It’s been a big year for Naughty Boy. He had a number one hit with Sam Smith with La La La, he’s been on tour with Pharrell Williams, and he’s working on a single with One Direction and on Mary J Blige’s new album.

Things look to be on an ever-upwards trajectory for Watford’s own Shahid Khan – all success and upbeat tunes – but now he’s ready to show a more serious side to himself to his fans and the world.

“I had a great year,“ agrees the 29-year-old from West Watford, “but I just want to slow it down a bit now.“

This desire is evident in his new single Home, which he has produced and features up and coming singer songwriter Sam Romans. The song has a slightly more melancholic, thoughtful edge to it perhaps than his previous singles, and which he is using to relaunch his album Hotel Cabana, which features vocals from the likes of Ed Sheeran, Professor Green, Tinie Tempah and Bastille.

“I wanted something new, that wasn’t on the original album, because La La La and the other singles, great as they are, don’t really reflect the whole album, which is quite soulful, quite down-tempo. Home is true to that.

“Music is the most important thing to me and with this song there are no gimmicks, there’s no big name, I’m using another new artist. I wanted to make people think about something.“

While Sam Romans sings that it won’t be a long time till we get back home, the video shows the plight of a mongrel dog as he tries to get back to his owner, who turns out to be homeless.

“It’s basically saying your home doesn’t need to be four walls,“ says Shahid, a former Westfield School pupil and regular at West Watford mosque, “it can be wherever you feel love. It might be a bit cheesy, but that’s the sense of the song.“

Shahid was touring Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia with Pharrell Williams and US rapper Macklemore when he finished writing and mixing Home, “basically the furthest I could be from home.

“Watford is still definitely home. The reason I haven’t bought a massive mansion is that I’m scared I might not be able to call it home.

“I’m doing a lot of flying about at the moment, doing lots of European festivals, but as long as I can come back and have my mum’s curry I’m happy!“

Shahid was back at his parents’ house earlier this week to celebrate Eid with his family, but it looks like it could be a while before we spot him on the streets of West Watford again – he’ll be busy recording the single he, Emeli Sande, Sam Romans and One Direction’s Zayn Malik have written for the boy band (“I spoke to Simon Cowell recently and he loves it, it’s his favourite one“), doing more touring, finishing producing Mary J Blige’s album and executive producing the debut album of Rickmansworth duo Chasing Grace, who he has signed to his label, Naughty Music, and the publishing company he has set up with Emeli Sande.

“I’m really excited about them,“ he says. “We’re building up the album at the moment, it’s the first thing me and Emeli have developed together for the company.

“We discovered them out of Rickmansworth School, there’s a lot of talent coming out of that whole area at the moment – I want to find some more!“

Does Shahid thinks he’s changed from the boy he was growing up in Watford with his taxi driver dad and housewife mum, not having much money?

“No. I know a lot of people say that, but sometimes people think you’ve changed, but what you’ve actually done is become yourself.

“I was a shy boy when I came to London and maybe I’m not as charming as I was then! But I was saying to Emeli, you know, we became the people we were supposed to be.

“My mum and dad, my family and my friends keep me grounded. If I didn’t have them, I’d probably start believing the hype!“