Post by carol on Jul 15, 2013 17:32:14 GMT
A very frank interview with Gareth, enjoy! 
love Carol xxx
Gareth Gates is returning to the stage with his concert, Momentous Musicals. Jamie Clarke catches up with him during a busy day of promo for the show.
For a brief moment, in a much simpler time, Gareth Gates was the nation’s sweetheart. Finishing the first series of ITV behemoth, Pop Idol, as runner-up behind Will Young, he was promptly signed to BMG by Simon Cowell, who had made no secret of his feeling that Gates was the rightful winner.
Gates saw massive success upon the release of his debut single, ‘Unchained Melody’, a UK number-one single which went double-platinum and was voted The Record of the Year by ITV viewers. Smash Hits magazine even went as far as to name 7 October 2002, International Gareth Gates Day in commemoration of his meteoric rise to stardom.
He looks back fondly on that time, ‘Pop Idol was great. I owe a lot to that show. It got me where I am today and I owe so much of my success to Simon [Cowell].’
As wiser modern audiences are aware, stars which rise so speedily into the stratosphere must return to earth. Some crash and burn; while others accept their fate and make the journey back to earth smoothly and profitably.
‘It was the original, you know? We didn’t know what to expect and it was just huge. It changed my life,’ Gates recalls.
I imagine it must be tiresome to be asked about Pop Idol ten years on. I ask him if he gets sick of talking about the show, if he ever wants to simply be judged on what he’s doing now, ‘I’ve never been one to be ashamed of where I’ve come from,’ he tells me, and he means it, ‘I’ve had a hell of a lot of success, I’ve sold millions of records and I have Pop Idol to thank for that.’
2002 was such an innocent time, however. Back then, Pop Idol was the first of its kind. Gates seemed sure to be a household name for eternity; such was the level of fame he had achieved. ‘It was such a shock,’ he remembers, ‘I was so young.’
As his singles’ chart positions began to slip, 2003’s ‘Sunshine’ reached #3 and follow-up, ‘Say it Isn’t So’, reached #4 it was clear that his grip on the nations heart was beginning to weaken. And as is always the way with such situations, Gates’ recording contract wasn’t renewed.
‘That show is still a part of my life though. I still speak to Will [Young] and Zoe [Birkett] who were on the show with me, we’re still friends.’
Once free from the shackles of a major label, Gates attempted to go it alone. Releasing a guitar-album that shunned his manufactured image and accompanying sound. The album reached #23 in the UK and Gates’ musical career was no more.
Gates entered the theatrical world with the lead role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, replacing Lee Mead. It seemed to be a role he was happy about as he gladly declared that he wasn’t going to return to music, ‘Maybe in the future I will. I’m just really pleased I’ve got this role. It’s what I’ve wanted since I could sing. When I rang my dad to tell him I’d got the part, he said, ‘I’m more happy about this than I was when you were in Pop Idol.’ For him, it’s really, really big.’
Gareth Gates
Gareth owns the stage.
Following his performance in Joseph, Gates secured the role of Marius in the Les Miserables international tour which led to his joining the West End cast in 2010. Performances in Loserville and Legally Blonde followed and Gates’ theatrical career flourished.
Momentous Musicals sees Gates reunited with former Les Miserables cast member, John Owen-Jones, who Gates assures me has a ‘great voice’ and is a ‘great actor’. Owen-Jones played Jean Valjean alongside Gates during his stint as Marius in the West End and is the Phantom with the most recorded performances in the role; over 2000, which is astounding.
‘Speckulation Entertainment, a production company, approached me to do the show’, Gates’ tells me. ‘And I’m really happy to be sharing the stage with such talented people from some incredible musicals.’
‘Ashleigh Gray is performing. She played Elphaba in Wicked, so you can imagine what a great voice she has.’ Gray has since performed in the Susan Boyle musical, I Dreamed A Dream.
Gates seems excited to be visiting his home town of Bradford on the tour, ‘I remember performing on the Alhambra (a well-known theatre in Yorkshire) stage when I was really young. I was in the King & I, so I’m excited to be back on that stage in such a great production as an adult.’
‘Momentous Musicals is a concert celebration of really well known songs from musicals that everybody who knows them loves,’ Gates tells me, ‘The production values are excellent and it will be a really great night with some excellent performers and their amazing voices.’
It seems that although theatre is the focus for Gates right now, the bug for writing music hasn’t gone completely. ‘I do miss being a recording artist,’ he confesses to me, ‘ I’m writing a new album at the minute actually. I’m experimenting with different sounds, and writing songs that I’m really pleased with. I’m ten years older now. I’m a lot more mature.’
As if to dip his toes back in the water, a live recording of Momentous Musicals will be recorded and made available to buy for those that enjoy the show. Gates also has roles in panto, Sleeping Beauty from November and another Boogie Nights lined up from January.
