’s family is Irish and they’re the best songs to write and I have always wanted to create that sort of thing."

Growing up Nathan lived in a house where country and western music filled the air.

He'd listen to the likes of Don Williams and Dolly Parton and from a young age of four he started to learn how to play the guitar, piano and accordion.

He said: "I got into music about four or five-years-old as my grandad used to sing and listen to music like Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, since then I’ve just loved music and I've always wanted to do folk.

“And people are always looking for something new and that’s what I thought I should give them so I did.”

He’s had a few highlights over the years since he became an artist.

The one he will always remember is performing in front of Pope Francis at Croke Park in Dublin.

“It was two years ago and he came to Croke Park and I sang for him which was amazing. I have never sang to that many people before and it was about 75,000 people and it was on TV. I will always remember that night,” Nathan said.

In 2018 he released his first biography Born for the Road: My Story So Far,

And last year he marked St Patricks Day with his very own show on Ireland's radio station BBC Radio Ulster.

He told the Adver: "That was a show I did last year for Northern Ireland and it had different guests on like Bryan Kennedy. Some Irish bands were there, it was great fun I got to collaborate with all sorts of people and I would love to do that again."

But no matter how many milestones he accomplishes, Nathan is always looking for the next big thing.

He said: "I keep myself active I don’t take much time off I usually just look forward to the next task.

"Last week I went to New York, it’s really cool there, I performed at a small venue called The Cutting Room and Lady Gaga once performed there so that was amazing.

"I would love to do more things like that and go to America again. But my next goal is to get my album to the top in the UK."

So far he's got seven out of 10 albums at the top in Ireland and is considered the country's biggest country star.

He will be performing at the Wyvern Theatre on January 30 at 7.30pm.

Tickets can be purchased on its website at swindontheatres.co.uk