ABOUT

"I keep waiting for someone to pinch me and say 'Wake up, Paul, it's time for work - you're late again'. I feel like I'm on a rollercoaster - a white knuckle ride into the unknown. And I don't want to get off!"

Britain's Got Talent winner Paul Potts has spent most of his life feeling 'insignificant'. Bullied at school for being 'different', he realised growing up that he had one true friend and that was his voice. Singing was his escape. He was able to lose himself in his own little world - the vicious words of his tormentors replaced by hauntingly beautiful lyrics and melodies that lifted his heart and spirit. It was a love, a passion, a lifeline that would follow Paul into adulthood and help him through many more periods of adversity. But it was also a gift that was destined to go largely undiscovered, due to a crushing lack of self-confidence that has dogged this hard working and humble man throughout his 36 years.

Born just outside Bristol on October 13, 1970, to bus driver Roland and his wife Yvonne, a supermarket cashier, Paul - who's one of four children
- was singing almost from the moment he could talk. "My mother recalls me listening to the theme from ET and conducting an imaginary orchestra with sticks," laughs Paul. By the time he reached 11, he was part of one of the best church choirs in Bristol. But it was when he hit 16 that his love of opera took hold. "I bought a cheap recording of Carreras," he recalls. "It was the first time I had heard Che Gelida Manina (Your Tiny Hand Is Frozen) and I was so moved by it. To this day La Boheme remains my favourite opera."

Although Paul has performed at amateur level, most notably with Bath Opera, his chronic lack of self esteem and fear of rejection always prevented him from trying to make it professionally. " As I saw it, if I never asked - never put myself out there - then I'd never get told "No",'says Paul. "It was safer that way."

So instead, he carried on with his day jobs - which have included stacking shelves in a supermarket and, most recently and famously, selling mobile phones, where he was told by one of his superiors that he was a 'natural salesman'. "But I knew I wasn't," says Paul. "When I was selling, I always felt like I was putting on an act. When I sang, that's when I felt I was myself - the real me."

In 2000, Paul used savings and a bit of money he'd won on a quiz show to attend a three-month summer school in Italy, where he learned the language and got to indulge his passion further. He even got to sing in a masterclass for his idol, Pavarotti. But he was about to be dealt a cruel blow.

In 2003, he suffered a burst appendix. While undergoing treatment for this, doctors discovered a benign tumour on his adrenal gland. It was successfully removed but while he was recovering, he was knocked off his bike and broke his collarbone. "Of all the health problems I'd been through, breaking my collar bone was the most painful and it took months to recover," says Paul. " I got very, very low and for once, singing was the last thing on my mind."

And he might have given up forever, had it not been for Britain's Got Talent - the talent show for today's generation, created by Simon Cowell and co-producved by his Entertainment company Syco TV, which last week was celebrating a double whammy. In a first for a reality TV format, the Got Talent shows on both sides of the Atlantic - Britain and America - were at number one, with more than 13 million viewers tuning in to see Paul win the final of the British version and the same figure welcoming back a second season of America’s Got Talent in the States. (The format has now been commissioned worldwide and will be shown in 40 countries by the end of the year!)

Though it's fair to say that when Paul strolled awkwardly - almost apologetically - onto the Cardiff stage for his first Britain’s Got Talent audition a week before that final, in his now infamous £35 Tesco suit, and announced to Simon and fellow judges Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan that he was going to sing opera, they never thought for one minute they were looking at their winner. Until he opened his mouth and started to sing.
It was, as Simon has said since, simply magical. "Incredible", agreed Piers. And Amanda, who was moved to tears, said his voice had left her covered in goosebumps. "We were not expecting that," admitted Simon.

"I was so nervous I was shaking like a jelly, but when I watch that audition back, i can see in my eyes that when I start to sing I go to a totally different place and the nerves just vanish," says Paul. "When I stopped singing, there were a few seconds when my heart was racing because I had absolutely no idea what the judges were going to say."

