Post by carol on Nov 7, 2015 17:30:43 GMT
This is a fantastic write-up about Gareth's talents, and of course every word is true. He has been given the recognition he truly deserves. Enjoy. 
love Carol xxx
Pop Idol star Gareth Gates heads to the Roses Theatre in Tewkesbury
By GLmagazine | Posted: November 07, 2015
Gareth Gates
Gareth Gates
Comments (0)
Pop star Gareth Gates has come a long way since finishing runner-up of Pop Idol back in 2002. He chats to Matt Dowrick ahead of his appearance at the Roses Theatre.
Gareth Gates, a name so steeped in popular culture that even those who might somehow have missed the 2002 series Pop Idol – The X Factor's forerunner – will be very much aware of his household status.
Never one to shy away from the huge obstacles he's faced throughout his career, Gareth is a testament to hard work, to fighting the odds and overcoming his personal demons.
Prodigiously talented as a boy, he was head chorister of Bradford Cathedral Choir aged 11, singing solo for the Queen by the time he was 13.
One of the first national sweethearts of his generation, Gareth had charmed his way into the public consciousness by the ripe old age of 18, capturing the nation's hearts as he seemingly fell at the final hurdle and finished Pop Idol runner-up in a shock result to Will Young.
Yet it only served to strengthen his appeal, and helped reinforce his image as the stammering underdog.
His crippling stammer might initially have seemed to be his Achilles' heel, but it represented a vulnerability that endeared himself to the public.
Add to this his boyish good looks and gentle, pop-certified voice and Gareth had a combination that was destined to succeed.
After receiving the backing of Simon Cowell, who dubbed him 'the rightful winner of the show', Gareth went on to release his first single, Unchained Melody, which shot straight to number one. Gareth remembers all too well his meteoric beginnings.
"I think Pop Idol being the first of its kind all that time ago, grabbed the nation like no other has since," he says. "I was very fortunate be a part of that very first show of its type."
Now into his thirties and 13 years after bursting onto the scene, Gareth continues to ply his trade as an entertainer. Refusing to fall by the wayside, he has forged a career in the entertainment industry through sheer hard work and dedication.
"I'm as busy as ever and feel very fortunate to have been involved in as many things as I have been," he says.
The life expectancy for an overnight pop star is often a short one; a couple of hits, several appearances on panel shows and a brief and unsuccessful business venture into a loosely related field before they fall into obscurity. Face it, how many X Factor winners can you name without the use of Google?
Gareth can take pride in distancing himself from that majority. A musician in the truest sense of the word, he plays seven instruments and is particularly highly-skilled as a pianist and guitarist.
"I've done a real mixture of shows and I constantly still get lots of work which is fantastic for me," he says.
The fact that Gareth has managed to continue to pursue his musical career unlike many of the others is no accident. It is the result of his impressive work ethic, which he says he's had since he was a child.
"When I was young my dad 'encouraged me', let's say. I wasn't really allowed to play football or hang out with my friends until I'd done my practice.
"So I had to put in hours and hours every day. So every night of the week I had something on.
"There was band practise, choir practise, piano practise. I was always working hard. It's all about work ethic."
A schedule that would surely have turned many children against their passions was not something that overwhelmed Gareth. And in much in the same way that his stammer positively affected his image, it was the driving force behind his diligence.
"I think because I struggled with my speech, and I am still doing so, my love for music was so vast and grew so quickly that I didn't mind putting the hours in," he says.
He spreads himself very thin with his work, and would certainly be forgiven if he spent his rare free time as far away from music as possible.
However, such is the extent of his passion he does anything but. "Even in my free time I play around with music," he says. "I like to write music, to jump on my instruments. I get quite a lot of a release from that."
This powerful affinity and natural talent for music has meant that there have been few opportunities Gareth has had to turn down. He's put himself in the privileged position of being able to cherry-pick his projects. Fittingly, the very thing that sparked his interest as a boy, musical theatre, is what he's chosen to focus most of his attention on.
"I think my career from here will be mainly performing in theatre, constantly writing and performing my own stuff too," he said.
Gareth is not your typical former reality TV star. He's a multi-talented, highly driven and unwaveringly humble musician. A man who at 31 still has an awful lot to offer, and whose current tour, Mad About The Musicals, has received critical acclaim.
Gareth Gates is now a name more worthy of our reverence than ever before and his exploration of musical theatre is an evening you might just want to clear your diaries for.
Gareth stars in Mad About The Musicals at The Roses, Tewkesbury on Monday. for tickets call 01684 295074.
