Hi again!

It's all getting really exciting now as I have returned to Stockholm and Prague to finish the last few tracks on the album.  My first day in Stockholm, I recorded one of my favorite arias of all time, E lucevan le Stelle from Puccini's Tosca.  It is one of those arias that you have to give everything.  I have to admit to feeling drained at the end of recording that one, but I loved every minute!  It was great to be back in Stockholm again and walking around one evening, I noticed a stunning sunset forming over the Royal Palace not far away from where I was staying.  I recorded some great tracks over the week, I tried to imagine that I was in a theatre performing them on stage. 

I returned briefly to London briefly to do a live webchat for Amazon. It was great to chat to so many people, you all asked fantastic questions, there were so many, and I'm sorry if I didn't get to yours. 

I have been alternating between Stockholm and Prague while recording this album, and because part of the recording fell on Valentine's Day I thought that it would be good to have Julz with me too.  We had a lovely meal in an Italian restaurant in Prague where we had a double date with Yvie, my vocal coach and her husband and children who had come to join her for Valentine's Day. 

We also had a long walk around the city as Julz had not been there yet. We took a walk to the Castle and the Cathedral, we also walked to Wenceslas Square which is less of a square than a long boulevard.  There were also lots of lovely shops with beautiful crystal glasses and chandeliers.  Prague is a beautiful city and we fell in love with it's beautiful churches and squares.   Here I recorded a few tracks with the
orchestra.  The orchestra were in great form as usual, and we had another free day in Prague before flying to Germany to do some interviews, and for the small matter of the Echo awards, the German equivalent of the Grammys or Brit Awards.

Speak again soon!

Paul

x

Canals, photos and Winter Sun

After a lovely Christmas, having cooked Turkey and Goose for 14 people in our new kitchen (oh, the joy of having two ovens!) and a few parties over the new year, it was time to hit the road again. This time was to the beautiful city of Venice. The last time I had been to Venice was in 2001 when Julz joined me in Rimini when I was studying Italian. We had a trip then on a gondola and were hooked on the romance of the city.

It was great to return to this beautiful city. I was excited when it was decided that the photos for the next album would be taken in Venice. I got there a day ahead so that I could reacquaint myself with the city. I spent quite a bit of time wandering around the maze of streets past the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco, and enjoyed a nice cappuccino and watched the sun go down over San Giorgio Maggiore Island with a beautiful sky following it.

There was a very early start the next day. I tend to be quite mischievous when I have an early start, so pretended that I had only just woken by sending a text to my favourite member of my management team when I was almost finished having my hair and make-up done. Once my grooming was done, it was time to hit the streets of Venice. The weather was stunning, and although being Northern Italy in January meant it was pretty cold outside, the sun made me feel quite warm.

Venice is a beautiful place to do a photo shoot, and we went to some stunning venues, often by boat. We did one shoot in a stunning villa right on the Grand Canal. At this point, in the sunshine, it was difficult to believe that it was midwinter because the sky was clear, and the sun felt very warm on my skin. I have always loved Italian food, and we went to a restaurant called Osteria Del Assassini (literally meaning The Assassin's Pub). I always try to use my Italian as much as possible and so asked one of the waiters in Italian why it was called The Assassin's Pub. It turned out that the area was a very rough area in the 18th Century where several murders took place.

We went over to the beautiful island of San Giorgio Maggiore and took some more shots over there where it was a slightly rocky boat trip over, but the sun was still out so once we arrived on the island away from the sea breezes it felt warm again.

The beautiful light of evening was beckoning and we continued shooting right into the darkness. With the disappearance of the sun, however, it started to feel like winter! The lights of the Canal were stunning, though and I hope that I didn't LOOK cold in the photos! I enjoyed the day, though saw some wonderful places ate some lovely food and it was very humbling that I saw many people stopping me through the day wishing me well who came from many different places like Argentina and Brazil. I'd love to have the opportunity to visit....who knows?

Soon, I'll be returning to the studios of Prague and Stockholm to finish the album, I'm really loving making this album and thanks to all of you for supporting me every step of the way.

Back in the studio

After a short break at the end of the tour, it was time to get back in the studio again.  For this album, I am alternating between Stockholm and Prague for recording, so it's a good opportunity to get to know Stockholm a little better and to get to know Prague at all!  Stockholm in the run up to Christmas was a wonderful place to be and it felt very Christmassy, (although in Sweden, they celebrate Christmas most on Christmas Eve). For this album, I am working with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, who I have just found out I will be performing at a concert with the same orchestra at the Smentana Hall in Prague in July.

It's great to be working with another fantastic orchestra, and they have a lovely rich sound to them.  It's good to get my teeth into a new sets of songs and arias, and I hope that you will all enjoy listening to them when the album is released in the Spring. 

Keep your eyes peeled for a new look website very soon!

What a Year

 It’s incredible to look back on last year and see the places I have been to and the people I have met.  I have to admit that when the tour started on January 17th 2008, I was feeling daunted by the size of the project ahead of me.  I had never done anything like this before.  I had performed in public before, but it had never been my show.  I have seen places I have never been to before, even in the UK!  It was fantastic to see so many places on the road, and return to places that have significance in my life like Portsmouth where I spent 15 summers in my youth, and Plymouth where I spent three years at University at Marjons.

 
I enjoyed returning to North America, and seeing how huge the country is, and just feeling over-awed by the fact that I was even touring there as an artist.  The weather varied from hot in Florida to tempertures well below freezing in Canada.  The welcome everywhere I went regardless of the weather outside was always warm, and it was great to meet so many of you after the show.
 I then took a journey to the other side of the world, to the beautiful countries of New Zealand and Australia.  There was so much variety of scenery and culture, that it became obvious to me that it is true that travel does indeed broaden the mind. 
A stop in Asia on the way to Scandinavia brought me very appreciative and friendly audiences in South Korea, and although I had heard that South Korea is the home for a great deal of the electronics industry, I never realised that it was also filled with beautiful mountain scenery and also in Busan one of the prettiest pieces of coastline that I have seen.

Touring Scandinavia was an honour and a pleasure as I saw more of these wonderful countries, and what I thought was to be the end of the tour I spent the last few days in Amsterdam and two nights performing at the very famous Heineken Music Hall. 
Little did I know what would happen in the Autumn.  Thanks partly to a very well edited advert in Germany, I spent a lot of time in various cities in Germany performing at some of the biggest football games in Europe.  I found my tour extending in the Autumn, with a show in Manila, The Philipines and three shows in Taiwan. 

To my utter amazement what followed this was an arena tour of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.  At the start of the year I could scarcely believe that I was touring at all, yet here I was touring Germany in venues of over 10,000 people seated.  It all started in the beautiful city of Hamburg, where I was blown away by the reaction of 10,000 people at the Colorline Arena.  This feeling was carried throughout the whole of this part of the tour.  How big this was really hit me in Cologne where I walked out onto the stage in front of nearly 12,000 people.  The seats seemed to go on forever!  I’ve always enjoyed walking around cities that I am in, and Germany was no different.  I truly enjoyed myself meandering around the streets of Cologne with its stunning Gothic Cathedral, Stuttgart with a stunning townhall square which was a great place to sit and drink coffee, Nurnberg (Nuremberg) with its stunning old Bavarian buildings, and rather steep walk up to the castle, and walking around its famous markets.  We had lots of long, fun journeys on the tour bus, especially on the road from Nurnberg to Vienna and then from Vienna to Zurich.  I clearly recall getting out of my bunk bleary eyed as we arrived in Zurich the morning after the second Vienna show, as I had finally reached the end of the road for the tour this year. 