Since then, accolades have been posted on the Internet from as far afield as Australia and Taiwan, from fans who've seen Paul's performances on
YouTube. "A humble bloke who's not even aware of his amazing gift - Paul
Potts is a true star" wrote one.

"It has changed my whole life. I used to feel so small and insignificant.
But now I know I am someone - I am Paul Potts and this is what I do,"
smiles Paul.

But don't worry - there's no danger of him going all starry and getting above himself! "I am not going to change - although I might invest in some nicer suits! But whatever happens, I'm keeping that Tesco one. It's a reminder of where I was and where I attempt to remain - except in better clothes!"

Paul also hopes to get his teeth done. "I don't think I'd suit one of those dazzling Hollywood smiles, but I'd like to get the cap sorted as I'm very conscious about it when I sing." Other plans for the £100,000 prize money include taking proud wife Julie-Ann, 27, who he wed four years ago, on safari - and, fingers crossed, starting a family.

"It's something we couldn't afford to think about before," explains Paul, who lives with Julie-Ann in a modest two bedroomed house in Port Talbot, south Wales. "Now we can and that would complete things."

However, it might have to wait a little while. His feet have barely touched the ground since his victory last Sunday and he's got a host of engagements to prepare for. The Thursday after winning, Paul flew to New York to perform in the plaza for NBC's Today show - just days after Enrique Iglesias played the same venue and, the previous week, JonBon Jovi! Then he'll be back to the UK to start work on his first album.
And, of course, there's also the VIP performance for which he was competing in Britain's Got Talent - appearing in front of Her Majesty the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance in early December.

"All of this is like a fairy tale and I'm terrified I'm going to wake up soon and find I've dreamt it all," says Paul. "The support I've had has been incredible and I feel so touched and humbled by it. It has done so much for my confidence and I really can't thank people enough for giving me the chance to realise my dream. To be given an opportunity like this is more than I ever could have hoped for. Finally, I am going to be doing what I've always felt I was put here to do - something I love and that gives me so much joy

RELEASE

The Single "Ave Maria"

JOURNAL

Vancouver - 29/3/2008

Hello!

Well we arrived safe and sound in Vancouver. We had a good walk around it and it's a wonderful city! You can see the Pacific Mountain range between the buildings. If only we had more time here to explore! The next day we made our way over to Victoria. On the trip across the sea, we spotted a distant Mount Baker, a dormant volcano totally covered in Snow, a beautiful looking mountain that dominates the US city of Seattle. The Macpherson Theatre was another wonderful intimate theatre. At the end of the concert I threw the roses into the crowd and managed to reach the balcony with one of them!

Julz is slowly but surely becoming addicted to French Toast, especially the banana variety! Not being a particular fan of bananas, I stuck to the plain variety. Yum! My last Canadian concert was in Calgary. The audience laughed out loud when I recounted the story that I had watched Eddie 'the eagle' Edwards on the TV at the Calgary Winter Olympics in 1988. I was very relieved to find that the cold that I had been suffering from had completely gone, and not only that, the trapped nerve was no longer giving me problems. The Jack Singer Hall was a lovely place to perform in and I enjoyed my performance.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in Canada for giving me such a wonderful welcome and reception. I hope to see you all again soon!

Canada - 21/3/2008

Hi Guys, I've made it to Canada!

We're here right in the middle of March and the snow is on the ground, much to Julz's delight. We landed in Toronto, one of our favourite cities, and we headed for our favourite steak house that is not a nightmare on Elm Street! Barberiens is our regular haunt in Toronto.

This part of the tour is a real road trip, from Hamilton we headed to Montreal in a tour bus so we got to sleep on the way. This is the first time I have ever slept on the road in a tour bus, so it was quite an experience!

