Why is shayne coming out of the shadows
He went from Manchester shop assistant to one of the UK's biggest selling solo artists overnight, but where has Shayne Ward been for the last 12 months? We spoke to the heart-throb pop star ahead of his hometown shows on February 9 and 10. HIS dream began when he stepped into the 2005 X Factor audition and wowed judges Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and his mentor Louis Walsh who, little did he know then, was to become his manager. He flew through the competition and beat his challenger in the final, 41-year-old former binman Andy Abraham, by just over one per cent of more than 10 million votes cast. Shayne's first single, That's My Goal, went straight to No.1 at Christmas 2005 and entered record books for being the most downloaded track in a day. A Brit Award nomination for Best Single shortly followed, along with the release of his second single No Promises and the huge self-titled No. 1 album, which outsold all the other Top 20 records combined. But after two less memorable singles he seemed to disappear and many fans could have been forgiven for thinking he had just been another one hit wonder and that, after winning The X Factor, he had had enough and gone into hiding after his 15 minutes of fame. Advertisement continued...But in fact he has been travelling, making a name for himself across the globe. He has had a platinum-selling album and number one hits in Asia and South Africa. The 22-year-old said: "A lot of people don't know where I've been this last year. But I've been all around the world and it's been fantastic. I've been to Hong Kong. Japan, Malaysia and South Africa promoting myself." Shayne says he is even more proud of his work overseas, which has been successful without using his fame from The X Factor as a starting block. He said: "I showed everyone that other people are interested in me not just because I came from a talent show. A lot of people are negative about people who come from talent shows. But it shouldn't come down to that, if you have talent you have talent. They said I had talent and this is where I am today. It shouldn't be an excuse to say he's no good because he's just from a talent show. This proves to everyone that there are not many other talent show winners travelling the world doing what I m doing." He said he didn't feel any more pressure on his tour, despite being out of the UK limelight for a while. Quite the opposite. He is looking forward to proving to people why he is still in the industry. He thanked his fans for buying tickets and was confident of the tour's success, despite reports that not one of his dates had sold out as he started off his tour earlier this month. However, now dates are starting to sell out. Shayne, who'll play to more than 100,000 fans by the time the tour comes to an end, said: "I've been waiting for this tour to come. I'm very excited about it. I kind of wished it had been last year but now that it's here I'm so excited to show people I'm still here and that I'm the same person. I'm here to have a great time and show everyone else a great time. I'm very grateful to all my fans who have bought tickets even when I've not been in the UK for so long." But it could have all remained a dream when, in August 2006, it was reported that Shayne had developed vocal cord nodules - the same condition that stopped the singing career of Julie Andrews - and was to be flown out to Los Angeles to a specialist surgeon. The decision to have the operation was one of the hardest he had ever made and he feared his career was over. He said: "I feared I may not sing again. It was a massive decision to make, whether I wanted someone performing an operation on my throat. It was the right decision, though. And I'm very excited about it all going well. "I am looking after it now. It is a muscle so it does need rest when you overwork it. So it's about taking time out and really looking after it from day to day." Although born and raised in Manchester, Shayne defines himself as Irish, due to the fact that both his parents are from Ireland. He says it upsets him when people call him a British artist and he has even started his tour in Ireland by choice ahead of Manchester. He is in a relationship with long-term girlfriend Faye McKeever. He has six siblings, including a twin sister called Emma, and has often said all his hard work is for the love of his mum. He tried many times to hit it big, first with a band called Destiny with two women, Tracy Murphy and Tracey Lyle. They performed at pubs, clubs and weddings. Shayne also reached the final 30 of Popstars: The Rivals. Shayne is currently working on a new album to be released in the spring. His manager, Louis Walsh, has said that the new material is "superb" and that it will take many people by surprise. Shayne said he was ecstatic about his new material which he described as "funkier, younger, and sexier." He said: "It is what people want to hear." And surely will come as a great delight to X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne, who spent weeks on the show urging him to sing something more up-tempo. And you never know, it may take him a step nearer to his dream - a duet with Justin Timberlake. Shayne Ward plays Manchester Arena on February 9 and 10. For tickets contact the box office on 0870 190 8000. http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/leisure/leisurehighlights/display.var.1155341.0.why_shayne_is_coming_out_of_the_shadows.php
