Morrissey thinks his previous success is stopping him getting a record deal.

The former Smiths frontman – who revealed last month he is currently unsigned after his contract with Universal ended in late 2009 – has still not received offers from any industry bosses to release his music through them, which the ‘Ask’ hitmaker thinks is because people prefer to break new artists.

He said: “There’s not much I can do about it. Once it becomes public that you aren’t signed, you assume that anyone who wants you will come and get you.

“I think labels for the most part want to sign new discoveries so that that label alone is seen to be responsible for the rise of the artist. Not many labels want bands who have already made their mark, because their success is usually attributed to some other label somewhere else at another time.

“Most artists are remembered for the albums that introduced them, or that made their success. For this reason, the press only write about me in terms of the Smiths story, and the fact that I’ve had three solo number one albums – or even 25 years of eventful solo activity – is never mentioned anywhere. Odd.”

The legendary singer admits he has enough new material to make an entire album, but has no desire to release the tracks himself and doesn’t even want to perform them live without releasing an official LP first.

Asked if he would consider self-releasing an album, he told Pitchfork: I am a staunch traditionalist. I don’t have any need to be innovative in that way. I am still stuck in the dream of an album that sells well not because of marketing, but because people like the songs.

“All of the new songs are very strong. We don’t want to let any more out yet because before you know it the album will suddenly already exist in a variety of forms except as a finished studio recording.”