A 22-year-old musician from Sidmouth landed a record deal - just days after he fought back from cancer.

A 22-year-old musician from Sidmouth landed a record deal - just days after he fought back from cancer.

The former Sidmouth College student was living with friends in Brighton and playing with his band, Little Giants, when he was diagnosed with bowel cancer in November last year.

Sam James says he is ‘overwhelmed’ and ‘honoured’ by the amazing support he has received from friends and family and believes ‘this is just the beginning’.

The former Sidmouth College student was living with friends in Brighton and playing with his band, Little Giants, when he was diagnosed with bowel cancer in November last year.

He was forced to drop out of his music production course and, in February, went through a gruelling five-week stay in the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.

The operation was only supposed to take five days, but complications left him hospital-bound for more than a month before he was finally discharged in mid-March.

This week, he spent his first day back in the studio since getting the all-clear and made the announcement that Little Giants have been signed by Sony.

Sam said his Sidmouth College friends, who live with him in Brighton, came back home to be with him during his hospital stay.

“My mates, my girlfriend and my family definitely got me through it,” said the 22-year-old, whose parents and two sisters still live in Sidmouth.

“I’m just getting fully recovered now.”

When he first moved to Brighton three years ago, Sam said he started putting 15-second videos on Instagram and soon had around 8,000 followers - it was via the website that he was discovered.

“I got a call one day from a production company in Bournemouth,” he said.

“They said they had seen my videos and they were looking for someone to join with a pair of musicians, Luke and Danny, who had been playing together for about a year. I went to meet them, only to discover that Danny lives on the same street as me in Brighton.”

Just before Sam went in for his operation, he heard the news that Sony was looking to sign the band and it was just days after he was discharged that the official offer came through.

Now, Little Giants have just released their first single, Lately, and are working on an album together.

“It’s all going to start kicking off soon,” said Sam.

“We were kind of waiting for me to get better.

“We were supposed to shoot the video in Italy, but I was too ill to fly so we did it in my front room.

“The support around Sidmouth has been incredible and this is just the beginning.

“I want to say thanks for all the support from everyone in Sidmouth because the amount of love I have received is what’s kept me going.”