In the meantime, I had managed to catch a cold while in New York, and Julz describes me as a typical man when it comes to having a cold: When I have a cold, I'm dying! Getting a cold is certainly not ideal, but they are difficult to avoid, even though I take plenty of vitamin supplements and drink plenty of orange juice, and eat plenty of fruit. I tried to stay positive and just perform as well as I could.

There were some absolutely stunning places to perform in: Places des Artes in Montreal and the Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto were both packed to the rafters and wonderful places to perform in. The Centrepointe Theatre in Ottawa was a more intimate affair.

I am quite familiar with Ottawa. My family has friends relatively close to Ottawa and I have spent quite a bit of time there. 7 years ago I managed to get time off to go to Canada, and I fibbed saying that I was going there to sing. Little did I know that lie would turn out to come true 7 years later.

We then flew out to Edmonton. It was actually quite a lot warmer than Ottawa, although it had been -30 degrees C only a few days before. I managed to pick up some leg pain, and I spent the evening limping around the stage like anything. It turned out that I had a trapped nerve that had been there some time, probably as long ago as the accident where I fractured my collarbone. It was very painful and the treatment for it where the therapist put my joints back in line was even more painful. I think I probably looked very funny on stage hobbling around!

From edmonton, straight after the show we got onto another tour bus for the 13 hour drive to Vancouver. On the way we got caught up in a blizzard and the driver had to stop to wait it out.

I am really enjoying my time in Canada, the audiences have been very welcoming, and it has been good to see more of a country that I love.

Westbury, New York

Hi guys,

Well, to my utter disbelief, I've started my North American tour! It's really difficult to believe that a year ago I was still selling phones in Port Talbot, and yet here I am treading the boards in some wonderful venues in the US.

When we arrived, we went to Las Vegas for a mini holiday and saw some amazing sights, including flying over the Grand Canyon and landing above the Colorado river and then flying over the Las Vegas strip. We watched Spamalot at one of the Casino Theatres which we loved (we have always loved Monty Python movies).

A few days later and the tour started, and I have to say that I've been blown away by the reaction! I'm getting to see parts of the US that I have never seen before. The theatre in Tampa was a truly stunning building, and was very intimate - I could really feel people willing me on!

Before the concert in Washington DC we drove past the White House from a distance, and got stuck in traffic, so I took the opportunity to take some photos. Washington is one place I'd love to return to to see more of, as unfortunately we didn't have a lot of time there.

One thing that has struck me is how in some places, it is possible to build a city within a building. In Vegas there was a building with a sky with rainstorms and the inside of Foxwoods Casino near Ledyard, CT was like a whole city inside - just amazing!

Thank you to everyone that has come to my concerts so far and to everyone for their messages of support. I really do appreciate it!

Paul x

Amsterdam, Holland

My first impression of Holland was how lovely the narrow streets and canals are. I stayed in a hotel right by the canals and had a few walks around the streets getting my bearings. On the first day I performed on a very zany show, Mooi Weer de leeuw. I was told that the comedian who hosts the show was a bit eccentric but that his show was the highest rating show in Holland. I loved performing Caruso with live piano and strings; it is already one of my favourites, but even more so with the alternative arrangement.

I was a bit startled by the host when he returned in a different guise, but was told that this is normal for his shows. After the show I visited the Anne Frank House and Museum. I'm still amazed that Anne, her family and friends managed to stay in these quarters for more than 2 years undiscovered, and how cruel the timing was that had she lived another month she would have been liberated. I also recorded at the classical music venue in Amsterdam, Concertgebouw. The interviewer there was far different to Paul de Leeuw and the interview passed with no suprises! I enjoyed performing in the concert hall. The acoustics were superb.

Lisbon, Portugal

It's my birthday!!!! But no rest for the wicked!!! I arrived in Lisbon shortly after midnight on my birthday, 13th October. I woke reasonably early and after breakfast took an hour to walk around. It was already pretty warm, but the architecture in Lisbon is beautiful. The hotel I am staying in is gorgeous. I feel incredibly privileged to be able to see so many places.

