Once
in a while something comes along that gives you goosebumps
— that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand
up. The
mobile phone salesman who is set to become an opera star
after winning "Britain's Got Talent" on September
18, 2007, revealed that he would begin spending his £100,000
prize money — on new teeth. Paul Potts, 36, won over
the nation with a stirring rendition of Giacomo Puccini's
Nessun Dorma in the finale of the hit show, watched
by 12.1 million viewers. The former Tesco shelf-stacker
from Port Talbot, South Wales, now gets to perform in
front of the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance. Paul,
who has also landed a record deal with TV show judge Simon
Cowell, commented about fixing his teeth: "I'm
not sure about veneers but I do want to get the crown
repaired. It would be nice to be able to smile naturally.
I feel very self conscious about it at the moment. But
whatever I do I'm not going to change who I am."
It
was a daunting prospect, not only singing for a huge TV
audience, but notoriously nasty Idol judge Simon Cowell.
However,
Paul, who has battled a burst appendix, a huge tumor on
his adrenal gland and a shattered collarbone after being
knocked off his bike, knocked 'em dead. The motorbike
accident in 2003 took him completely out of the opera
circles. Paul spent £12,000 on singing lessons before
deciding his dream was not meant to be. He began stacking
shelves in Tesco but had to quit work because of a spell
of ill health. Since his illness he has struggled with
money and has never reached his potential in Opera —
this is why he chose to enter "Britain's Got Talent."
"All
my life, I've felt insignificant. But after that first
audition, I realized I am somebody. I'm Paul Potts."
Wearing a cheap suit and with his hair cut too short,
he admitted the judges weren't initially impressed with
him. But when he sang he blew them away. Paul told the
Wales newspaper: "I don't think they were expecting
very much. I'm a bit short and overweight and had a cheap
old suit on and the hairdresser had used a number two
on my hair instead of a four so it made me look a bit
bald. But when I sang, I made sure I looked at the judges
and I saw Simon Cowell's jaw drop. I knew then I must
have done all right."
Paul
received a standing ovation from the 2000-strong audience
at Cardiff's Millennium Centre and much praise from the
hard-to-please judges, which
included ex-tabloid editor Piers Morgan and actress Amanda
Holden. "I heard some of the audience were reduced
to tears after my performance and Amanda has been quoted
as saying the hairs on her neck stand up when she remembers
it," Paul said. "As far as I'm concerned,
that's a great achievement already, anything else is a
bonus."
The
former Carphone Warehouse salesman from Port Talbot in
Wales said bullies made school in Bristol so bad he wanted
to end it all. “There was a lot of name-calling
and I was regularly beaten up. It turned me in
to a loner.
I never told my parents. Somehow I felt it was my fault.
I bottled it all up. There were some low times. I used
to cry myself to sleep."
Paul
first responded to classical music when he heard Tchaikovsky's
"Pathetique Symphony (No 6)". "I
remember I loved the theme of the first movement. Then
I got into Puccini and the emotion of Italian music."
Wondering
if pursuing his dream was worthwhile, Paul heard about
"Britain’s Got Talent".
“I filled in the entry form on my laptop, but
then I had second thoughts about hitting the submit button.
I
waited an hour then I decided to flip a coin – heads
I entered, tails I didn’t. Thank goodness it came
down heads! I
just saw the show as my last chance really. I
have never worked as a professional singer. I have poured
everything I could earn into a few lessons, but everyone
taking part in this television show has had some training."
Paul
admits he lacks confidence and is not a natural performer
but says it’s singing that changes him as a person.
“I have been told something changes in my eyes.
My nerves seem to disappear. I sing as if I’m on
auto-pilot. That’s when the real me comes out.”
The
finale was the culmination of nine nights, 50,000 acts,
five audition shows and three semifinals. Potts
beat six-year-old finalist Connie Talbot, from Sutton
Coldfield, near Birmingham, who had been hotly tipped
for the top spot. Potts was told by judge Simon Cowell
that next week he would be heading for a studio to be
recording his debut album. Potts said afterwards: "I
feel like jelly. It means like absolutely everything —
thank you for believing in me. I don't think there's any
way to describe this. It just leaves me speechless. Absolutely
speechless."
Paul's
debut album, "One
Chance"
,
is scheduled for a UK release on July 16th and will be
available in the US on July 23rd. The
album includes his famous version of "Nessun Dorma"
and "Time To Say Goodbye," which he sang in
the show's semifinal. There are also other surprises like
a Spanish version of Sinatra's "My Way" and
a rendition of REM's "Everybody Hurts" sung
in Italian. Paul revealed he found it most difficult to
sing "My Way" on the album — he grinned,
"I struggled with the Spanish — I'd never
spoken it before, let alone sung it!"
The
"Britain's
Got Talent"
winner is quite happy about his album: "Many
of the songs I've chosen have a special place in my heart
because of the memories attached to them. Others I've
selected simply because I love them and they touch me
in some way. To have been given the opportunity to make
an album of the songs I adore is such an honour.
Music has been my passion throughout my life and to have
the chance to share that is just incredible."
This
mild-mannered former salesman closes on a word of advice
for ordinary people hiding unusual talents who may be
thinking of chasing a seemingly impossible dream: "Don't
be afraid of it, give it all you've got!"
Paul adds, "As for the fame, I'm going to take
each day as it comes, keep my feet on the ground and try
not to get sucked up in it all."
Needless
to say, this man is an inspiration to all individuals,
especially those dealing with issues similar to what he
experienced when he was younger. Paul Potts is living
proof that even though life may be hard sometimes there
is a reason for everyone to be here. And all the people
who caused him pain in the past look like fools now. Not
only is he one of the best singers in the world, but he's
an incredible human being who deserves every single moment
in the spotlight. It's about time we start paying attention
to people like Paul.
~Compiled
from Numerous News Articles
(Topic Suggested by Jim who lives in Galena, Illinois)
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