He might be an X Factor finalist with a new single on the way, but Stereo Kicks schoolboy Charlie Jones still has double maths to worry about in between sell-out stadium gigs.

The 15-year-old, a Year 10 pupil at Wilmington Grammar School for Boys in Dartford, has found himself in the midst of GCSE exams just as his band are set to release their debut single Love Me So.

The teenage popstar entered the competition as a solo artist but ended up as part of eight-piece band Stereo Kicks – who finished fifth in the TV talent show.

Looking back on where it all started, he said: “I’ve always loved music, even before I could sing. My dad taught me guitar because he has been learning since he was 12, but I thought it was missing something so I started singing to it and my mum and dad picked up on it and said: ‘wow, you’re actually quite good!’”

“It kind of just blew up instantly. My phone was sitting there next to me and as soon as my name came on across the screen, my phone just blew up. It was crazy” - Charlie

Charlie developed his stage presence and vocals at the famous Italia Conti Academy in London, who’s list of alumni include Lee Ryan from Blue, Pixie Lott, Russell Brand and Naomi Campbell.

Prior to entering X Factor, Charlie released a solo single called Belieber For Life – dedicated to teenage heartthrob Justin Bieber – which attracted well over a million views on YouTube.

The teen pop hit managed to get him noticed by X Factor talent scouts and saw him guaranteed to make it through to the boot camp stage.

“You would expect me to be really excited when I found out, but because nothing was guaranteed. I always try and keep grounded.

“I never thought I would get as far as I did, never in a million years.”

The young singer described the X Factor process as “intense”, but said he “loved every minute of it”. However, little did he know that he would be entering the live finals not as a soloist, but with a group of eight other young lads.

“Initially, I was confused because it happened so quick. The way the whole situation was I felt like something exciting was going to happen.

“I didn’t initially know how it was going to work, because it had never been done before. But then we went to boot camp and it just clicked.”

Watch: Charlie discusses balancing GCSEs with his music career

When Charlie first appeared on the box for his first audition in front of the judges, it was a complete shock to the entire school.

“I literally didn’t tell anyone, and I’m bad at keeping secrets. I didn’t tell anyone until it actually came out on TV and by the end I was already guaranteed to go through to the live shows with the boys.

“It kind of just blew up instantly. My phone was sitting there next to me and as soon as my name came on across the screen, my phone just blew up. It was crazy.”

While the rest of the band are living it up as full-time musicians, Charlie still has the small matter of his GCSEs to worry about. Despite almost all of his free time being consumed by his music career and having to miss many classes, he still managed to achieve a B in a maths exam taken this year.

“It’s not too hard now because I’ve been doing it for a good 10 months now – balancing this popstar life,” said Charlie.

“One minute I’m performing in front of thousands of people, and millions on the TV, then the next I’m doing double maths in a room on Skype with one of my tutors. It was weird to get your head around.

“My school have been amazing – especially my head teacher because he has an understanding of what I’m doing and lets me have days off here and there" - Charlie

“Every morning I had to wake up really early and do work with my tutor, then get on a massive tour bus to perform in front of thousands of people. It happened every day in a different place.

“It’s a lot harder than the rest of the lads because if they’re not working, they’re not doing anything really. It keeps me busy though I guess.”

Despite his new-found fame, Charlie explained how some things never change.

“School hasn’t really changed. It’s quite normal which I like because it brings me back down to the real world.

“I love PE because I love the outdoors – rather than being in a really sweaty classroom. It’s nice to be able to play a bit of football with the boys.

“My school have been amazing – especially my head teacher because he has an understanding of what I’m doing and lets me have days off here and there.

“A few of my mates of jealous of my Twitter followers, I’m always giving them shout-outs. I retweeted one of my mates the other day and I think he got about 2,000 followers from it.”

With a star-studded future ahead of him and an already gigantic fanbase, the future for Charlie and Stereo Kicks is looking bright to say the least.

Yet in a reflective tweet he sent out on Monday, Charlie said: “I wish I could rewind time to this time last year and do this thing all over again. Everything is going so fast!”

Explaining what was going through his mind when he wrote that tweet, he said: “I was looking at my camera roll on my phone and I realised I only had one gigabyte left, and I was like ‘where has all my storage gone?’

“I realised I had over 6,000 photos and about 500 videos. So I literally just scrolled to the top and looked at the all and it just brought back so many amazing memories. I just thought I wish I could go back to where it all started because it’s just been the best time of my life.”

Stereo Kicks’ new single Love Me So will be released on Monday, June 22.