The performance I did in Lisbon is for a show called Operacio Triunfo, the Portuguese version of a show that aired in the UK a few years ago called Fame Academy. I went to the rehearsal, and felt very relaxed. When I arrived at the venue for the actual performance, I was again shown the joy of live tv. My performance had been brought forward by 45 minutes! It was a bit of a rush, but the crowd really welcomed me, and I enjoyed my performance. The crowd sang happy birthday to me, there were so many of them there!

I lost count of the number of birthday cakes I have been given! I can't eat them all, and cannot possibly take them all with me! Having said that one I had a couple of pieces from at the hotel was absolutely gorgeous!!!!

Pictures

 

Summary of the week:

What a week! Three countries I have never been to before and three very different places! Helsinki was pretty chilly but with lovely Russian influenced buildings especially the domed church. Holland was a mixed bag, there was the very different experience on Dutch TV, but then the very subdued atmosphere of the Anne Frank House.

Portugal was very hot and very beautiful. The crew and contestants of the TV show made me feel very welcome, and there are far worse places to be on your birthday than in sunny Portugal!

Next stop is Toronto. I've been here a couple of times before, the last time in deepest winter with -25 degree C with Julz. I have a feeling that I will be pretty busy!

On the road diary – Finland 10/10/2007…..

My first ever visit to Finland.

I arrived here in Helsinki very late/early Monday/Tuesday whichever way you look at it! I had a chance to have a wander around Helsinki first thing in the morning, and my first impression of the city is that it is much colder here than where I have been recently.  In Chicago it was 30 degrees whereas here it was about 8! I don’t really feel the cold, so I’m fine with that! I had an interview with one of the major newspapers in Finland ‘Ilta-Sanomat’, and then we made our way to the TV studios for Channel 4 where I performed for their equivalent to Britain’s Got Talent, ‘Talent Suomi’ which is Finnish for ‘Finland’s got Talent’.

The studio was a bit smaller than the one I used in the British version but it was very welcoming as were the hosts. I also met one of the judges who is a choreographer for the Finnish National Opera.  I couldn’t tell whether they had an equivalent of Simon on the show, but there’s only one Simon Cowell! I did hear some of the rehearsals and the standard was very high.  I was still pretty nervous about performing, and yet I wasn’t even being scrutinised by the judges!!  I enjoyed my performance, and I hope that the people in Finland did also. My performance on this show is broadcast on the 11th November.  
 
On the way back we drove round the long way and saw some wonderful architecture that was heavily influenced by the period when Finland was controlled by Russia until liberation in 1917.  The domed church was stunning as were all the other buildings in the square.
 
My album is due out in Finland on 24th October, and I look forward to returning to Helsinki next year when I will be performing live in concert on June 6th. It will be great to see more of the city.  
 
I am now on my way to my next destination:  another place I have never been to before, Amsterdam. It’s wonderful to be able to see so many places and meet so many friendly people!
 
Thank you once again to all those I met and made me welcome whilst in Helsinki.

TORONTO, CANADA- 15/10/07

After about 20 hours back in the UK, I've flown to one of my favourite cities, Toronto. Julz is travelling with me, and the last time we were here was about 3 years ago when we came here for a Valentine's week treat. It was a bit warmer this time, bearing in mind last time that it was -30!!! We arrived late afternoon, and we took a walk down to the area that we stayed in last time. We found our way to Yonge Street, the longest street in the world at 1896km (1185miles) long. Yonge Street is the main shopping street in Toronto, and we stopped for a coffee. Typically for me, I had a clumsy moment in the coffee shop and knocked my coffee over, a good deal of it ending up over Julz (sorry again, babe!!!!).

In the evening, we went back to our favourite steakhouse, Barberiens on Elm Street (no, it wasn't a nightmare!!!!). The Filet Mignon was every bit as good as we remembered it! Barberiens is quite an old fashioned place, and there was a local link for us as well as in 1964, Richard Burton (who came from Pontryhdyfen, 3 miles away from where we live in Wales) proposed to Elizabeth Taylor here in this restaurant.

