Post by carol on Aug 26, 2014 19:11:51 GMT
A NICE INTERVIEW AHEAD OF GARETH'S GIG IN TITHE BARN.
LOVE CAROL XXX
He was the 17-year-old who captured the hearts of a nation with poster boy looks and a voice that could melt a million hearts.
Before X Factor put a vice-like reality TV grip on the nation, it was Pop Idol that blazed the trail and Gareth Gates was the show’s leading light.
The script was written for the boy who would be king, the spiky black-haired teenager who attended church and endeared himself to audiences with his cheeky smile and determination to overcome a crippling stammer.
But when it came to the crunch, it was softly-spoken Will Young who shocked millions by walking away with the crown.
After a series of hit singles including a cover version of Unchained Melody and a debut album that peaked at number two in the charts, Gareth was riding high on his Pop Idol success.
In his private life he even found himself having a brief fling with glamour model Katie Price which he has only publicly admitted to in recent years.
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Except it didn’t last; record sales dried up and he was dropped from his record label and rumours circulated of Gareth pursuing the kind of party lifestyle his idol, Elvis, enjoyed.
Now 30, the dad-of-one is still plugging away in an industry he remains passionate about and admits that he’s perhaps better placed than ever.
“I’ve learnt a lot about life since,” he says, taking deep breaths and pausing often to control his stammer.
“That was 12 years ago and I’m a lot older and wiser for going through an experience like that.
“It was instant exposure and it was a lot of fun and ever since I’ve gone on to sell millions of records.
“At the time it just felt like everything suddenly sped up for me and it made me suddenly start think about life.”
He admits that becoming a pop star
was a dream come true and despite a non-stop schedule he’s humble about his privileged position of travelling the world and reaping the benefits of what he calls a “comfortable lifestyle.”
Working hard is something he mentions over and over – he’s not labouring the point deliberately but it’s clearly a mentality that emerges from his upbringing in Bradford.
“I had a great childhood,” he says. “I was one of four kids and it was a challenge being the eldest but I was larger-than-life and very happy.
“My life was always around music and I worked hard; I was playing guitar and piano and the drums and also singing and I really had to find the opportunities to do that.”
Recognising that, he opened his own Performing Arts Academy to help “others share the dream.”
In his own career, he continues to plug away at both his music and his stammer.
“I’ve had a stammer since I was five so I adopted the mentality that music was the only form of expression,” he says.
“Writing music is something I’ve always done. I’ve been doing it since I was a child and I think that relates to my speech and not being able to fully express myself.
“Everybody will have to deal with something in life and for me it’s my speech.”
He admits that when he auditioned for Pop Idol he thought it stammer could hold him back.
But he believes that if anything, it gave him an advantage.
“It’s funny. I was quite concerned about that and not being able to express myself and my true personality.
“But for me the stammer helped me on a show like Pop Idol. It made me stand-out and I think that was a positive.”
Of course it helps that he has a carefree mentality, doesn’t read the tabloids and his world is centred around his five-year-old daughter.
“I live life with no regrets at all,” he says.
“My schedule is hectic and it’s all about any opportunity to spend time with my daughter and my family in Yorkshire.”
Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Gareth Gates isn’t 16 any longer and yet he’s still as polite and charming as ever.
Tickets for his acoustic set at Bishop’s Cleeve Tithe Barn on Friday, September 5, cost £30. Call 08445 762210.
LOVE CAROL XXX
He was the 17-year-old who captured the hearts of a nation with poster boy looks and a voice that could melt a million hearts.
Before X Factor put a vice-like reality TV grip on the nation, it was Pop Idol that blazed the trail and Gareth Gates was the show’s leading light.
The script was written for the boy who would be king, the spiky black-haired teenager who attended church and endeared himself to audiences with his cheeky smile and determination to overcome a crippling stammer.
But when it came to the crunch, it was softly-spoken Will Young who shocked millions by walking away with the crown.
After a series of hit singles including a cover version of Unchained Melody and a debut album that peaked at number two in the charts, Gareth was riding high on his Pop Idol success.
In his private life he even found himself having a brief fling with glamour model Katie Price which he has only publicly admitted to in recent years.
ADVERTISEMENT
Except it didn’t last; record sales dried up and he was dropped from his record label and rumours circulated of Gareth pursuing the kind of party lifestyle his idol, Elvis, enjoyed.
Now 30, the dad-of-one is still plugging away in an industry he remains passionate about and admits that he’s perhaps better placed than ever.
“I’ve learnt a lot about life since,” he says, taking deep breaths and pausing often to control his stammer.
“That was 12 years ago and I’m a lot older and wiser for going through an experience like that.
“It was instant exposure and it was a lot of fun and ever since I’ve gone on to sell millions of records.
“At the time it just felt like everything suddenly sped up for me and it made me suddenly start think about life.”
He admits that becoming a pop star
was a dream come true and despite a non-stop schedule he’s humble about his privileged position of travelling the world and reaping the benefits of what he calls a “comfortable lifestyle.”
Working hard is something he mentions over and over – he’s not labouring the point deliberately but it’s clearly a mentality that emerges from his upbringing in Bradford.
“I had a great childhood,” he says. “I was one of four kids and it was a challenge being the eldest but I was larger-than-life and very happy.
“My life was always around music and I worked hard; I was playing guitar and piano and the drums and also singing and I really had to find the opportunities to do that.”
Recognising that, he opened his own Performing Arts Academy to help “others share the dream.”
In his own career, he continues to plug away at both his music and his stammer.
“I’ve had a stammer since I was five so I adopted the mentality that music was the only form of expression,” he says.
“Writing music is something I’ve always done. I’ve been doing it since I was a child and I think that relates to my speech and not being able to fully express myself.
“Everybody will have to deal with something in life and for me it’s my speech.”
He admits that when he auditioned for Pop Idol he thought it stammer could hold him back.
But he believes that if anything, it gave him an advantage.
“It’s funny. I was quite concerned about that and not being able to express myself and my true personality.
“But for me the stammer helped me on a show like Pop Idol. It made me stand-out and I think that was a positive.”
Of course it helps that he has a carefree mentality, doesn’t read the tabloids and his world is centred around his five-year-old daughter.
“I live life with no regrets at all,” he says.
“My schedule is hectic and it’s all about any opportunity to spend time with my daughter and my family in Yorkshire.”
Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Gareth Gates isn’t 16 any longer and yet he’s still as polite and charming as ever.
Tickets for his acoustic set at Bishop’s Cleeve Tithe Barn on Friday, September 5, cost £30. Call 08445 762210.