I wasn’t quite finished for the year, though.  We had a stop on the way back home in Dusseldorf for me to perform at the ErfolgsKongress.  There I had the great honour of hearing former President Bill Clinton speak, and got to meet him after he had given his speech.  It was a great honour to meet someone who I had only seen on TV before, and was a fitting end to my touring for the year.  What had started as a 55 date tour had turned into a year with over 100 full concert appearances, and I was staggered when I was told how many people had watched me perform this year:  over a quater of a million people had paid to see me perform this year.

I’d like to thank each and every one of you for all your support and for all your messages of support.  I’d also like to thank everyone that came to my live shows, it was great meeting you and I hope to meet you again when I start back on the road later on this year in the Autumn. 

Finally I would like to thank my guest artists this year who have performed brilliantly and added sparkle to the show:  Natasha Marsh in the UK, Scandinavia and Holland, Sarah, Joy and Kelly, otherwise known as The Three Graces in North America, Elizabeth Marvelly in New Zealand, Australia and Germany, Illumina in Japan, Kim in South Korea, Linda Lampenius Brava in the outdoor shows in Sweden, and also Rachelle Gerodias in Manila and Taiwan.  Thank you all for your friendliness and ability, it was an honour performing with you.

There is also the small detail of a new album to record, but more about that very soon!  Thank you all again for your support and friendship Julz and I would like to wish you all well for 2009.

Paul x

Back to the Far East

After a short break in our new house getting a bit of rest, we headed out to The Far East, and to the Philippines for the first time.  We arrived after 17 hours of flying into the very busy city of Manila.  We were staying in the business district, and the first thing we found was how hot and humid it was here.  It was also very evident how friendly the people were.  After a press conference, we had a meal in a local restaurant.  The people of the Philippines have a history of really appreciating music.  I had a show at the Plenary hall at the Philippine International Convention Centre, and really enjoyed it.  There was a very warm reception from the 3,000 strong crowd, it was a truly enjoyable evening for me. 
The next day, I went to the local shopping centre for a signing.  It is always great to meet the people who make it possible for me to do what I have always dreamed of doing.  Some people had travelled unbelievable distances, in fact there was a couple at the signing who had come all the way from Mexico to come to the concert:  To that couple, Thank you very much! 
After the signing we went for drinks with the British Council and the British Ambassador to the Philippines and his wife.  It was a great honour to meet them, and the members of the British Council.
The next day we left for Taiwan.  We arrived late morning and headed to our hotel after being greeted by some fans at the airport.  It was great to see them.  Taiwan is the 26th country I have performed in, and after a few hours rest I went to a local dim sum restaurant with Chris my musical director, Jake my tour manager and Rob Willis my new conductor.  Our first show was up in the North of the island, in Taischung, and we had a very warm reception there.
The next day was my birthday, and my first duty for the day was a press conference.  After taking questions, and giving a few interviews, the staff of the hotel very kindly presented me with a birthday cake.  It turned out to be a cheesecake, which went down fine with Julz as she loves cheesecake!
Our next concert was in Taipei itself, in Taipei Arena.  There we had the highest audience of the tour so far.  More than 8,000 people came to the show, and we certainly knew they were there!  They were very noisy in their appreciation and we all enjoyed the show hugely.  Rachelle Gerodias, my special guest on this part of the show went down well with the audiences also, and I really enjoyed my duet with her, Brindisi from Verdi’s La Traviata.
Our last show in Taiwan was in the town on Tainan.  Here we hosted the Mayor of Tainan.  It was here that I received one of the greatest honours of my life.  The Mayor presented me with the key to the city of Tainan, and the Freedom of the City whenever I wished to return.  I have really enjoyed this mini tour of South-East Asia, and I’d like to thank everybody for the incredible support that they have given me. 
On our way home, we had an unscheduled visit to China.  I had been booked by Volkswagen China to perform at the launch of a new car model in Beijing.  This was my first visit to China (so my 27th country!) and the performance was to take place at the Olympic Cycling Velodrome. 
While at the hotel, I made Julz’s day. I’ve always been quite clumsy.  I had walked out of the bathroom on the approach to the bathroom was a full length mirror.  I discovered how clean this was as I turned right straight intoit thinking I was walking into the room!  Julz found this quite funny, and after I had got over the embarrassment, I laughed at myself.  Really quite typical for me!
The next day, we decided to make the most of the day, and we took a trip to the Great Wall.  It was quite a long journey to the wall.  It was one of the most astonishing sights of my life.  I had seen pictures of it in books and on T.V., but nothing prepares you for seeing the real thing.  Julz found the journey up a little unsettling as she doesn’t like heights.  We had about an hour and a half to spend on and around the wall before we had to return to make our way to the airport to make our long journey back home. 
We took a walk down the wall, downhill in any direction from where we started, which unfortunately meant that it was uphill all the way back!  It must have been a monumental job to build this.  The scenery here is also incredibly stunning, and the buildings on the wall are very imposing but incredible.
We slowly made our way to the airport via Tiannamen Square, and the first leg of our 20 hour journey home had started. 
Next Stop?  An arena tour of Germany, Austria and Switzerland....

Our New House!

Something that Julz and I have been working on as and when we get as day or two aside is to find a new home.  We have been keeping an eye out for houses that have a bit of character, that are in the area in which we live in or around Port Talbot.   We wanted somewhere local because we both love the area, and Julz has her family close by. 
We found somewhere eventually that fitted the bill exactly, a 1930’s art-deco house with bags of character and lots of original features.  It was quite a challenge getting everything finalised as I had to sign the contract while I was in Zurich and then send it on to Julz to send to our solicitor. 
In a gap between my show in Barcelona and a TV show in Germany, we managed to get all the details finalised, and we have the keys to our lovely new house!  We have some work to do to get it to its former glory, but it’s ours and will be home for us. 
We can truly see ourselves living the remainder of our days here, from the roof garden, towards the end of the day I watched the sun set over Mumbles and Swansea Bay, it truly was a sight to behold, and most of all, after a very full 15 months, it was ours.  Julz and I hugged each other in disbelief at our good fortune.  
The view from the back of the garden and from the roof is a stunning one, but the one thing that has made us stay in Port Talbot are the people.  I have always found the people of Port Talbot warm and friendly, and in the 7 years that I have lived here I have always felt at home, and welcomed.  It is the people of Port Talbot that make it home, and I am proud to live among such fantastic people.

San Francisco and Barcelona

One of the cities on the western coast that I had not managed to see so far was the very famous city of San Francisco.  I had been invited to the US to perform at Google’s Zeitgeist Conference, which was to be hosted not far away from San Francisco, so here was my chance!

I arrived on a very sunny day and we arrived in the town of Palo Alto on a very sunny, warm day.  Our hotel had a lot of character, and it was a good base for our next few days.  Jake, my tour manager who is with me a considerable amount of time now, is a driver, so we organised a hire car so that we could see some of the sights.

