He's still ALIVE?!?!?!?
Posted on 06/24/2007 9:44:56 AM PDT by PJ-Comix
THE whirlwind rise to fame of Paul Potts continued yesterday as he started work on his album - and invited the Sunday Mirror to share the moment.
The former mobile phone salesman, 36, had just jetted in from New York to record his debut release after signing a £1million global deal with Simon Cowell.
It will be one of the quickest albums of all time - thanks to huge demand - going on sale on July 11.
Britain's Got Talent winner Paul - dubbed Pavapotty - revealed the album tracks but became quite emotional when mentioning the most important.
It's a song version of Cavatina - the tune from Robert De Niro movie The Deer Hunter - and Paul is dedicating it to his wife of four years, Julie-Ann.
At a secret Surrey studio, he whispered: "Cavatina is for my wife who has stuck by me through all the hard times when we were barely surviving on our wages. I'd reached rock bottom and was hardly even singing. So this is a big day for us both."
It was just three weeks ago that Paul sold his last mobile phone - earning himself £1.50 in commission - working at the Carphone Warehouse. Paul was due back in last week, but had to contact his boss to say he's too busy.
He said: "I had to ring my manager to make sure I wasn't in trouble for not going in. They were fine about it."
In fact, Carphone Warehouse are delighted with all the publicity Paulhas generated for them.
He said: "I got a jokey email from the chief executive asking why I haven't told them to stick their job yet. But I haven't had the nerve to hand in my notice. I worry I'll need the job back. They say, 'Don't pee in the pot as you never know when you're going to need to drink from it again'.
"I could go back to a normal job tomorrow, no problem. I'm not afraid of graft - it's all I've ever known."
But it looks like that will never happen since Paul is set to become a millionaire - especially when his album becomes a huge hit. His choice of tracks is a mixture of his favourite big songs from musicals and opera.
They include Maria from West Side Story, Music Of The Night from Phantom Of The Opera and patriotic hymn Jerusalem. He has also picked opera classics Caruso, Nessun Dorma and O Sole Mio.
Paul said: "The songs were easy to choose. I've had a fantasy playlist on my iPod for ages. I used to listen to them in the bath. I never thought I'd get to sing them.
"I've come a long way from when I got bullied on the school bus for listening to classical music too loud when the other lads were into heavy metal! I was listening to Tchaikovsky when they wanted Def Leppard on."
Following his two-day trip to New York - his first trip to the US - Bristolborn Paul has yet to return to Port Talbot in Wales where he shares a home with Julie-Ann. And he is almost embarrassed to be here - as the centre of attention with lots of people fussing around him.
He added: "I keep expecting someone to wake me up and say I'm late for work. But this is my new job. I am now a professional singer. That's what I gave as my occupation when I went through immigration in America."
Yesterday, I heard Paul record the first vocals with producer Nigel Wright, who has worked with greats such as Jose Carreras, Madonna and Barbra Streisand.
Tomorrow, they go into London's Air Studios with the London Symphony Orchestra for two weeks of recording.
Despite his huge success, Paul insists he will never change from being a regular guy. He said: "Now I'm being driven everywhere. But the man who brought me here today was having problems with his ringtone - so I sorted it out for him.
"I'm keeping my hand in with the old job - just in case this all goes wrong!"
WHAT HE'LL BE SINGING
NESSUN DORMA - from Puccini's Turandot. Famous from World Cup 1990.
CARUSO - made famous by Luciano Pavarotti.
MARIA - the famous ballad from West Side Story.
JERUSALEM - the hymn.
MUSIC OF THE NIGHT - from Phantom Of The Opera.
CAVATINA - originally theme song to The Deer Hunter.
TIME TO SAY GOODBYE - made famous by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman.
O SOLE MIO - Italian song made popular by Caruso.
'I haven't had nerve to hand in my notice at work'
The album will will be available for pre-order from amazon.co.uk from tomorrow.
That's fine. Buy his CD, go to his concerts, and cry away. My point is he is being made more than he really is.
Read the quote from Wikipedia that I posted above. Paul Potts was selected as one of the BEST of the opera students in Italy and, as a result, was given the honor of singing for Pavarotti who was IMPRESSED by him.
You are probably correct. However, my point was that the reaction is not to his story so much as the production of his voice.
Sorry. I didn't know this was all about you.
Have a nice day.
Sorry. I didn't know this was all about you.
Have a nice day.
I'm impressed when people can speak in cogeant sentences.
"Apparently impressed"...that's not saying much. Pavarotti says a lot of things, so what. He said Michael Bolton was hot when he sang 'Nessun dorma'. Get real. A lot of these leading tenors say things for their own PR, not because they really believe it.
From wiki: ...he won £8,000, which helped to pay for singing lessons in Italy. During his singing course he was selected as one of the best students, to sing in front of Luciano Pavarotti and Katia Ricciarelli, who were apparently impressed with his singing.?
One of the best does not mean he was THE best. All of Italy?? LOL. That is a gross overstatement. Under what circumstances was he selected? Was it a competition? School? What were the quality of the other singers at the time? What exactly did Pavarotti say? What are the fine details, because all the information you provided is vague at best. It paints a flowery portrait, but it lacks any real substance. In fact, a lot of what is written there is contradictory. I don't take your source seriously.
But the fact remains: he's only average. Anyone that truly bothers to analyze his singing knows that. He does amateur productions, and we don't know the quality of those productions, the other singers, etc.
Who cares. The pop music world is rife with people who couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, yet have/had very successful careers (good Lord, when is the last time you listened to Neil Young or Tom Waits or any of the current crop of girl “singers”?....could name dozens of other examples).
They are successful for various reasons, but ultimately it’s because someone out there likes ‘em enough to buy their “music”. Just that simple. I may think it sucks hugely, but obviously not everyone does.
What makes opera any different? Answer: nothing.
Mozart is the same as Michael Jackson? Beethoven is the same as Brittany Spears? Wagner is the same as Jessica Simpson?
It's apples and oranges.
You missed the point, and I think it’s quite a simple one.
If people like what you put out there, they’ll buy it. Period. Marketing/hype certainly help. Doesn’t always have to do with who is “good”, or who is truly gifted. If I like how someone sounds (singer, musician), I’ll get their stuff. I don’t give a flip what anyone else thinks of them.
Face it; people in the biz attract fan bases for different reasons, not all easy to explain.
Well said, and THANK YOU!
He's still ALIVE?!?!?!?
I’m absolutely disgusted, but not surprised.
Serious music has no place in a culture of “me”, “now”, ADD driven knowledge and tastes.
So beautifully expressed.
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