The Bristol-born, Port Talbot-residing tenor, for whom singing has always been a haven and a source of joy, is living his dream. Socially awkward, bullied and taunted at school, singing in his local church choir proved to be a sanctuary from the playground abuse. Listening to La Boheme, aged 16, Paul fell in love with opera, a romance that was to set him on a turbulent journey that would eventually lead to him performing on, and winning, the first series of Britain’s Got Talent in 2007.
Truly a life-changing event, he released his debut album One Chance that year, topped the charts in 13 countries (including the UK), appeared on Oprah (twice), brought Times Square to a standstill, announced a world tour and became a household name in cities from Seoul to New York and Sydney to Hamburg. Paul’s story has since inspired the Weinstein-produced Hollywood film One Chance starring James Corden in the lead role and Paul has written the accompanying autobiography.
But the story doesn’t end there. Paul is constantly touring, averaging 100 concerts each year. He has since released two further studio albums 2009’s Passione and 2010’s Cinema Paradiso and a Greatest Hits collection in 2013. After the release of the film-themed Cinema Paradiso he decided on a change of direction.
“I have always felt very strongly that the divisions in music genres are artificial and often arbitrary. It’s often assumed that a rock fan will not like opera, and vice versa. At the end of the day it is all one thing: Music. This was my vision with Home.”