16/10/07

Up bright and early this morning for my first performance in Canada, on Canada A.M. early performances are always a bit tough, but I was pretty happy with my performance this morning. I also performed live for a radio station this morning not long after the breakfast show.

Later in the day, I recorded an interview for a Canadian chat show, The Hour, and I quite enjoyed this interview, the host was good fun, and I ended the interview by retelling the story about how I managed to have my mobile phone with me on the night of the first live show on Britain's Got Talent.

The host is a great fan of the great British drama, Life on Mars, and the ringtone that would have gone off just as Simon Cowell began to speak that night was "Oi! Fatty!! Eat another pie and shut it!!" Thankfully my phone was on silent mode!!

After recording the show, we met up with the record company's canadian MD, Shane, and the manager for one of Canada's favourite stores, Roots, to have a look around the store and do a little shopping. Apparently, Paris Hilton was just leaving the store as I went in. Being my usual observant self, I managed to miss it!

We went to a private club for a fantastic meal, and then went back to the hotel.

17/10/07

In our families, all our birthdays seem to follow each other. Saturday was mine, today is my mum's birthday. I attempted to call her several times so that I would catch her before it became too late in UK time. I did manage to catch her just before she left to go to our favourite restaurant in the Lake District, a restaurant called Lucy's on a Plate, in Ambleside.

Today was another busy day with an early breakfast show, plus a live broadcast performance for the main classical radio station in Canada. I enjoyed the performance again, and we then went to Sony's headquarters in Toronto, where we spent some time in the Elvis room.

We left for Toronto's City Centre airport, for our flight to Montreal. When we arrived there we had to take a short ferry ride to the airport which is on an island on Lake Ontario the only Great lake that is Canadian. We had just checked in when we were told that our flight had been cancelled due to technical problems. This meant that we had a 2 hour wait for the next flight, so we took the opportunity to go back into the city.

We wanted to go up the CN tower to have a drink from the observation cafe, but unfortunately there was a private function there so we went to different place and had a quick drink while whiling away the time.

MONTREAL, CANADA - 18/10/07

We have just one day in the French part of Canada, Quebec. I did another breakfast radio show. I actually quite enjoy doing the breakfast show on radio. They always seem to have a good vibe, and I tend to have a bit of humour in the morning's, can't think why!!!

I made sure that I had a good breakfast as I wanted to use our time at luchtime to see a little of the city as it would be the only opportunity that I would get. I always try to see something of a city when I can, as otherwise all you see is hotels, airports and studios. Montreal is a very cosmopolitan city with a great feel to it with a real mix of european and North American.

We left later for the airport for our flight to New York, which was delayed due to visibility problems in the New York area causing a knock on delay throughout the day. We arrived at the La Guardi Airport on one of the islands,and we had a great view of Manhattan skyline as we approached the airport. I made a point of not telling Julz how close we were to the water on the approach, as she always hates take off and landing. We could see the Empire State and Chrysler building very clearly.

NEW YORK, USA - 19/10/07

Today is Julz's mum's birthday and we had better luck getting hold of her than my mum two days earlier! This was my third trip to New York and Julz's first trip to New York. The weather was very murky and would get worse as the day went along. The first part of the day was spent doing satellite radio interviews from a studio in places as far apart as Seattle and Kansas. It's when you do things like this that you realise just how massive the US is!

I had quite a large interview to do for a major programme on the ABC network in the Sony building on Madison Avenue and the weather really set in so we had to curtail some of the filming that had been planned. I felt very comfortable in the interview though. I often feel very nervous in interviews as I never get used to it and always treat each interview as if it were my first.

