X Factor's Emblem 3: Simon Cowell Knew he had to Sign us [VIDEO]

Emblem 3 catapulted to fame after finishing fourth on The X Factor USA in 2012 and now the Californian trio are on a quest to become the next big pop group.

The band - made up of brothers Wesley and Keaton Stromberg and Drew Chadwick - are signed to Simon Cowell's label Syco, also home of One Direction, and are preparing to release their debut album.

At the Sony offices in London, they told IBTimes UK that Cowell realised their potential relatively early on in the TV competition.

"We got called into Simon's trailer while we were still on the show," Drew says. " He was like 'I'm going to sign you guys'."

According to the Huntington Beach trio, the music mogul was afraid that Epic Records CEO LA Reid would beat him to it.

"I think the exact quote was 'I'm not going to let anyone else have you'," they say.

Although the group are working hard not to let their mentor down, they admit that their fast-track to fame is not without its sacrifices.

"We don't really get to hang out with friends like we used to all the time and surf because of constant schedules," says Wes.

Are the hours in the studio, sleepless nights and constant travelling worth it? They seem to think so.

"The actual equation of achieving greatness in your life is making sacrifices," says 20-year-old Drew.

"Right now there are certain sacrifices we are making but at the same time we are having a blast and we get to travel the world and play music. That what we wanted to do anyway."

The threesome insists that aspiring singers should have the same unwavering mindset.

"Work really hard and practice all the time so you can sing in front of anybody. Like 2,000 people to 10,000 people," they say. "Believe in yourself. Get ripped and tanned."

And with the forthcoming release of their self-penned debut single, Chloe, the band is hoping that their musical roots will help them stand out from their peers.

"We were not a pop band before all of this," Keaton says. "We went from punk to pop punk and then reggae and hip-hop sublime. All of it is on our album. We took that style and we blended it with pop music."

The group's five-year plan is to dominate their genre and tour the world - but for now they are happy to live in the moment.

Keaton laughs: "[We want to] play music and ride this out for as long as it goes. Figure it out after that five years is up."

And if the singing does not work out the boys can always try their hands at acting.

Their Hollywood connections include father William Stromberg, a Grammy-nominated composer who has worked on A-list television shows such as Lost, and their Best Art Direction Oscar-winning uncle Robert Stromberg, who worked on Avatar and Alice in Wonderland.

"It seems like so much fun, so hopefully we can get involved in that next," Wes says.