INTERVIEW
In tune with
S
RUSSELL WATSON
o, just how did a bolt-cutter from Salford, who dreamt of playing for Manchester United, go on to win two BRIT awards, record 13 bestselling albums, overcome a brain tumour and raise millions for charity? As a young married father working in a Salford factory during the mid-90s, Russell started moonlighting, singing Elvis and Neil Diamond numbers to earn extra money to support his family. Then one night in Wigan Road Working Men’s Club, he was asked to sing the operatic Nessun Dorma, from Puccini’s Turandot. The audience were blown away and Russell received a standing ovation. That marked the moment his side hustle became the start of an international singing career. Word began to spread, of Russell’s talent for singing classical pieces. After winning Piccadilly Radio’s Search for a Star competition in Manchester and being signed to a manager, in 1999 Russell got to perform at his beloved Old Trafford, at Manchester United’s last game of the season. He sang the Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé duet Barcelona, famously ripping open his dinner jacket to reveal a Manchester United strip. One week later, he was invited to sing at the UEFA Champions League Final in Barcelona, where he duetted with none other than Montserrat herself.
Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds and made numerous TV appearances. Then in September 2006, Russell was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Initially, the tumour was thought to be benign and was removed. But the following year, Russell was left in a critical condition after regrowth of the tumour caused bleeding into the brain. Thankfully, after extensive rehabilitation, Russell went on to make a full recovery and has since gone on to enjoy an illustrious career, singing for most of the world’s great leaders and collaborating with some of the world’s greatest artists. We began to chat…
‘The People’s Tenor’ and one of the world’s most popular classical singers, Russell Watson needs little introduction. Lisa de Silva was thrilled at the opportunity to sit down with Russell and discover more about his remarkable career Russell’s career went from strength to strength, with his debut album, The Voice, a mix of operatic arias and pop song covers, topping both the UK and
US classical charts, as well as winning two BRIT Awards. Over the following years, he recorded more bestselling albums, performed sell-out tours, appeared on stage in
Did you have any kind of classical background when you were asked to sing Nessun Dorma back in Wigan all those years ago? I was already familiar with classical music because my grandmother and my mum were both classical fans, more so my grandma. Whenever I went round to visit, there would always be some classical music playing in the background. So, I’d listened to a lot of the operatic repertoire – I grew up with it in the background. You’ve enjoyed a long and versatile career. What aspect of your work do you most enjoy? Performance, by far! Being out on the stage, giving a live performance in front of
May 2022 | SUSSEX LIVING 37