We had a few trips into San Francisco, and on the first trip we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and saw the wonderful view across it.  Having driven across it, we decided to get underneath it too, and took a boat trip underneath.  It was quite windy along this strait of water, but the views were awesome.

We also found our way, almost by accident, to the most crooked street in the world on our way down to the docks.  It was quite some sight!  We also made a point of taking a trip on one of the cable cars, which has to be one of the must do’s when you are in San Francisco.  It’s quite incredible how they managed to get the cables underneath the steep streets of the city. 

I had a performance on the next day, so I had my hair cut by a local barber just around the corner from our hotel, and we made our way down to the huge Google Campus just further down US route 101.  Performing for delegates can be very different from other performances but the google delegates were very welcoming and I enjoyed my two song performance.  We later went to a meet and greet dinner where I met many people from all around the world, including will.i.am from one of Julz’s favourite groups, The Black Eyed Peas.  Julz was quite chuffed when I had told her that I had met him, but less than chuffed when I hadn’t got her his autograph!

We had a last morning in the area, so Jake and I took a short road trip along one of the oldest routes in the US, route 1, The Pacific Coastal Highway.  The scenery was simply stunning along here, and some of the best that I have seen in the US.  All too soon, our time was up here on the very edge of the west coast of the US.  This is somewhere Julz and I MUST return to when it’s possible, I know that Julz will love it here!

We flew later that day from one place that has to go down as one of my favourites to another one of my old favourites, Barcelona.  I first flew to Barcelona on a very quiet flight on New Year’s Day 2000.  I spent some time in the city and enjoyed the sights.  In the time I was there, I got to know the city very well. 

Since that time I have had many trips back.  It is still one of my favourite cities, and is justifiably one of the great cities of the world.  On the first day I was tour guide, taking Jake, via the excellent Metro system to Lesseps, and then the 3 mile uphill round trip on foot to the very famous Parc Guell, created by modernist architect, Antoni Gaudi.  I had a bit of time here to explore, and so the next day, I walked down La Ramblas down to the sea, and then I took the time to walk down to La Sagrada Familia, the unfinished church started by Antoni Gaudi before he died, having been run down by a tram in June 1926.  On my first visit here, I walked up two of the towers, and there are wonderful views from the top of these.  I got here in the evening, and there wasn’t time to do this, alas. 

The next day, I had a performance for the Gala dinner of the Equestrian Super League on behalf of the sponsors, Samsung.  I sold quite a few of their phones as a salesman, so it was quite interesting working for them again.  They had sponsored the Super league for over 10 years which is a very long period of time.  The performance was in a lovely old house, and I enjoyed the it immensely.

This trip including San Francisco has been one of my favourites, and it was a pleasure seeing so many fantastic sights.

Back to Germany for The Dome.

After a lovely week in two very different places, we found our way back to Germany, to Frankfurt Am Main for the first part of this second journey to Germany this year. We had a short drive down to the town of Mannheim. I had a performance in the SAP arena for a programme called The Dome. The Dome is a show very much like the Smash Hits! Party in the UK, or the MTV shows elsewhere.
It was something of a surprise for me to be on a show like this. Even though Nessun Dorma has now reached no.2 on the German singles chart, I never expected to appear and perform at such an event with its predominately teenage audience. I was very nervous about this performance indeed. I was completely uncertain about what the reaction would be.
I was even more nervous when I was told that there were 13,000 people there! The first thing I noticed when I was rehearsing was how well the crew had done with the set. I was genuinely impressed that they had gone into so much effort for me.
When I was being introduced it was obvious how many people were there. They showed a few clips from Britain’s Got Talent, and when they showed the announcement of me as winner on BGT the whole place erupted. I walked out on to the stage and was really hit by the reaction. Once I started, I thought that it might get quieter, but it kept going! I really enjoyed my performance, even though at times I couldn’t hear myself or the music, so I had to trust technique and my memory. When I finished, the whole place erupted again, 13,000 people, with an estimated average age of between 16 and 18 all screaming at me, has to be the most surreal experience I have ever had.
I had never expected to be singing for a living 15 months ago let alone to be getting a reaction like this from a teenage audience on a pop music show. I have always felt that music is music and is the most universal language in the world. It can make you feel happy, make you feel sad, move you to tears and make you want to jump around. I still watch with wonder how 7 white notes and 5 black notes can cause so varied a reaction, and affect many people in so many ways. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to be involved in music. It is all thanks to that ten pence piece that I tossed 19 months ago, and the people that kindly voted for me on Britain’s Got Talent, and not forgetting those that have bought my albums and come to one of my 85 shows so far this year……
From the bottom of my heart…….. Thank you!
Paul x 

Bahamas and San Diego

After the excitement of Germany, we had a few days off while performing in the most exotic location we have ever been to: The Bahamas. Julz joined me for the trip, and we left Heathrow expecting to arrive in the Bahamas with clear blue skies and gorgeous turquoise waters. The Turquoise waters were there alright, but when we arrived it was raining so hard that there was what looked like a river flowing from the guttering at the airport. We were aware that it was going to be warm, and that the temperature would virtually not change between day and night. It was also very humid which meant that we would feel the heat.

After a short ride in a very stretched limousine, we arrived at Atlantis, Paradise Island in Nassau. We had arrived just as the remainder of a tropical storm that was centred on Cuba was hanging around. The first two days were pretty wet, and the second day in particular opened with a heavy thunderstorm. After that the weather started to improve and we did manage to get two days with good weather, before the day of the performance. The hotel was stunning, very very large indeed, and had various pools and also some seawater with very large stingrays and various kinds of fish and sharks in. There was even a set of slides that inside a tube went through shark infested waters. I asked Julz whether she felt like a go at that one, to which I got a look and a definite no!

When it came to the performance, the theatre at the hotel was quite an intimate affair with tables at the front by the stage. I was singing with an Australian group called Maske a String triplet. I enjoyed the performance, and after going for a few drinks with Maske we made our way back to sleep as we had quite a long day of travel the next day, as I had a private performance in San Diego, and as there were no direct flights to California from Nassau, we had to connect at Dallas. Julz and I fought very hard not to sing the theme to the soap Dallas, to which Julz has alternative words for which I shall not repeat here! Just after wed landed, the storm that we had suffered in Nassau was now here at Dallas. We were on the transport when suddenly it stopped at a station and we were asked to get off as the communication centre for it had been struck by lightning, so we had to walk the remaining part of the journey to the terminal. There were a few hours to go until our flight so we grabbed a bite to eat. When we boarded the flight to San Diego, we realised how fortunate we were as many flights had been diverted and people had missed the flight. Also Julz was very pleased we didn’t actually fly through the storm. We arrived in San Diego without further incident.

We woke in the ‘desert city by the sea’ where apparently it hasn’t rained for over 18 months. The difference in humidity was very noticeable between San Diego and The Bahamas, and it felt quite refreshing, although it was still very warm. Julz and I went for a walk down to the area where all the aircraft carriers were. We were struck by how huge they were. Julz said on sight of the USS Midway with the different planes on the flight that it looked like something out of the film, Top Gun. She asked quite innocently: "Where’s the Iceman?" Not one to miss the opportunity to make a bad joke, I responded, "In the ice bucket, man!" Julz just gave me a look, and said: "That’s a terrible joke!" I was actually quite impressed with myself because it’s quite unusual for me to be that quick!

