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.
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.
Sounds like an album to watch for.
Jonah – I came into work this morning, ran through my email, signed payroll, ran out to rake a couple of employees over the coals, went back to the office, pulled up NRO, and clicked on the Corner. That’s when I ran across your post about Paul Potts. The video came up and there’s this dumpy guy with bad teeth. Then he started to sing. Now, I’m not an overly emotional person, but halfway through I realized I was crying. Haven’t done anything like that in many, many years, and I wondered, as I dried my eyes, how in the world his singing could have caused such a strong reaction in me. The video has been on a loop in my head ever since, and I think I’m ready to make a guess.
His expression before he begins to sing is that of a man resigned to disappointment. Even when he smiles, his eyes convey a profound sadness. He has been a nobody all his life. He, and perhaps only he, knows he has greatness inside of him, but he is obviously a humble man, massively insecure, afraid of rejection, unsure of himself outside the cocoon of anonymity. But you get the feeling he also knows that this may be the one chance he gets to escape the cocoon, and as he begins to sing, you can see him fighting down his fear. I think that is the wellspring of the emotion that pervades his performance. He is fighting against a life of obscurity. By the song’s end, what was an average Joe has stepped up, beaten back his fear, and broken through. In those few seconds, he put the void behind him, and his life will probably be changed forever because he called up the courage at that moment to show what he was really made of. We saw greatness, long denied, finally being born.
It was one of the most heroic things I’ve seen in a long time. My deepest thanks to you for posting it. Truly inspirational. –
Normally the 6-year old girl would have won against all the others. However, Paul Potts was something special. He had a hard life and she is just starting out.
Mr. Tanner
Harry Chapin
Mr. Tanner was a cleaner from a town in the Midwest. Of all the cleaning shops around, he’d made his the best. He also was a baritone who sang while hanging clothes. He practiced scales while pressing tails and sang at local shows.
His friends and neighbors praised the voice that poured out from his throat. They said that he should use his gift instead of cleaning coats.
But music was his life, it was not his livelihood and it made him feel so happy, and it made him feel so good. He sang from his heart, and he sang from his soul. He did not know how well he sang, it just made him whole.
His friends kept working on him to try music out full time, a big debut and rave reviews, a great career to climb.
Finally, they got to him; he would take the fling. A concert agent in New York agreed to have him sing. There were plane tickets, phone calls, money spent to rent the hall. It took most of his savings, but he’d gladly use them all.
The evening came, he took the stage, his face set in a smile. In the half filled hall the critics sat watching on the aisle. The concert was a blur to him, spatters of applause. He did not know how well he’d sung, he only heard the flaws. But, the critics were concise, it only took four lines, and no one could accuse them of being over-kind.
“Mr. Martin Tanner, baritone, of Dayton, Ohio, made his town hall debut last night. He came well prepared, but unfortunately, his presentation was not up to contemporary professional standards. His voice lacks the range of tonal color necessary to make it consistently interesting. Full time consideration of another endeavor might be in order.”
He came home to Dayton and was questioned by his friends. But, he smiled and just said nothing and he never sang again — excepting very late at night when the shop was dark and close, he sang softly to himself as he sorted through the clothes.
I’ve been watching this for a couple of weeks now and he makes me cry...this is definitely an ugly duckling story and I wish him the best. I’ll be buying the album. What a voice and story.
I see a no-brainer here...
The Carphone Warehouse would have a coup on its hands if they persuaded him to stay on as their "goodwill embassador" for the company at his old salary and, from what I've seen of this fellow, he would go for it... and have his "job" waiting should he ever need it.
I agree. She is awesome.
However, had it not been for Paul and the exposure he created for all the others, I would have never seen or heard any of them.
Not the sort of TV program I ever watch.
I don't blame him for riding the wave, but let's get a grip on reality: he's only an average singer that got a lucky break. He's just the flavor of the moment. He'll make his money and disappear.
More important question: Would he be nearly as loved if people were well-educated about musical arts? I don't think so. Put in a different way, could you fully understand and enjoy baseball if you didn't know the rules? Of course not. It's the heartwarming human interest story people are reacting to, not his vocal production.
What a wonderful story this is. I watched his performance, and it was awesome! I wish him the best! I hope money and fame don’t corrupt him!
The elitist view of the world.
Why is it necessary to repeat this?
Many universally-loved composers today were similarly attacked by the cogniscenti. The common folk, the unwashed, is what makes certain things "universal", for better or for worse.
Shrek?
AVERAGE singer??? Didn't you read the Wikipedia quote I posted? Even Pavarotti was impressed by Paul Potts when he was getting lessons in Italy. He will make money...and stick around for a LONG time.
LOL. No, he will not last. He's not the next Caruso, Mario Lanza, Pavarotti, or Domingo. I love your enthusiasm, but he's average at best. If he were the singer you claim, he would already be singing in La Scala, Metropolitan Opera, or a host of other opera houses. No way he could sing a complete opera production! He sounds like a talented student who is not well-trained and discliplined.
His first CD will sell pretty well, only because only because there is irrational emotion about this his personal story. If or when he records a second CD, it will hardly sell like this first one. Not even close.
You are saying that the mass public would enjoy baseball without learning the rules of the game? Ridiculous.
I'd rather have a public that's well-educated in art music make up their own minds than sheeple basking in the latest marketing blitz.
Paul Potts was TRAINING to become an opera singer (he took lessons in Italy) but sickness and finances caused him to go off track. Meanwhile almost NOBODY listens to opera but, thanks to Paul Potts, that is quickly changing.
What RULE did Paul Potts break? He sang and the public LOVED him.
” Of course not. It’s the heartwarming human interest story people are reacting to, not his vocal production.”
My reaction of tears on first hearing him sing seems to be near universal. Given that very few of us knew his human interest story before hearing him sing, I can’t agree that we were reacting to something we didn’t know.
People love Coca-Cola too. That doesn't mean he's a good singer.
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