Russell Watson white shirt

You can almost hear the smile in Russell Watson’s voice when he introduces himself on the phone, writes Claire Faulkner.

He is incredibly charming and funny, in what must be a very busy day of relentless media interviews to promote his forthcoming ‘Up Close & Personal’ tour.

Watson has achieved an incredible amount in his career so far.

Originally discovered after winning ‘Search for a Star’, a competition organised by Piccadilly Radio in 1990, his debut album ‘The Voice’ stayed at the top of the Classical Album charts for a record breaking 52 weeks.

He has been called the ‘Billy Elliot of Opera’ and also ‘The People’s Tenor’.

He has performed in major venues all over the world and in front of audiences including The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and Pope John Paul II.

Not content with standing still for long, Watson is about to start a new UK tour, which sees him visiting Crewe Lyceum on March 21.

And he is familiar with The Lyceum which he visited recently for a rehearsal.

“The Lyceum is a beautiful building,” he says.

“The architecture is lovely, I like traditional old theatres like this.

“You can tell it’s really old because of the slope on stage.

“Luckily I don’t have to worry about dancing in my show.

“Imagine dancing on a slope,” he laughs. “Good job I don’t dance.

“Old theatres like The Lyceum give a real sense of connection, with the audience and that’s something I wanted to achieve on this tour.”

‘Up Close and Personal’ is unique as a tour, as different local community choirs are invited to join him on stage at each location.

At the Lyceum, The Crewe Male Voice Choir will be sharing the stage with him.

“It was really nice to be able to invite local groups and community choirs to join the tour.

“I think it gives each performance a sense of locality and it’s a real connection to the local community and the audience.”

It’s a big tour, with over 50 dates announced so far. Is he ready for it?

“I’m not really nervous,” he adds.

“There’s always a sense of apprehension whenever you go on tour or release a new record.

“This will be the biggest tour I’ve ever done.

“You always get that feeling just before you start, of ‘oh my god’, we’re going on tour.

“I’m very lucky, I have an incredible fan base, who have always been loyal and supported me.

“I wanted to take this tour to all the places I’ve never been to before so everyone can get a chance to come along and see it.”

Watson has performed many duets with incredible singers from all over the world.

But if there was anyone you could duet with, who would it be?

“It was incredibly sad when Whitney Houston died,” he says.

“I would have loved to have performed with her. She was such an incredible talent.

“It’s so sad when we lose iconic music figures, she was irreplaceable.”

Watson’s success is truly phenomenal.

If you ask him about what he’s proud of in his professional career so far, you may be surprised with the answer.

It’s his connection and the work he does for the ‘Katy Holmes Trust’, a charity which aims to fund much-needed research to finding a cure for paediatric brain tumours.

“A group of us have helped to raise nearly £1,000,000. That makes a difference,” he says.

“I’m quite proud of that.”

For details on seeing Watson at the Lyceum, visit www.crewelyceum.co.uk

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