We enjoyed San Diego for it’s good weather, and for its interesting places to eat. One place we went to was called "Dick’s Last Chance Saloon". We were soon to learn that in this bar/restaurant, it is something of an novelty restaurant where the staff is deliberately rude in a comedy fashion. At one point they pulled a lady out on her seat into the street, and told her she was having two minutes time out for answering him back (they actively encourage you to do so). The food was very good, and it was a very entertaining lunch.

All too soon it was time to return to the UK where Julz would enjoy a month at home without me, so she can catch up with her friends and our family. I, however was on my way to Germany again….

Italy to Germany

It’s been some time since I have been to Italy, the last time being when Julz and I went to Rimini and Rome on holiday back in 2004. Italy is a country we have liked a great deal, since we have been there together 3 times, including our honeymoon in Sorrento in 2003. Imagine my delight when I was told I would be performing at a wedding in Tuscany! I had been to Tuscany before, but only to the beautiful city of Florence (Firenze to the Italians).

We flew into Rome, and got in quite late. We had quite a long drive to where we were to stay, a lovely hotel and vineyard, close to the town of Grossetto. Being Tuscany, there were lots of vineyards making wines for the many Tuscan and Super Tuscan wines. This area was the main area for one of my favourites: Morrelino di Scansano. Some of my time at Tesco was as a wine advisor, so I remember tasting some of the wines in my training.

We woke to a wonderful hot sunny morning. We couldn’t eat breakfast in the restaurant, as the bride wasn’t aware that we were there and it was a surprise, so we had breakfast in our room. We ate our breakfast outside facing a golf course adjacent to the vines.

We left for the church about midday, and it immediately struck us how stunning this area is. The church was on a hill overlooking a beautiful valley. The village was a small one, with only about 100 people living there. It felt like they were all there to watch proceedings. The Carabinieri were struggling a bit to organise the traffic. It was a beautiful small church, dating from the 1600’s. It was a lovely service in a wonderful venue. We returned to the hotel, as I was to perform later on in the reception. I performed not long before midnight, performing Nessun Dorma with fireworks going off all the way through it.

We had a few drinks with the wedding party afterwards, and found that although a lot of the family were from Norway, about half of them were from around Sheffield! Julz and I would like to thank the families for making us a part of their celebrations and for making us feel at home.
We left Tuscany the following day, disappointed that we couldn’t spend more time here. There are so many places we would like to return to, and this one definitely is another one to go on the list.

We got back to the UK, where Julz left me for a few days to relax for a while at home. I was soon off again, however, this time to Germany. My appearance on Britain’s Got Talent is being used on a home and mobile phone advert in Germany, and to my great shock, as a result, One Chance has ended up at No1 in the main chart. Not only that, Nessun Dorma which was only available on download had made it to no 3 in the singles chart, apparently the highest ever position for a single only available online in Germany.

I arrived in the wonderful city of Cologne, and I did a whistle stop tour of Germany, including Berlin where I performed on a show aimed at teenagers. It was the first time that I had performed for a show that had a target age of 11 - 17. Our next stop was Munich where I had been invited to perform at the opening of the Bundesliga, the German football league. Performing In front of 70,000 people is a slightly nerve-wracking experience, and the crowd were quite noisy so it took a little bit of concentration to make sure that I could hear both myself and the music. It was an incredible event to be involved with, and it was an amazing atmosphere. I will have the same experience again soon when I am due to return again to the same stadium for a performance at the last game of Oliver Kahn,

Before we left for the airport, I went to a signing, and about 1,000 people arrived. It’s always a pleasure for me to meet people as I know that I only get to do what I love doing because of people buying my record and tour tickets.

Around the world round-up!

Since returning from my mammoth trip around the world in 4 days, I had some outdoor concerts. The first was not far away from Portsmouth where I went for many years as a child. It was a very full programme, including some of my favourite arias and neopolitan songs. It was also a Last Night of the Proms tribute. I really enjoyed myself, singing my favourites and having the honour of leading the singing of the traditional last night favourites.

From sunny Portsmouth we went back to Scandinavia, and Julz and I spent the day in Copenhagen. We took a walk down to Tivoli Gardens, and walked around the gardens. It is always pretty there, and I have been in there quite a few times on previous trips.

From Copenhagen we travelled to Malmo, for a couple of days in order to be able to rehearse with the orchestra. The orchestra sounded fantastic when I arrived for the rehearsal. It was great to have a big orchestra behind me, I also decided to add some new arias and neopolitan songs to the programme.

The day between rehearsal and performance was Julz's birthday so we had the day together in Malmo. We enjoyed a quiet day together wandering around Malmo.

The next day, we made our way down to the first venue in Helsingborg. It was a stunning venue and I would have the castle behind me while I was singing. Sofiero Slott is very close to Denmark as you can see a Danish castle just across the sea. Apparently, a long time ago, a Swedish King spied on a Danish Queen in her castle with a telescope from the castle at Helsingborg.

The weather for the Swedish shows was glorious but very hot indeed! The first show there were people as far as I could see from the stage. It was fantastic to see so many people there, and to have a great orchestra behind me.

From Sofiero Slott, we went to Sundbyholms Slott in Eskiltuna, which was another fantastic Swedish castle. We travelled there overnight in the tour bus, arriving just in time for breakfast in the Castle's cellar. I'd initially thought that we were by the sea again, but what we were by was actually a very large lake. It was another very hot day, and we met some of the people attending the concert, in the hotel. They were from Oxford, and had seen me perform there. Their son's wedding was at the same venue. I had another very enjoyable concert, and we had a drink with the wedding party before we went to bed.

The next day, we drove down in the tour bus down to Gothenberg for the last of the three outdoor concerts, which was in one of the stadiums in the city. It was so hot that it was affecting the instruments, so we had to delay the start of the show to allow the sun to disappear behind the trees. Gothenberg was another large appreciative audience and I really enjoyed the performance.

So that was the last of my live concerts until I leave for South-East Asia in October. It has been fantastic meeting so many people and working with so many fantastic people. I would like to thank everyone involved, especially Jake, my tour manager, Mark Agnor, the conductor, Chris Taylor the musical director and Mark Littlewood. Most of all, I'd like to thank everyone that has come to see me perform: It is only because of you that I get to do what I love, and I'd like to thank you form the bottom of my heart.

Paul x

The Latest from Paul

After the end of the main part of the tour, Julz and I spent some time up in the English Lake District for a few days rest and relaxation.  We went back to our regular haunts like our favourite restaurant, Lucy's in Ambleside, with its very individual menu pinted fersh each evening. 

I then left for Los Angeles to start work on my next album. When I got to LA the first thing I noticed was how hot it was!  Temperatures in the valley were over 100 degrees and it was in the mid nineties in the area I was staying.  I am working with one of the most recognised record producers in the world, Walter Afanasieff.  It is fantastic to be working with him and have this opportunity. Walter has been responsible for huge hits for Mariah Carey, and Cline Dion, so to have someone such as Walter and also the whole team working with me who are so very experienced is brilliant – even the sound engineer has worked with Celine Dion and the late Luciano Pavarotti. 

