Singer Miguel has said he felt at home in Manchester while filming his BBC fashion programme because it shares the “laid-back pace” of his native Los Angeles.
The American star features as a judge on The Drop, a competition looking to find “the UK’s next big global streetwear brand”.
The competitors will go head-to-head for the chance to have their first line stocked by a major UK retailer.
Grammy award-winner Miguel, 36, said he had performed in Manchester before but never spent more than a day exploring the city.
He said: “Here I was for a little more than a month in Manchester, and it was fun.
“Amazing college community. I got a lot of college energy. But then you have the city centre, which is bustling.
“It’s such an eclectic reminder of home – I’m from LA.
“I think the pace is what made it easy for me because Los Angeles has a little more laid-back pace so I really felt at home in Manchester. It felt like home.
“The pace was right, good food, good vibes, I had my homies. I already had a little community because these are my judges. It was dope.”
The programme sees Miguel mentoring up-and-coming creatives but the singer admitted he was a “bad influence”.
He said: “I don’t know if anyone wants me to be their mentor ever again. I hope I did an alright job but I’m kind of a bad influence.
“Because overall I’m always like, ‘Just do what the f*** you want and you believe in, and just believe in it’.
“It’s like a blanket belief but by and large most of the people who have done anything impactful were sort of delusional.
“And I’m the guy who is like: ‘Yo, be delusional about your shit. Believe it and find people who are just as delusional as you are.’
“There’s that saying that reality is whatever delusion you choose.”
The Drop launches on March 14 at 9pm on BBC Three and iPlayer.