Gareth Gates stars in Momentous Musicals which is opening at New Wimbledon Theatre on Wednesday 17 July and will be touring to Torquay, Bradford and Manchester, tickets are on sale
love Carol xxx
Gareth Gates is returning to the stage with his concert, Momentous Musicals. Jamie Clarke catches up with him during a busy day of promo for the show.
For a brief moment, in a much simpler time, Gareth Gates was the nation’s sweetheart. Finishing the first series of ITV behemoth, Pop Idol, as runner-up behind Will Young, he was promptly signed to BMG by Simon Cowell, who had made no secret of his feeling that Gates was the rightful winner.
Gates saw massive success upon the release of his debut single, ‘Unchained Melody’, a UK number-one single which went double-platinum and was voted The Record of the Year by ITV viewers. Smash Hits magazine even went as far as to name 7 October 2002, International Gareth Gates Day in commemoration of his meteoric rise to stardom.
He looks back fondly on that time, ‘Pop Idol was great. I owe a lot to that show. It got me where I am today and I owe so much of my success to Simon [Cowell].’
As wiser modern audiences are aware, stars which rise so speedily into the stratosphere must return to earth. Some crash and burn; while others accept their fate and make the journey back to earth smoothly and profitably.
‘It was the original, you know? We didn’t know what to expect and it was just huge. It changed my life,’ Gates recalls.
I imagine it must be tiresome to be asked about Pop Idol ten years on. I ask him if he gets sick of talking about the show, if he ever wants to simply be judged on what he’s doing now, ‘I’ve never been one to be ashamed of where I’ve come from,’ he tells me, and he means it, ‘I’ve had a hell of a lot of success, I’ve sold millions of records and I have Pop Idol to thank for that.’
2002 was such an innocent time, however. Back then, Pop Idol was the first of its kind. Gates seemed sure to be a household name for eternity; such was the level of fame he had achieved. ‘It was such a shock,’ he remembers, ‘I was so young.’
As his singles’ chart positions began to slip, 2003’s ‘Sunshine’ reached #3 and follow-up, ‘Say it Isn’t So’, reached #4 it was clear that his grip on the nations heart was beginning to weaken. And as is always the way with such situations, Gates’ recording contract wasn’t renewed.
‘That show is still a part of my life though. I still speak to Will [Young] and Zoe [Birkett] who were on the show with me, we’re still friends.’
Once free from the shackles of a major label, Gates attempted to go it alone. Releasing a guitar-album that shunned his manufactured image and accompanying sound. The album reached #23 in the UK and Gates’ musical career was no more.
Gates entered the theatrical world with the lead role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, replacing Lee Mead. It seemed to be a role he was happy about as he gladly declared that he wasn’t going to return to music, ‘Maybe in the future I will. I’m just really pleased I’ve got this role. It’s what I’ve wanted since I could sing. When I rang my dad to tell him I’d got the part, he said, ‘I’m more happy about this than I was when you were in Pop Idol.’ For him, it’s really, really big.’
Gareth Gates
Gareth owns the stage.
Following his performance in Joseph, Gates secured the role of Marius in the Les Miserables international tour which led to his joining the West End cast in 2010. Performances in Loserville and Legally Blonde followed and Gates’ theatrical career flourished.
Momentous Musicals sees Gates reunited with former Les Miserables cast member, John Owen-Jones, who Gates assures me has a ‘great voice’ and is a ‘great actor’. Owen-Jones played Jean Valjean alongside Gates during his stint as Marius in the West End and is the Phantom with the most recorded performances in the role; over 2000, which is astounding.
‘Speckulation Entertainment, a production company, approached me to do the show’, Gates’ tells me. ‘And I’m really happy to be sharing the stage with such talented people from some incredible musicals.’
‘Ashleigh Gray is performing. She played Elphaba in Wicked, so you can imagine what a great voice she has.’ Gray has since performed in the Susan Boyle musical, I Dreamed A Dream.
Gates seems excited to be visiting his home town of Bradford on the tour, ‘I remember performing on the Alhambra (a well-known theatre in Yorkshire) stage when I was really young. I was in the King & I, so I’m excited to be back on that stage in such a great production as an adult.’
‘Momentous Musicals is a concert celebration of really well known songs from musicals that everybody who knows them loves,’ Gates tells me, ‘The production values are excellent and it will be a really great night with some excellent performers and their amazing voices.’
It seems that although theatre is the focus for Gates right now, the bug for writing music hasn’t gone completely. ‘I do miss being a recording artist,’ he confesses to me, ‘ I’m writing a new album at the minute actually. I’m experimenting with different sounds, and writing songs that I’m really pleased with. I’m ten years older now. I’m a lot more mature.’
As if to dip his toes back in the water, a live recording of Momentous Musicals will be recorded and made available to buy for those that enjoy the show. Gates also has roles in panto, Sleeping Beauty from November and another Boogie Nights lined up from January.
Gareth Gates stars in Momentous Musicals which is opening at New Wimbledon Theatre on Wednesday 17 July and will be touring to Torquay, Bradford and Manchester, tickets are on sale
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great read, whats this Boogie Nights for January I wonder 