It feels a bit strange to be singing Christmas songs in July!  I used to be quite superstitious, but these are some of my favourites and I have enjoyed recording them.

I had a day off to explore Santa Monica and Santa Barbara, which are both lovely seaside towns, and the weather has been glorious all the way through - because of the little bit of Italian in me, I do tend to tan very easily, something which makes Julz quite jealous!

From sunny LA, I made my way to a very very humid and hot Tokyo.  I was in Tokyo to film a commercial for a company making herbal throat remedies.  The company is a well established company (Rrukkukusan) which has over 200 years of history.  I feel very honoured and flattered that they have chosen me to represent their company in Japan.  The crew were quite suprised that the commercial only took 3 takes per shot.
Unfortunately, I didn't have as much time to spend in Tokyo this time, but tried to see as much as possible.

Two days later I was on my way back to London to perorm at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for the National Insurance Awards.  It was incredible to find myself performing at such a wonderful venue with an outstanding orchestra.  Julz had come to join me in London (she told me she had enjoyed her two weeks or so without me,
- but she did miss me really!) and we made our way back to South Wales, so that I could rest and recover from two sets of jetlag!  it has been fun, though recording with Walter and doing my first ever TV commercial.
I'm now looking forward to some outdoor shows in Southern England and in Sweden, and then returning to LA to finish the album.

Speak to you all soon!

Paul x

End of the Tour

Hi everyone,

After the Far Eastern journey, it was time to start the Scandinavian leg of my world tour.  I started off in Denmark with the first five of ten concerts in the country.  I was astounded when I was told that my album had actually been the highest selling album of the whole year in Denmark. For that, I'd like to thank everyone in Denmark for supporting me.  We started off in Copenhagen, of which I had fond memories of my first visit.  In September last year, I was told that in a 2 song live performance, I should expect a crowd of around 1,000 people.  I was flabbergasted when I walked out on stage in front of about 20,000 people!  The police said that they had the biggest crowd since Denmark won the European Championship in 1992.

I took quite a few walks through Copenhagen in stunning weather.  The areas close to the castle and palaces are truly stunning.  I found the audiences in Denmark incredibly supportive and appreciative.  At the start of the tour in North Wales, I was dreading the talking part of the show as I thought I would be stuck and nervous as to what to say, especially in places outside the UK.  English is spoken very very well in Scandinavia and this was proved to be true.  Quite a fw of the concerts were outdoors, and one or two of them were pretty chilly.  I had the pleasure of welcoming Natasha Marsh back on the road with me, we had great fun working together again in Scandinavia, especially as we had some very long journies on the tour bus from place to place.  We saw some wonderful cities and had glorious weather.  Stockholm I have always loved, plenty of nice streets to walk in.  Malmo, Gothenberg, and Oslo were all  fantastic places to visit.

Part way through the Scandivian tour, I performed on the final of Holland's Got Talent in Amsterdam.  It brought back to me the time last year when I was waiting to go on stage to perform in the final of Britain's Got Talent.  

Although I was feeling quite nervous because of the sense of de ja vu, but then I just really enjoyed my perfomance.  

Before too long I was back in Amsterdam performing at the Music Hall, for my final two concerts of this part of the tour.  I got another reminder of the past though, waking up in agony as my left shoulder, which had been injured in the accident on my bicyle 5 years ago had completely frozen up.  Although it hurt even to breathe (and it hurt a lot!) I had made it through 77 concerts in 145 days without a cancellation and I was determined to finish the tour with a 100% attendance.  The Dutch audience, as ever were very friendly and appreciative, even though on the 9th I was keeping them away from watching their home team beat Italy 3 - 0 in the European Championship!  

I have really enjoyed the tour and it has been fantastic performing music that I love in front of over 200,000 people on this tour alone.  It's been fantastic having 200,000 friends supporting me in person.  I'd also like to thank everyone that has left messages of support here on the website and elsewhere.  I do read them, and really appreciate it!  Thank you! Thank you also to a few more fantastic people without whom this tour would have been impossible. Thank you to my wife, Julz (of course!), Jake and my management team, my conductor, Mark Agnor, Musical Director and my Pianist, Chris Taylor (and voiceover artist extraordinaire!) and of course everyone who came to the show.  THANK YOU!!!

Now I have a few days rest, and then I am off to LA to record my next album....

See you all soon!

Notes from Korea

After a few sunny days in Japan, we left on a morning flight to go to Seoul, South Korea.  Julz and I arrived at the airport and were met by a huge crowd at the airport including two very cute young children in national dress.  After a brief chat with members of a fan club (it feels absoloutely strange that anyone should want to have a fan club for me, my thanks go to Hans and all the other members of the Korean Fan Club for their support) we left for a press conference.  I was expecting a similar press conference to the one in Tokyo a few days before.
 
What I got, shook me!  I walked in to the room to find more than 200 journalists.  Then the cameras started.  There were so many cameras pointed at me, that I could feel the heat of the flashes!  As part of the press conference I agreed to be a patron for a charity combatting TB in North Korea.  I was presented with a plaque and a national dress.
 
After the press conference, I had a performnace on a show called W.  The last time I had worked with that programme we had been running down a corridor in Stockholm to make the stage in time at a Breast Cancer Charity Ball!  
 
I had three performances in Seoul, and I enjoyed them all immensely.  The reaction I received at all three was the loudest on the whole tour.  I couldn't even hear the 60 piece orchestra behind me for the cheers!  The concerts were some of the most enjoyable so far.  I've always been very keen to see as many people as possible after a show.  There were over 200 people at the back door after!  
 
After 4 days in Seoul, we flew down to Busan which is a lovely seaside city.  The scenery was stunning and we really enjoyed our time in Busan.  It was very warm here and both Julz and I got a nice tan while we walked along the beach.  It was another fantastic reaction at the concert in Busan.  I also discovered that my recording of Nessun Dorma was used for a couple of adverts for skyscapers in Busan.  It's really cool, but still quite suprising that people want to use my singing as a backdop for selling a product.
 
We really enjoyed our time in Korea,  we would both really like to return here again.  Busan was particularly beautiful.  I would like to thank the people of Korea for all their support and for being such an enthusiastic audience!

Japan

We arrived on an overnight flight from Perth to the very busy city of Tokyo.  This was our first visit to Tokyo and indeed to Japan.  When I arrived, I had a press conference.  I always find these quite nerve-wracking as you never know what people are going to ask you.  I think it went pretty well, and from the room I could see Shibuya station, Tokyo's busiest railway station.  I have never seen so many people cross a road at one time.  Once I had finished at the press conference, I had the rest of the day free, so I took a walk around the city for a while, and crossed that very street. 

There were electrical shops all over the place, and having a fascination for mobile phones Julz would say that I was in my element!  There would have been little point buying one, however as they wouldn't work in Europe, but it was nice to have a look around.   

Later in the evening we went to a traditional sushi bar for dinner.  Julz was very apprehensive about this part as she was concerned that she wouldn't like it.  Julz was very brave, and will try anything at least once, it's just that she can't disguise her face when she doesn't like something!  She enjoyed the tuna, and tried as much as she could.  I enjoyed my sushi and shaashimi, particularly the tuna, and the raw white fish with rice and wasabi.  I quite like horseradish and wasabi tastes quite similar (in that if you eat a little too much, it makes your eyes water!). 

