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Interview with Gareth , North Wales , Footloose


Yorksheather
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In Gareth's interview to promote Footloose, Gareth says he would like to be in the charts again in the near future :)

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/whats-on/gareth-gates-tackling-stammer-stage-13112683

It was a moment of high drama on one of the biggest Saturday night shows of its time.

For weeks, Gareth Gates, the working-class Northern lad with a stammer had been pitted against well-spoken posh Southern boy Will Young. Round after round went so that the other contestants could be eliminated.

Who would be in the 2002 Pop Idol final was never in any doubt. When it came more than 8m people voted in the finale, at stake a record contract and a chance for lasting fame.

So imagine the cool, calm and collected nature of the fresh-faced Gates as Ant and Dec announced the winner was to be his show rival.

But as he reveals he had good reason to be so sanguine in the face of defeat - he had already been assured of a record contract.

“We were both told the week of the final that we would both get a record deal anyway, so I wasn’t too bothered about losing out," he said.

“Obviously I was gutted I didn’t walk away with the title, but it kind of made no difference really.

“They got two pop stars out of it I guess and I was living the dream.

“If I had of won Pop Idol, I don’t think my career would be any different than it is today, I still had five number one songs and sold millions of records so I think I would have achieved exactly the same.”

The stammer is still there.

But today, like those first magical moments when he appeared on screen and struggled to introduce himself only for a draw dropping performance, he finds the stage works wonders.

The 32-year-old who is coming to Llandudno next week as part of the touring musical , Footloose, said adopting a different persona is one way to escape the stammer.

“My speech is a constant battle - I have ups and downs all the time but I know what to do and if I put the work in I can achieve it,” he told the Daily Post.

“As soon as I’m on stage and as soon as I am in character, I’m not me, I am somebody else.

“I adopt a different persona and that seems to work.

“For those two hours I am on stage, I don’t have to think about my speech, it’s really liberating.

“I can always get my lines out and I just get lost in the role and that’s why I’m loving theatre so much.”

Gates, who has been in musical theatre since 2008, works as a speech therapist to help others with impediments to tackle the mind set that comes with having a stammer.

“I am part of the The McGuire programme which teaches you a new way to speak,” he added.

“I teach stammerers how to gain some level of control and it’s really rewarding.

“As a child, I never thought I would ever come this far with my speech - going through the things I went through was very challenging but it's made me who I am and I’m stronger because of it.

“Sometimes I wish I didn't have to go through this struggle, but it has made me who I am so in some ways I would never change it.”

But not only does the former chart-topper teach stammerers to find their voice, he has also recently launched a performing arts academy to teach singing, acting and dance to aspiring young performers with girlfriend of almost five years and Coronation Street favourite, Faye Brookes.

Fates Academy - an amalgamation of their names - is based at Manchester’s MediaCityUK.

“I already had a couple of performing arts schools which are doing really well, so Faye and I joined forces and opened one in Manchester nearby the Coronation Street set in Manchester where Faye works.

“It’s doing really well and Faye loves it too - she’s there every week doing some of the teaching which is really nice.”

However, in between teaching at his new school, Gates is also treading the boards, taking on the role of Willard in Footloose: The Musical, originally played by Chris Penn in the 1984 film.

The Musical tells the story of city boy Ren, who has to move to Bomont - a rural backwater in America - where dancing and music is banned.

But it isn't long before Ren starts a rebellion.

Featuring all the big 80s hits, including Holding Out for a Hero, Let’s Hear it for the Boy and the unforgettable title track Footloose, Gates described the production as a “big party”.

“The underlying message of the play is that you don’t always have to conform - you can be yourself and break free,” he said.

“It’s just a big party - everybody gets up at the end and dances along.

“I play Willard - a cowboy that can’t dance, which is the perfect character for me because I’m a terrible dancer.

“I've never played a comedy part before, so that has been really fun. I get laughs, which is great and apparently, I’m quite funny.”

Although he is enjoying his time on the stage, Gates, who has sold millions of records and achieved five number one hits, said he would love to turn his focus back on to his music in the near future.

He added: “I’m constantly writing music so I w

ould love to do another album, maybe next year - I would love to be back in the charts.

“I've purposely avoided it for a while, just because I've been so busy.

Gareth Gates stars in Footloose with Maureen Nolan at Venue Cymru from Monday, June 5 until Saturday, June 10.

You can book tickets via the box office on 01492 872000 or on the Venue Cymru website.

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, Yorksheather said:

In Gareth's interview to promote Footloose, Gareth says he would like to be in the charts again in the near future :)

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/whats-on/gareth-gates-tackling-stammer-stage-13112683

Thank you for this interview heather. Its music to my ears. Had almost given up any hope of another album. Just hope nothing happens to stop it happening. 

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