He has only released a handful of songs, but Sebastian Schub’s talent was obvious from the off. The singer-guitarist-pianist-songwriter’s debut single begins by declaiming “I wanna sing like Madonna/ I wanna dance like a queen” in a gloriously orotund baritone that’s nothing like the queen of pop’s. “Like if Hozier and Jeff Buckley had a slightly German baby!” grins Schub. Possibly his vocals were closer to Madonna’s when he learned to sing in Hamburg’s youth opera academy as a five-year-old, alongside acting, mime and musical theatre.

That said, Sing Like Madonna is as close to autobiography as Schub’s music gets. Usually he writes about his friends or family. And though that wounded roar of a voice belies it, Schub’s songs (and stage presence) have a warmth and wit that light up his engaging gigs. A decade of busking, mostly in London or Dublin since he was 15, has made him comfortable in a spotlight. “It’s the great gift busking gives you,” he enthuses. “There’s a kind of relaxation, a hardness, a stamina that comes from it. You play your guitar like a drum – loudly and intensely.”

He jokes he only has guitars and no friends, but his youthful decision to concentrate on music has paid off, with superb radio-ready singles such as the darkly dramatic, bluesy Ruin Me. Expect some unmissable shows this summer, with an EP to come too.

• Sebastian Schub tours the UK and Ireland in April and May