The first performance in Tokyo, was something of a learning experience as I was working with an interpreter.  She was very good and picked up what I was saying very quickly.  The audiences were again very responsive. Ater the show, we went around to a tipenyake restaurant where the chef cooks on the table in front of you.  I had been to one of these in Ottawa some years before with my Canadian friends, and there was here a huge range of different foods.  Eating in Japan is very social and Julz and I really enjoyed ourselves. 

The next morning I took a walk around the city and walked arounf the main park in the city centre of Tokyo:  Yoyogi Park.  It was very warm outside, and it was wonderful to find such a lovely park in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city.  Tokyo has left me the impression of a city that has many contrasts.  You have the very busy centre around Shibuya station, yet less than 2 miles away, there is the peace and quiet of a park. Julz and I would dearly like to return to Japan again and see more.

Writings from Australasia!

We arrived in New Zealand after 24 hours of flying and 4 flights from Mexico to where we were to have a few days break in Queenstown on the South Island.  Because of the time difference we crossed the dateline so we lost a day:  we missed April Fools day altogether!  Queenstown was stunning, It reminded me of some parts of Scotland.  Both Julz and I really enjoyed our time there, and we did a cruise on Lake Wakitipu and went up on the gondola part way up the mountain of Ben Lomond.  

We started our Antipodean tour in Christchurch, and really enjoyed our time in the South Island.  There was a huge reaction here and it was good to see more of a country that I had seen so little of last Summer.  We moved on up to the capital of New Zealand, Wellington.  It was great to perform in some wonderful venues with fantastic acoustics.  Everywhere I went there was a very warm welcome, and I have fouind the people of New Zealand very warm and welcoming.   From Wellington we went to Rotorua, which is the home town of my special guest on this part of the tour, Elizabeth Marvelly.  Elizabeth and her family were fantasic hosts and took us around the major sites in Rotorua, including the geysers and the boiling mud pools.  Because of the volcanic activity in this part of New Zealand has a distinct smell of sulphur.  You can feel the volcanic activity while you walk around, with steam coming out of the ground. We then returned to Auckland with another wonderful venue, The ASB Aotea Centre.  I would like to thank everyone in New Zealand for giving us such a warm welcome, and I look forward to returning again soon.

We arrived in Australia intially in Melbourne where I performed on the TV programme, It Takes Two.  My first concert in Australia was in Adelaide, a lovely city in South Australia, an area I knew only before as part of a previous job as a wine advisor for a Supermarket in the UK.  It is home to some of the best wine in Australia.  It was another warm welcome and it was great to see more of places that I hd only touched on before.  From Adelaide we moved to Brisbane in the Sunshine state of Queensland.  There wasn't a lot of sunshine when we were there, it rained quite a lot, usually when I didn't have an umbrella with me!  We stayed right on the riverside so had a wonderful view of the city from our window. 

We arrived in Sydney, with more very 'British' weather.  I really enjoyed my time in Sydney last and never seem to be able to spend enough time there.  This time, I was determined to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  It was an awesome experience.  By chance there were only two of us in the group going up.  Julz didn't want to try it so it was me, the guide and a girl from Manchester that walked up the bridge.  It made for a rewarding experience, and some outstanding views.  We managed to avoid most of the showers, and the view of the Opera House where I would be performing a few hours later was outstanding.  The guide herself was originally from Brecon in South Wales, so there were 3 of of us Brits on the bridge at the same time.  It was quite funny wlaking up the ladders and coming level with the cars on the bridge. 

I arrived at the Sydney Opera house just after leaving the bridge.  This was one of the biggest moments of my life.  To perform in such a wonderful building had to be a huge highlight for me.  The acoustics were out of this world and such an honour.  I really enjoyed my 2 and a half hours on stage, and hope that I will get the opportunity to do it again soon.

From Sydney we went to Melbourne and the Hamer Hall.  It was another fantastic venue with outstanduing acoustics.  I have friends in this part of Australia, who ironically are in London at the moment.  Melbourne is a very busy city with the Yarra river running through it.  It has a lot of hustle and bustle, and one of my favourite building was Finders Street Station, which is an older building among modern skyscrapers. 

Our final Antipodean venue was in Perth.  Perth is a lovely green city and has a wide river running through it that runs to the Indian Ocean.  Julz has a cousin living here, and we met up with them and the day after the concert, we took an evening cruise on the river.  We saw the Anzac Day parade and took a walk around the war memorials.  It was good to catch up with Julz's cousins and their friends.  We also played a bit of crazy golf too which was quite fun between the 8 of us! 

I'd like to thank the people in Australia for a fantastic welcome and look forward to returning before very long.

New Blog From Mexico

Hello again,

We arrived back in the United States to go to Los Angeles to perform.  Before it was time to perform we went to have a Burger at In and Out which we had heard very good things about.  It was very very good, and the chips were advertised as cut on the premesis were very good indeed! 

It was incredible to be performing in LA, and the Wiltern Theatre was a wonderful place to perform in.  I enjoyed my performance there and the crowd were very noisy in their appreciation.  It's really difficult to believe that this time last year, I was selling phones, and yet here I was at a sold out theatre in LA of all places.  Julz and I met a lot of people after the show, including some of the guys from Paramount, plus we met some very committed fans.  I enjoy meeting up with people after the show.  It's good to get feedback and always good to thank people in person.

We had another trip on a tour bus after the show down to Phoenix, Arizona.  Apparently there was a major accident on the Interstate 10, and we had to take to the desert road for a big part of the journey.  Not that I noticed though, I slept through the whole thing - just like the blizzard in Canada!  We arrived in Phoenix to a very dry heat.  After a long rest, we made our way to Mesa, and the Ikeda Theatre.  It was a wonerful place to perform, and Julz got one of her major craves of this part of the tour - her favourite take away – KFC!  I really enjoyed my performance - my last in the US for a while.  It was yet another wonderful theater, and yet another wonderful reception.

I've really enjoyed seeing more of the United States, and wherever I have gone the people have been welcoming and friendly.  I never believed I would sing again before I did Britain's Got Talent, and here I was completing a tour of the US, a huge privilege for me.  I would like to thank everyone in the US for giving me such enormous support, and to those who travelled hundreds of miles to see me, I love you for it!

We left from Phoenix to go to Mexico by plane.  It was hot and dry in Phoenix, but in Mexico City you also have the altitude to deal with.  I love Mexico though!  When I was here in October I was given a very warm welcome - at a showcase where 500 were expected, 4,000 people turned up.  Julz loves Mexico for its Tequila - last time we were here she put all the men to shame!   

The performances were at Teatro Metropolitan, a former Cinema which was converted back to a theatre in 1996.  I was a bit more than nervous about my lack of prowess in Spanish.  I did try my hand though, although how good my spanish was, I don't know!  Then the unthinkable happened - we had problems with the theatre's sound system, which left me a little nervous, but it was swiftly dealt with and I just sang through it.  With the distances we have been covering, you can't carry a huge amount of equipment, so while the PA system went down I tried my best just to get on with it. 

The audiences in the two shows - 3200 each night - were very passionate and enthusiastic and the Metropolitan was a truly wonderful place to perform.  It had a similar feel to the Appollo in Hammersmith.  I'd like to thank everyone in Mexico for supporting me, I'd certainly like to come back and see more of the country! 