He went from Manchester shop assistant to one of the UK's biggest selling solo artists overnight, but where has Shayne Ward been for the last 12 months? We spoke to the heart-throb pop star ahead of his hometown shows on February 9 and 10. HIS dream began when he stepped into the 2005 X Factor audition and wowed judges Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and his mentor Louis Walsh who, little did he know then, was to become his manager. He flew through the competition and beat his challenger in the final, 41-year-old former binman Andy Abraham, by just over one per cent of more than 10 million votes cast. Shayne's first single, That's My Goal, went straight to No.1 at Christmas 2005 and entered record books for being the most downloaded track in a day. A Brit Award nomination for Best Single shortly followed, along with the release of his second single No Promises and the huge self-titled No. 1 album, which outsold all the other Top 20 records combined. But after two less memorable singles he seemed to disappear and many fans could have been forgiven for thinking he had just been another one hit wonder and that, after winning The X Factor, he had had enough and gone into hiding after his 15 minutes of fame. Advertisement continued...But in fact he has been travelling, making a name for himself across the globe. He has had a platinum-selling album and number one hits in Asia and South Africa. The 22-year-old said: "A lot of people don't know where I've been this last year. But I've been all around the world and it's been fantastic. I've been to Hong Kong. Japan, Malaysia and South Africa promoting myself." Shayne says he is even more proud of his work overseas, which has been successful without using his fame from The X Factor as a starting block. He said: "I showed everyone that other people are interested in me not just because I came from a talent show. A lot of people are negative about people who come from talent shows. But it shouldn't come down to that, if you have talent you have talent. They said I had talent and this is where I am today. It shouldn't be an excuse to say he's no good because he's just from a talent show. This proves to everyone that there are not many other talent show winners travelling the world doing what I m doing." He said he didn't feel any more pressure on his tour, despite being out of the UK limelight for a while. Quite the opposite. He is looking forward to proving to people why he is still in the industry. He thanked his fans for buying tickets and was confident of the tour's success, despite reports that not one of his dates had sold out as he started off his tour earlier this month. However, now dates are starting to sell out. Shayne, who'll play to more than 100,000 fans by the time the tour comes to an end, said: "I've been waiting for this tour to come. I'm very excited about it. I kind of wished it had been last year but now that it's here I'm so excited to show people I'm still here and that I'm the same person. I'm here to have a great time and show everyone else a great time. I'm very grateful to all my fans who have bought tickets even when I've not been in the UK for so long." But it could have all remained a dream when, in August 2006, it was reported that Shayne had developed vocal cord nodules - the same condition that stopped the singing career of Julie Andrews - and was to be flown out to Los Angeles to a specialist surgeon. The decision to have the operation was one of the hardest he had ever made and he feared his career was over. He said: "I feared I may not sing again. It was a massive decision to make, whether I wanted someone performing an operation on my throat. It was the right decision, though. And I'm very excited about it all going well. "I am looking after it now. It is a muscle so it does need rest when you overwork it. So it's about taking time out and really looking after it from day to day." Although born and raised in Manchester, Shayne defines himself as Irish, due to the fact that both his parents are from Ireland. He says it upsets him when people call him a British artist and he has even started his tour in Ireland by choice ahead of Manchester. He is in a relationship with long-term girlfriend Faye McKeever. He has six siblings, including a twin sister called Emma, and has often said all his hard work is for the love of his mum. He tried many times to hit it big, first with a band called Destiny with two women, Tracy Murphy and Tracey Lyle. They performed at pubs, clubs and weddings. Shayne also reached the final 30 of Popstars: The Rivals. Shayne is currently working on a new album to be released in the spring. His manager, Louis Walsh, has said that the new material is "superb" and that it will take many people by surprise. Shayne said he was ecstatic about his new material which he described as "funkier, younger, and sexier." He said: "It is what people want to hear." And surely will come as a great delight to X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne, who spent weeks on the show urging him to sing something more up-tempo. And you never know, it may take him a step nearer to his dream - a duet with Justin Timberlake. Shayne Ward plays Manchester Arena on February 9 and 10. For tickets contact the box office on 0870 190 8000. http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/leisure/leisurehighlights/display.var.1155341.0.why_shayne_is_coming_out_of_the_shadows.php