Ten Years after Pop Idol

By Carol, 15th Feb 2012 | Follow this author | RSS Feed | Short URL http://nut.bz/pd1p50k6/
Posted in Wikinut>Celebrities>TV

It’s ten years since the British Pop Idol held the nation spellbound as to whether Will or Gareth would win. Read on to find out more.

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Ten Years after Pop Idol
And the winner was ...
Yet Simon Cowell Favoured Gareth
Gareth came back into the limelight
Now it's ten year later

Ten Years after Pop Idol

Pop Idol 2002

Ten years ago Pop Idol 2002 was fought and won. I must be one of the few people who didn’t follow Pop Idol until the very end of it. For my sins, I have to explainI wasn’t a teenager, so a show to discover a Pop Idol wasn’t really my scene, or so I thought.

My autistic son was visiting that weekend, he loves music, so I turned on the TV to entertain him. A beautiful rendition of YESTERDAY filled my ears, and when I saw the singer, this very cute 17 year old boy, who although he had an amazing voice, also suffered from a very severe stammer, I was totally moved.

From then on I was hooked on the show, and although Gareth Gates from Bradford didn’t win, he was always the winner in my eyes, as his courage in standing up on live TV every Saturday, knowing that after he sang, he would be expected to speak, filled me with respect and admiration for this very brave young man.

And the winner was ...

Will, Gareth, and Zoe

Will Young turned out to be the nation’s favourite, he was not quite the Pop star image, but he has done very well for himself since, by developing his own kind of music, more of a soul type of sound. His albums continue to sell some 10 years later, which is a proof of his longevity, and he still has many fans.

The week I first watched was when Darius went out. Here was a young man with a steely determination to top the charts, and bring out a successful album. Coming third was not a deterrent to him, his single COLOUR BLIND hit the spot with his fans, it went to number one, and his album also went to Platinum.

Darius didn’t have longevity as a Pop Artist, but nevertheless he has done well for himself since, having appeared in Musical theatre, so ten years on for him, it’s clear that Pop Idol certainly changed his life. Very few artists can sustain a Pop Career for any length of time, but this doesn’t mean they are not talented, it just means they have to work a little harder and maybe change their image to satisfy the public.

Yet Simon Cowell Favoured Gareth

Gareth's second album

Simon Cowell felt that Gareth ticked all the boxes as a Pop Star, and he really wanted him to win. Whether this obvious preference over Will actually made people who didn’t like Simon vote for Will in sheer defiance, just to annoy Simon, is unclear, but what is true is that because he thought they were equally talented in a different way, Simon gave both of them a recording contract.

Gareth’s career took of astonishingly fast. After the Pop Idol tour, and indeed in the same year, The Will and Gareth tour took place. Gareth had a succession of 4 number one hits in a twelve month period, which smashed the record previously set by Frank Ifield in 1965. He also went overseas touring, becoming at one time as huge as David Beckham in Japan, and won countless awards, far too many to list here.

By the time Gareth released his second album , he had decided he wanted to change his Pop image, and this is why his album was referred to as day and night songs. It didn’t peak as high as his first album, and by now, Gareth was keen to improve his speech, so he took some time off to join the Mc Guire Programme, where he not only improved his own speech, but he also qualified as the youngest speech coach ever, and went on to help others.

Gareth came back into the limelight

Gareth as Marius

When Gareth returned in 2007 with a new album, which he had co written with some of the finest songwriters around, expectations were high for him. He was no longer a 17 year old Pop artist, he was 23, and his music was more mature and sophisticated, just as time had moved on, so did Gareth, trying to embrace a more mature image.

But teenagers are fickle, and having been away for some time, other male solo artists, and groups such as Busted and Mc Fly were now the teeny boppers favourites. But this did not deter Gareth, he became a contestant on Dancing on Ice 2008, he looked amazing, and he worked hard, making it into the semi final and achieving a creditable 4th place

It is always a wise move to appear on television regularly, and in Gareth’s case, it opened doors which led to him being cast as Joseph, in the musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. This was quickly followed by an offer to be in the 25th anniversary tour of Les Miserables, starring as Marius, and after this finished he was also in the Queens Theatre version, winning much critical acclaim, not just for his singing, but also for his acting.

This year Gareth is appearing in the touring version of Hair, both in the UK and Germany, and he continues to gain new fans every time he takes on something different. As fate would have it, he is also reunited with Zoe Birkett, a Pop Idol finalist, who was also his friend, who will be playing opposite him.

Now it's ten year later

Gareth today

Gareth never forgets his diehard fans either. This last year has seen him tour the country doing live gigs, and apart from that he has done several charity performances. He is soon to hit our screeens on 27th February on BBC3, where the public will see him in a house with students who wish to master their stammer. This will offer hope and encouragement to may people who suffer with this condition.

It is hard to realise that Pop Idol graced our screens 10 years ago. In my opinion, because it was the first of such programmes to find a solo star, it was the best. X Factor is a poor comparison to me, maybe we have been saturated with too many reality programmes to find a star? All I know is, 10 years on, these 3 young men are all doing very well, and I will always hold fond memories of Pop Idol, because although Gareth didn’t win, his talent was discovered, and he is still around today as proof of just how versatile and talented he is. I know whatever he does will be a success, and I am looking forward with great expectation to whatever the future holds for him.
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Meet the author

Carol
I am a mother and grandmother, recently retired. I love animals, and enjoy writing about them. I have had an unusual life, and this is reflected in my writing. I have had 3 books published so far, and have just finished writing another. I also enjoy...(more)

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Jerry Walch
15th Feb 2012 (#)

An interesting read, Carol.

Ten Years after Pop Idol

Ten Years after Pop Idol

And the winner was ...

Yet Simon Cowell Favoured Gareth

Gareth came back into the limelight

Now it's ten year later

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