Los funcionamientos estaban en el Teatro Metropolitan, un cine anterior que fue convertido de nuevo a un teatro en 1996. Era un pedacito más que nervioso sobre mi carencia del valor en español. ¡Intenté mi mano sin embargo, aunque cómo es bueno era mi español, no sé! Entonces el increíble sucedido - teníamos problemas con el sistema de los sonidos del teatro, de el cual a la izquierda me un poco nervioso, pero él trataron rápidamente y acabo de cantar con él. Con las distancias hemos estado cubriendo, usted no puede llevar una cantidad enorme de equipo, así que mientras que fue el sistema del PA abajo acabo de intentar mi mejor para conseguir encendido con él. Las audiencias en las dos demostraciones - 3200 cada noche - eran muy apasionadas y entusiásticas y el metropolitano eran un lugar verdaderamente maravilloso a realizarse. Tenía una sensación similar al Appollo en Hammersmith. ¡Quisiera agradecer cada uno en México por apoyarme, quisiera ciertamente volverme y ver más del país!

Canada Part II

Hello again!

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!

Writing From Canada!

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.

American tour

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
 

My latest news

Hi,

I just wanted to say a quick hello to everyone – I’ve  continued to be travelling a bit since the start of 2008...

I spent a few days in my favourite area of England, the Lake District, before the UK tour began. I spent a week in the Ambleside area, walking in the snow.  Julz loves the snow and when it snowed she got very excited! It's so lovely and peaceful in the Langdale Valley, and you will often find me in this area when I have some spare time.

Then it was into the tour in earnest.  Initially I found the tour quite a daunting proposition, but as I got through the nerves and my own lack of self belief, which is still there sometimes, I started to really enjoy myself.  I got to see parts of the UK that I had not seen before, and some parts that I hadn't been to for a very long time.  It was great to get back to Scotland again, the last time I had been there was when I had walked from John O'Groats to Land's End in 1997 for Mencap (850 miles in 24 days).  I got a warm welcome at every place I went to and I loved every second. 

It was great fun being on the road meeting so many people that have supported me and I am incredibly grateful to everyone that came to my concerts.  It means everything to me, and I look forward to seeing you again soon. 

After the rigours of the UK tour, I jumped on a train going North and spent a few days back in the Lake District.  I stayed right on the shores of Lake Windermere, and got up early as the weather was fine to get some photos of the Langdale Pikes and the Coniston Fells.  The light was beautiful and I spent the next few days walking  over the fells taking in the beauty of the area. 

And I have finally handed in my resignation at Carphone Warehouse - Its only taken 8 months! I really enjoyed my time with Carphone Warehouse immensely, and was fortunate in being able to take part in a number of great incentives.  I would like to thank everyone at Carphone Warehouse for all their good wishes and their support over the last 8 months. 

I was actually pretty nervous about handing my notice in, as both my wife and I still find it pretty hard to take it all in.  Here we are in the United States on tour, and yet less than twelve months ago I was selling phones in Port Talbot!

Part of me was scared that if I handed in my notice for real, and then found out I was dreaming everything else.  It also means I am completely reliant on my singing career being a success, which I am fully aware is not an automatic right. 

I am truly enjoying my new career and hope that I get as long as possible doing what I love doing.  I'd like to thank the Great British public for supporting me on Britain’s Got Talent as without them, I would never have had this opportunity.

xmas blog

I'd like to thank everyone for their huge support this year.  Without your support I would not be able to do what I love doing.  It has been a fantastic, if astounding, year for me.  If anyone had told me last Christmas what I would be doing this year I would have told them that they were crazy.  I didn’t even make a new year’s resolution!  I’d like to wish each and every one of you a wonderful Christmas and a fantastic new year.  I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.

Thank you again

Paul and Julz

MEXICO

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. 

NEW YORK (3)

Paul's Summary w/c 15th Oct

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!

New York (2)

It's a lovely sunny hot day in New York and Julz and I start the day with breakfast outdoors in the sun.  I have my favourite eggs benedict, and Julz has her favourite scrambled eggs with cheese.  All breakfasted and ready to go, we set off for Rockefeller Plaza to go up to the 'Top of the Rock', to the top of the GE building.

I had done this trip twice on my first trip to New York back in June, but this was Julz's first trip to New York so her first trip up the Rock. 

The views from the top were awesome as the weather was so good. Julz is not the best person with heights and couldn't stay at the highest level for very long. 

After coming down, we wanted to try and find a shop that sold Motocross equipment for our nephews, Connor (9) and Lewis (7) who are very keen (and very good) motocross riders. We had directions to Union Square/15th Street.  We took the opportunity to walk to see more of the city as we walked down Broadway.  Julz always says that I 'walk her off her feet' and I believe that we probably walked about 6 miles that day!  We didn't manage to find the shop, but at least we saw some of the city so it wasn't a completely wasted journey!

We took a cab back to Times Square and had something to eat before returning to our hotel.

NEW YORK, (1)

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!

Canada...

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.

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 privalgised t o be able to see so many places. 

The performance I did in Lisbon is for a show called Operacio Triunfo, the Portuguese mersion 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!!!!

Amsterdam

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.

Helskinki

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 11^th 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 24^th October, and I look forward to returning to Helsinki next year when I will be performing live in concert on June 6^th. 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.

i am back

Current mood:  excited


Hello everyone, I'm back – sorry about not updating this blog yesterday – I've been so busy promoting the album, as it was released on Monday and things are busier than ever. It's like being in a whirlwind, with so much going on that sometimes I have to take a few minutes to have some time to myself – otherwise I think I'd go mad! I honestly don't know how I'd cope without the wonderful team of people I've got helping me through this exciting time. When we were preparing for the album I got to write a list of people I wanted to thank, which appears in the sleeve notes. First and foremost I have said thank-you to my wonderful wife Julie-Ann – I wouldn't have been able to do this without her support and love.

There's too many people to name here, but if you read the notes on the album you can see all the people that have helped me along the way. There's so much going on behind the scenes that most people wouldn't even have dreamed of – including me- that goes into the business of making and releasing an album, and I have been blown away by the kindness that everyone has shown to me.

If anyone reading this has bought the album, I hope you enjoy it – I have had the most fun making it and just hope that the people who voted for me on the show like it, as it's their support that have got me this far. Now the album is out there I feel really excited – and I'm looking forward to the rest of the journey. I've just been told my next trip is to Australia and America and I'm absolutely over the moon that Julie-Ann will be coming with me to experience all of this with me.

Bristol

Hi everyone, Paul here again. Hope you're enjoying the blog so far – it's Friday now and the album will be in the shops on Monday – I still can't believe it!

I'm in Bristol today – it's a beautiful city, and I'm really enjoying myself – since winning the competition I've been lucky enough to visit some fantastic places and I'm trying to take as much of it in as possible. That's why keeping this blog is so great – it means that I'll be able to read it back in the future and remember all the amazing places I got to visit and the lovely people I've met along the way. A real highlight of the whole adventure so far was my trip to New York a couple of weeks ago.