In the evening, the weather cleared up a bit although the clouds stayed pretty low. Julz and I went for a wander down Broadway down to Times Square and we had dinner close to Rockefeller Plaza. We noticed that the Observation Deck was still open for the Top of the Rock experience, but the clouds were too low for that so we decided to wait and see what the weather is like tomorrow for that. We strolled back to our hotel a much shorter way than the way I had taken Julz, who asked me why I didn't take that route on the way up!

NEW YORK, NY 20/10/07

We woke to cloudless skies, and went down for breakfast to decide what to do. We had a lovely breakfast sat out in the warm sunshine, and decided to take a walk through New York to try and find something for our nephews, Connor (9) and Lewis (7) who love motor cross racing.

On the way, we returned to Rockefeller Plaza (the shorter route this time!!) to take a trip up to the top of the GE building, so called the Top Of The Rock. It was a very warm day with temperatures in the 70's. It's meant to be autumn!!! I'm glad I brought some summer clothes!

The view from the top of the Rock was sensational, although it did give Julz a bit of Vertigo so we didn't stay right up the top for too long. It was the perfect weather for this though, and we enjoyed our time at the top with such wonderful views of the city. Julz was struck by how big the city is, especially Central Park.

We decided to walk down to the part of the city where concierge had told us the shop was, at Union square. It hit us how long Broadway is as a street, and how it dissects the downtown part of the city. When we did get to Union Square no one had heard of the store that the concierge had told us about. At least we had seen something of the city anyway!!! We took a ride in a yellow cab back to Times Square and had a meal directly on Times Square and headed back to the Hotel.

Check out Paul's pictures from New York
       

21/10/07 - NEW YORK, NY

Another warm and sunny day here in New York on what would be our last day in 'The Big Apple' on this trip. We had big aims for today, we were aiming to do the 'Duck tour' where the tour bus actually goes into the water in the Hudson River, and we were also aiming to see the Statue of Liberty.

The first part we managed. We got on the bus come boat just after 1pm, and set off on our trip around the city. We entered the water with a bit of a splash, but I managed to not get too wet. The views of the city from the water were outstanding, especially the Empire State building and the Time Warner building on 58th/Columbus circle. The trip was quite informative and entertaining and we both enjoyed it.

When w got back on to dry land we decided to see if w could do the Statue of Liberty. The quickest way would have been to use the Subway, but as Julz gets a bit claustrophobic, we decided to take a cab down to Battery Park. We passed the site of the World Trade Centre and were struck by the size of the hole that has been made in the skyline of this part of Manhattan.

When we got to Battery Park, we were struck by how many people were queuing for tickets and to actually get on to the boats. Just after we got there was an announcement that the boats were all sold out, so we didn't manage to see the Statue of Liberty close up.

We got a yellow cab back to Times Square, and then made our way back to the hotel to get ready for the next part of our trip, Mexico. Before we left, we went up to the Penthouse Bar at the hotel and had a quick drink with a wonderful view of Times Square and Broadway behind us.

MEXICO - 22nd October 2007

We flew out very early so that we could arrive in time to see some of Mexico as we knew that the schedule in Mexico was going to be quite tight. We arrived at 05.45am, greeted by a TV crew from Hechos. To my shock, it was a live transmission from the airport, so it was just as well I had changed out of my knee length shorts and t shirt!

We had a few hours sleep after breakfast, and then set off for the Aztec Pyramids. We stopped off at a Cooperative where I bought something for the house made out of local stone and also bought Julz a necklace, with local crystals and quartz. We also tasted some tequila, which after having some salt and lime wasn't as shocking to the system as I thought.

We then left for the pyramids, and I was struck by how big they were. I decided that I would climb the larger of the two. I got up there in about 15 minutes, so that was my gym workout for the day! What a sensational view from the top! Surrounded by a fantastic panorama of mountain ranges it was a great place to be.

In the air I could feel the rain coming and we had been warned that it would rain. And boy, did it rain! We drove down to the centre of Mexico City and the Presidential Palace and the Cathedral looked stunning it was just a pity that there was a raging storm around us so we couldn't have a closer look.
 
Paul Potts