Bastille frontman Dan Smith tells of hope of working with music superstar as he reveals sessions with Jade Thirlwall

AS the frontman of chart-topping band Bastille, Dan Smith is no stranger to a hit single.

Now he is hoping to team up with Justin Bieber, to work on the Canadian’s comeback after learning he is back in the studio.

He said in an exclusive chat: “I’d love to write with Bieber. In fact, Happier, which is a song I did with a DJ called Masrhmello, was originally written in my mind for Bieber.

“When I was writing that song, I was imagining Justin Bieber singing it. Yeah, so I actually didn’t know that he was writing again. I will reach out and see.”;

Happier was a No2 hit in 2018, so more massive chart success could be on the way.

Closer to home, Dan has been in the studio with Brit-winner Jade, but it remains to be seen whether their collaborations will see the light of day.

He explained: “We did write together a while ago, and it was so much fun. I think she’s just one of the funniest and most incredibly talented people I’ve got to work with. She’s brilliant.”;

But asked if we would hear it, he said: “I don’t know. I’m not sure what happened to that. I loved working with her, though. We did a bunch of songs.

“It was for something else, it wasn’t actually for either of us. But I’m a big, big Jade fan.”;

Dan, who also recently co-wrote Myles Smith's hit Nice To Meet You, has been taking some time away from Bastille and teased his tunes could soon be popping up on the big screen.

He said: “I’ve been working on a load of different projects — music projects, film and TV projects, and in slightly different creative worlds that I’m not really in a state to talk about yet.

“But I’ve been busier than ever, and really taking advantage of us not being on the road.”;

In good news for their fans, Bastille will be back in November for their From All Sides arena tour, which celebrates songs from the first 15 years of their career.

When I told him I could barely believe they’ve been together for 15 years, he said: “Dude, it’s insane. It doesn’t feel like 15 years at all.

“It’s very surreal that it’s been that long. But it’s been really great, hanging out, the four of us, and planning the tour and thinking about what we can play.

“It’s going to be really liberating to get to just dip into anywhere and every- where that we want to.

“The idea we have been around 15 years, but that we’re still able to play these rooms, is amazing and such a privilege.”;

Pre-sale tickets are available tomorrow ahead of general sale on Friday.

‘We keep prices as low as possible'

But news of their tour comes amid a huge discussion about fans being ripped off by touts selling fake tickets and vastly inflating prices.

Dan has teamed up with O2 to urge concert-goers to have their say on the future of live music as part of the Government’s consultation on the re-sale of live event tickets, which closes on April 4.

He is also backing a new online hub at stampittout.co.uk, where you can get advice about buying gig tickets without having to pay over the odds.

Dan said: “I’ve seen online such a large amount of times, people complaining about getting ripped off. It’s often just so frustrating to feel helpless in that situation.

“Fans get ripped off and pay way more than they need to for tickets, and sometimes part with their money to not have a ticket at all.

“We like to keep our prices as low as possible, just so that the tours can be inclusive and as many people as possible can come.”;

Ireland has already got legislation in place to stop fans getting ripped off.

Now it’s time for the UK to follow suit…

Bastille’s Dan Smith has teamed up with O2 to urge music fans to have their say on the future of live music and launch Stamp It Tout (www.stampittout.co.uk).

The new online hub is designed to help music fans buy gig tickets without being ripped off by touts, and to encourage them to take part in the UK government’s consultation on the resale of live events tickets.

The consultation is open until April 4th.