It was a really short trip, we flew in one day and flew back home the next – I can tell you I was pretty tired after that – but I did have time to take in some of the sights including the Empire State Building which is something I'll always remember and the Rockefeller centre . I remember thinking the whole time that I was the luckiest man alive, and I still think that every minute of the day. There were so many really talented people taking part in the competition that I never dreamed I would get past even the first stage. I was so nervous before I went on stage the first time, and in fact every time I performed on the show I was nervous. I'm still nervous every time I perform but as soon as I start singing I lose myself and that's when I really feel myself.

Back Home

Hello again, here's the second update of my exclusive blog for the IC Wales Network. I'm in the middle of getting ready for the album release, and today am back in Wales which is really nice – London is great but it's good to be back home again, even if it's just a flying visit for now. I had a chance to look online today and I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who has been supporting me – it completely takes my breath away. Thank you so much everyone!

One of the things that has been great about all this so far is that my wife Julie-Ann has been able to be with me through all the excitement – she's popping back to Wales every now and then, but most of the time she's with me in London and on the road, which I'm really grateful for. Sometimes I have to ask her to pinch me to make sure I'm not dreaming the whole thing. It's just like a dream come true – a dream I would never even have dared to have.

I'm still getting my head around winning the competition, and even recording the album at all has been an unbelievable thrill. The whole experience so far has completely changed my life, and I'm just taking each day as it comes The suggestions of travel to America and New Zealand are unbelievable and yet very exciting these are some places I would never even have expected to be able to visit!

1st Blog

Current mood:  grateful


Hello everyone, welcome to my exclusive blog for the IC Wales Network – in which I'll be sharing my experiences as I enjoy the excitement and hard work that comes with releasing my first album. Winning Britain's Got Talent has changed my life. I've hardly had time to think, what with recording the album, doing interviews, performing, and travelling.. I'm loving every second, and still can't believe it's happening to me – I'm just so grateful for the opportunities that have been given to me and the support I have had. All of it is very hard to believe. It still hasn't sunk in.

If someone had predicted all of this would happen in my life just a month ago, I would never have believed it. I only ever wanted to sing and to be honest the reason I auditioned for the show was initially because of an ambition I had – to sing at the , Millennium Centre where the auditions took place.

If someone had predicted all of this would happen in my life just a month ago, I would never have believed it. I only ever wanted to sing and to be honest the reason I auditioned for the show was initially because of an ambition I had – to sing at the , Millennium Centre where the auditions took place.

Standing on the stage in front of the judges was one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life! I've always loved singing but never really knew or would have dared to believe that other people would enjoy my singing too.

I'm writing this from a hotel in London where I have been staying whilst the album has been being recorded – but yesterday I did manage to pop back to the mobile phone shop where I was working just a few weeks ago and see my friends which was lovely – and I even managed to sell a phone while I was there!

I had been at a concert over the weekend where I had the honour to perform with Katherine Jenkins – I was very nervous doing that for two reasons. Firstly because I was performing and secondly because she was wearing a very beautiful and very long dress and I was worried I would step on it as we walked onto the stage! In the end it was fine and I really enjoyed performing there – it was a truly amazing experience.

I'll write again tomorrow, thanks again for all your support!

PS My album is called 'One Chance', will be released on Monday 16th, and is available for pre-order from Amazon now.

Latest update!

Hello everyone, I?m back ? sorry about not updating this blog yesterday ? I?ve been so busy promoting the album, as it was released on Monday and things are busier than ever. It?s like being in a whirlwind, with so much going on that sometimes I have to take a few minutes to have some time to myself ? otherwise I think I?d go mad! I honestly don?t know how I?d cope without the wonderful team of people I?ve got helping me through this exciting time. When we were preparing for the album I got to write a list of people I wanted to thank, which appears in the sleeve notes. First and foremost I have said thank-you to my wonderful wife Julie-Ann ? I wouldn?t have been able to do this without her support and love. There?s too many people to name here, but if you read the notes on the album you can see all the people that have helped me along the way. There?s so much going on behind the scenes that most people wouldn?t even have dreamed of ? including me- that goes into the business of making and releasing an album, and I have been blown away by the kindness that everyone has shown to me. If anyone reading this has bought the album, I hope you enjoy it ? I have had the most fun making it and just hope that the people who voted for me on the show like it, as it?s their support that have got me this far. Now the album is out there I feel really excited ? and I?m looking forward to the rest of the journey. I?ve just been told my next trip is to Australia and America and I?m absolutely over the moon that Julie-Ann will be coming with me to experience all of this with me.

Blog 3

Hi everyone, Paul here again. Hope you?re enjoying the blog so far ? it?s Friday now and the album will be in the shops on Monday ? I still can?t believe it! I?m in Bristol today ? it?s a beautiful city, and I?m really enjoying myself ? since winning the competition I?ve been lucky enough to visit some fantastic places and I?m trying to take as much of it in as possible. That?s why keeping this blog is so great ? it means that I?ll be able to read it back in the future and remember all the amazing places I got to visit and the lovely people I?ve met along the way. A real highlight of the whole adventure so far was my trip to New York a couple of weeks ago. It was a really short trip, we flew in one day and flew back home the next ? I can tell you I was pretty tired after that ? but I did have time to take in some of the sights including the Empire State Building which is something I?ll always remember and the Rockefeller centre . I remember thinking the whole time that I was the luckiest man alive, and I still think that every minute of the day. There were so many really talented people taking part in the competition that I never dreamed I would get past even the first stage. I was so nervous before I went on stage the first time, and in fact every time I performed on the show I was nervous. I?m still nervous every time I perform but as soon as I start singing I lose myself and that?s when I really feel myself.

Blog 2

Hello again, here?s the second update of my exclusive blog for the IC Wales Network. I?m in the middle of getting ready for the album release, and today am back in Wales which is really nice ? London is great but it?s good to be back home again, even if it?s just a flying visit for now. I had a chance to look online today and I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who has been supporting me ? it completely takes my breath away. Thank you so much everyone! One of the things that has been great about all this so far is that my wife Julie-Ann has been able to be with me through all the excitement ? she?s popping back to Wales every now and then, but most of the time she?s with me in London and on the road, which I?m really grateful for. Sometimes I have to ask her to pinch me to make sure I?m not dreaming the whole thing. It?s just like a dream come true ? a dream I would never even have dared to have. I?m still getting my head around winning the competition, and even recording the album at all has been an unbelievable thrill. The whole experience so far has completely changed my life, and I?m just taking each day as it comes The suggestions of travel to America and New Zealand are unbelievable and yet very exciting these are some places I would never even have expected to be able to visit!

Wednesday 11th July

Hello everyone, welcome to my exclusive blog for the IC Wales Network ? in which I?ll be sharing my experiences as I enjoy the excitement and hard work that comes with releasing my first album. Winning Britain?s Got Talent has changed my life. I?ve hardly had time to think, what with recording the album, doing interviews, performing, and travelling.. I?m loving every second, and still can?t believe it?s happening to me ? I?m just so grateful for the opportunities that have been given to me and the support I have had. All of it is very hard to believe. It still hasn?t sunk in. If someone had predicted all of this would happen in my life just a month ago, I would never have believed it. I only ever wanted to sing and to be honest the reason I auditioned for the show was initially because of an ambition I had ? to sing at the , Millennium Centre where the auditions took place.