Read more: www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Pop-Idol-star-Gareth-Gates-heads-Roses-Theatre/story-28132182-detail/story.html#ixzz3qpN6WGJB
love Carol xxx
Pop Idol star Gareth Gates heads to the Roses Theatre in Tewkesbury
By GLmagazine | Posted: November 07, 2015
Gareth Gates
Gareth Gates
Comments (0)
Pop star Gareth Gates has come a long way since finishing runner-up of Pop Idol back in 2002. He chats to Matt Dowrick ahead of his appearance at the Roses Theatre.
Gareth Gates, a name so steeped in popular culture that even those who might somehow have missed the 2002 series Pop Idol – The X Factor's forerunner – will be very much aware of his household status.
Never one to shy away from the huge obstacles he's faced throughout his career, Gareth is a testament to hard work, to fighting the odds and overcoming his personal demons.
Prodigiously talented as a boy, he was head chorister of Bradford Cathedral Choir aged 11, singing solo for the Queen by the time he was 13.
One of the first national sweethearts of his generation, Gareth had charmed his way into the public consciousness by the ripe old age of 18, capturing the nation's hearts as he seemingly fell at the final hurdle and finished Pop Idol runner-up in a shock result to Will Young.
Yet it only served to strengthen his appeal, and helped reinforce his image as the stammering underdog.
His crippling stammer might initially have seemed to be his Achilles' heel, but it represented a vulnerability that endeared himself to the public.
Add to this his boyish good looks and gentle, pop-certified voice and Gareth had a combination that was destined to succeed.
After receiving the backing of Simon Cowell, who dubbed him 'the rightful winner of the show', Gareth went on to release his first single, Unchained Melody, which shot straight to number one. Gareth remembers all too well his meteoric beginnings.
"I think Pop Idol being the first of its kind all that time ago, grabbed the nation like no other has since," he says. "I was very fortunate be a part of that very first show of its type."
Now into his thirties and 13 years after bursting onto the scene, Gareth continues to ply his trade as an entertainer. Refusing to fall by the wayside, he has forged a career in the entertainment industry through sheer hard work and dedication.
"I'm as busy as ever and feel very fortunate to have been involved in as many things as I have been," he says.
The life expectancy for an overnight pop star is often a short one; a couple of hits, several appearances on panel shows and a brief and unsuccessful business venture into a loosely related field before they fall into obscurity. Face it, how many X Factor winners can you name without the use of Google?
Gareth can take pride in distancing himself from that majority. A musician in the truest sense of the word, he plays seven instruments and is particularly highly-skilled as a pianist and guitarist.
"I've done a real mixture of shows and I constantly still get lots of work which is fantastic for me," he says.
The fact that Gareth has managed to continue to pursue his musical career unlike many of the others is no accident. It is the result of his impressive work ethic, which he says he's had since he was a child.
"When I was young my dad 'encouraged me', let's say. I wasn't really allowed to play football or hang out with my friends until I'd done my practice.
"So I had to put in hours and hours every day. So every night of the week I had something on.
"There was band practise, choir practise, piano practise. I was always working hard. It's all about work ethic."
A schedule that would surely have turned many children against their passions was not something that overwhelmed Gareth. And in much in the same way that his stammer positively affected his image, it was the driving force behind his diligence.
"I think because I struggled with my speech, and I am still doing so, my love for music was so vast and grew so quickly that I didn't mind putting the hours in," he says.
He spreads himself very thin with his work, and would certainly be forgiven if he spent his rare free time as far away from music as possible.
However, such is the extent of his passion he does anything but. "Even in my free time I play around with music," he says. "I like to write music, to jump on my instruments. I get quite a lot of a release from that."
This powerful affinity and natural talent for music has meant that there have been few opportunities Gareth has had to turn down. He's put himself in the privileged position of being able to cherry-pick his projects. Fittingly, the very thing that sparked his interest as a boy, musical theatre, is what he's chosen to focus most of his attention on.
"I think my career from here will be mainly performing in theatre, constantly writing and performing my own stuff too," he said.
Gareth is not your typical former reality TV star. He's a multi-talented, highly driven and unwaveringly humble musician. A man who at 31 still has an awful lot to offer, and whose current tour, Mad About The Musicals, has received critical acclaim.
Gareth Gates is now a name more worthy of our reverence than ever before and his exploration of musical theatre is an evening you might just want to clear your diaries for.
Gareth stars in Mad About The Musicals at The Roses, Tewkesbury on Monday. for tickets call 01684 295074.
Read more: www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Pop-Idol-star-Gareth-Gates-heads-Roses-Theatre/story-28132182-detail/story.html#ixzz3qpN6WGJB
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